For the first time since 2018, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran returned to the Philippines, captivating local fans in his Manila 2024 performance that would surely go down in concert lore.
Sheeran took the stage at about 8:15 p.m wearing a "Mathematics" tour shirt with the word "Manila" printed on the front, making a mark as soon as he sang his first song, "Tides."
Keeping the audience involved
Many of the artist's tracks, including "The A Team," "Lego House," and "Overpass Graffiti," were belted out by the enthusiastic audience to start the concert.
Sheeran also performed a song he composed for Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself," and he had everyone riffing on the bridge and warming up their voices during "Thinking Out Loud." During that run of songs, he included "Sing," "Photograph," "Tenerife Sea," "Galway Girl," and "Happier."
Everyone was eagerly singing the famous "oh-oh" part of the song during the lively "Sing," so Sheeran changed things up by asking them to start off quietly before progressively raising their pitch.
Singing along to the last chorus of "Afterglow" at a low volume created an airborne hymn, in perhaps the most moving example of crowd engagement in the concert.
A welcome return to the country
After one of his performances, the singer declared, "I'm so happy to be back... From rooms of no one to everyone here."
The singer even jokes, "Since I haven't been here in a while, I need to be reminded," and he asked the crowd to channel their intense energy into belting out his songs.
After two earlier visits in 2015 and 2018, the British singer-songwriter was in the nation for the third time, and a considerable amount of time had passed between shows.
However, Sheeran promised his return to the country would not take as long.
"I won't leave it at 7 years next time," he mentioned during one of his sets.
Ed also sang "Castle on the Hill," "Lego House," "Eyes Closed," "Give Me Love," and a portion featuring Miguel and Paolo Benjamin of Ben&Ben with the band's hit song "Maybe The Night."
