Awesome night for Sri Lankan

Ed Sheeran fan…in London

Born in England, Inoka de Silva, is very much Sri Lankan, and has lived in Colombo for over 20 years.

Inoka is now back in England, and has indicated to us that she is enjoying life, over there.

She is a music lover and has seen several big acts, in action, in London, including Lionel Richie, Bon Jovi, and Kylie Minogue. The most recent turned out to be Ed Sheeran.

And this is how it all happened…

Inoka is a big fan of Ed Sheeran and, in particular, loves his monster hit ‘Perfect,’ which happens to be my favourite song, as well.

In November, last year (2021), her idol was interviewed, on TV, where he spoke about concert dates, throughout England. And, when he mentioned doing a one-week stint, at the Wembley Stadium, in London, in June, 2022, Inoka was elated, and went into action.

She and her friends immediately made the necessary reservations, for the second concert, at the Wembley Stadium, on June 25th, and waited, impatiently, for the big day to arrive.

And, when that exciting day arrived, Inoka, and her friends, made it to the venue, at 4.00 pm, and were inside the stadium, within an hour.

The show commenced at 6.00 pm, said Inoka, to a capacity crowd, with a supporting act doing the needful.

“Ed Sheeran was ready to make his appearance, on stage, an hour later, after the supporting act did the needful, and the crowd went into ecstasy when the countdown began, on a giant screen – from 10 to 01….”

According to Inoka, the show was well calculated and slick – and there really was a bit of everything – from the glittering phone lights of ‘Perfect,’ to anthemic stadium-perfect ‘Sing,’ or fiddle-featuring ‘Galway Girl.’

“There was some from his latest record, as well, most notably ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Overpass Graffiti.’

“The beauty of Ed Sheeran’s gig was that pretty much every track is already an airplay hit. It’s hard to pick just one highlight; he even incorporated medleys just to cram more in. And he managed to jump convincingly from up-tempo to ballad without disrupting the flow..

“Armed with his signature guitar, it’s clear Ed Sheeran is a musician who knows exactly how to get the crowd going. If anything, it begins to feel a little too polished, but his use and explanation of his loop station and live layering, such as in ‘Bloodstream’ and ‘Shivers,’ alongside talking about his songwriting process, helped keep the evening grounded.

“However, I would say the only mismatch was the introduction of a band, awkwardly scattered around and feeling a little bit lost in the crowd – if anything, reaffirming the artiste’s undeniable solo stage presence.

“And, we had a surprise, as well – Sam Smith made an appearance, on stage, as a guest artiste, with the song ‘Stay With Me.’

“For me and my friends, and my niece, it was a perfect night, made extra perfect when he sang ‘Perfect’ and also ‘I’m a Mess.’

“Believe me, I got a bit emotional and almost cried when he sang ‘Perfect.’”

‘Perfect,’ I’m told, is still hugely popular in Britain and whenever a busker (street performer) entertains in public areas, crowds gather when this song is performed, and many sing along, as well.