Flashback
Sometime last year, hubby and I were talking about Ed Sheeran and how we would love to see him perform live. I vividly recall that we were in our car on our way somewhere when we vowed that we will watch him if he returns for a concert.A few months later, I heard the announcement that Manila was included in the Asian leg of Ed's Divide Tour. I was ecstatic! I never imagined that my prayers would be answered so soon.
The concert was slated on Nov 7, 2017 at the MOA Concert Grounds. The date, however, posed a few challenges for us. First, it was a weekday, workday and school day. And second, our car was not allowed on public roads that day due to number coding restrictions.
I was still mulling over the logistics of it all when about a month before the concert, Ed figured into a cycling accident which left both his arms broken. He had to cancel the first few legs of his Asian tour but fortunately for Manila, it was only rescheduled to April 8, 2018.
It was a looooong wait but it was way better than a total cancellation. Also, the rescheduled date was better for us because it was a Sunday and it fell right smack on hubby's birthday. It was going to be a happy birthday indeed.
One More Day
Fast forward to April 2018. I was trying to keep my excitement at bay and only started getting anxious a day before the event. I was not able to sleep well that night because I kept thinking about the concert. My irrational self feared about last minute cancellations and would refuse to calm down until I have seen/heard that Ed is already in country. It was already midday Sunday when I chanced upon a tweet from the concert's production company that he arrived the previous night via a private plane.D-Day
Sunday was family day and since it was also hubby's birthday, we started it with a mass then a breakfast date with our unico hijo. Then we came back home to pack and spend a little more time with our son who we will be left behind. We left home after lunch and dropped by the Monasterio de Santa Clara in Katipunan to pray, among others, for a good concert weather and that everyone will have a good time.We checked in at a nearby hotel and rested there until about 5pm. By then, I was on full Ed Sheeran mode and every cell in my body was giddy with anticipation. I was too excited that I could not eat. But I had to force myself to have something so I ate an asado siopao and 4pcs of siomai. Hubby, on the other hand, had a lauriat meal from Chowking.
As we were walking towards the venue. Ed Sheeran songs were playing around MOA and a throng of of people with Divde marks on their faces and wearing Ed Sheeran shirts were walking right past us. My giddiness just went up another notch.
Before going in, we dropped by the official merchandise store first and bought 2 souvenir shirts - one for me and one for the tweener we left at home. I immediately changed into my Divide shirt once we got inside. Then we found a spot and we waited.
After several false alarms, Ed finally took center stage at exactly 9pm. With guitar on hand, he opened the show with the upbeat song "Castle on the Hill". It was the start of almost two hours of unforgettable musical experience. Ed said that his goal is for people to lose their voices in his concert so he encouraged everyone to sing at the top of their lungs. He said that if you don't know the lyrics, make something up. Just sing along. So people were singing and screaming the whole time.
We were watching from the Gold section of the venue and we were pretty much dependent on the big screen placed near where we were standing. I didn't even see his silhoutte in the stage because, well, short girl problems. But regardless, hearing him sing live and sharing that experience with a bunch of passionate Sheerios around us was enough. He was one big ball of energy from start to finish. A one-man-band that proved how phenomenal of an artist he is. All the effort and money we invested for this night was all worth it. It was truly a memorable night that we will treasure.
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| Photo Credits to @teddysphotos |
Aftermath
On the way back to the hotel, we passed through the open area in MOA along with several concertgoers. As Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" was playing in the background, people were collectively humming and singing the song. It was pretty obvious that everyone was still on a high and it was pretty difficult to go down from that place. It was like a hangover that wouldn't go away. Heck, I can still hear Ed's live singing voice days after the event. To cope, I have created a Divide Tour MNL playlist in my Spotify account and downloaded concert videos from You Tube so I can relive it over and over again. Yeah, I think this is going to take a while. Until then, here is the list of the songs he played/sang during the concert. Maybe you'd like to relive them, too. =)- Castle on the Hill
- Eraser
- The A Team
- Don't / New Man
- Dive
- Bloodstream
- Happier
- I'm A Mess
- Tenerife Sea
- Galway Girl
- Feeling Good
- I See Fire
- Photograph
- Perfect
- Nancy Mulligan
- Thinking Out Loud
- Sing
- Shape of You
- You Need Me, I Don't Need You
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