Ed Sheeran hit the stage Tuesday night (26 May 2015) for his X(Multiply) Tour at The Mann Center in Philadelphia with his Martin guitar and Loop Station and had everyone on their feet singing and dancing like there was no tomorrow.
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| Looking out across the lawn seating at The Mann |
Lets talk about The Mann Center a little. This was the first time I have traveled down to Philly to attend a concert at this venue and I was not disappointed at all! The Mann is located in Fairmount Park and was founded in 1935. This was such a beautiful venue. When you first walked into there was a court yard that had lights stringed all above it which made a great atmosphere. Set up around the court yard was the merchandise stand, open bars, and food stands. The staff at the Mann were really friendly and help you with any questions that you may have like where your seat is located or where the nearest restroom was. (Might I add that the bathrooms were very clean! Because we know that is important to know when you go to a big venue like this) The ceiling of The Mann is made of wood which is not only for the looks but the made acoustics in that venue sound amazing, and just by me explaining it is not going to do it justice. When the first note of the night was played I was impressed on how loud it was and how you can still hear the singing and it was not drowned out by the bass and other instruments. There are two seating areas one under the covering and the lawn seating. If you happen to sit out on the lawn there are still ways to enjoy the concert with the huge video screens and the sound is just as good as it is under the covering. Now lets get on to the musical acts of the night.
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| Looking inside of The Mann. |
For this show Foy Vance was opening up for Ed Sheeran and this was his second show on the X Tour. Foy Vance is a folk singer from Northern Ireland. I suggest to go on iTunes and buy his newest album Joy of Nothing. This album is one of my go to album so seeing him in concert for me was just as exciting seeing Ed that night. Foy was joined on stage with his guitars and a drummer and that is all he needed to kick off the night. Foy is one of those artists that does not need auto tune when he preforms. His voice is so clean, the instruments blend well with it in each songs. His set list was wonderful, and he even cracked a few jokes for the city of brotherly love.
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| Ed Sheeran on the stage during "I'm a Mess" |
The British, ginger, tattooed, singer, songwriter, Ed Sheeran was the main act of the night. Ed opened up the gig with I'm a Mess and everyone was on their feet within seconds and remained on their feet for the rest of the night. My favorite thing he said after this song was "Everyone is looking forward. No one is looking at you. So Philly we are going to have a good time. It doesn't matter if you sing out of tune, dance crazy, or clap out of beat because everyone is looking forward." He did not have to tell me twice that I was going to have a good time that night because I knew the moment I bought the tickets I would. Ed was joined on stage by his Martin Guitars and his Loop Station. Ed used the loop stations to build a song up all live right there on the stage. No band to back him up just the Loop Station, the guitars, and two microphones. Watching him loop all of these different beats and guitar licks together was astonishing. A Stevie Wonder song snuck into Ed's set list for the night. He blended Superstition with his song titled Take It Back. Ed did not loose the audience once during songs when he wanted us to sing along, which takes a lot for an artist to do. His stage design was simple just a few video screens behind him that either played pre made videos or him performing in a different video effect. Non of these pyrotechnics or dancing sharks was needed to make Ed's gig a night to remember. My favorite song that Ed sang out of all he sang the whole night was You Need Me, I Don't Need You just because of the build ups and the songs he incorporated within the one song, which were In Da Club by 50 Cent and I'm So Fancy by Iggy Azalea.
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| Instagram photo taken by Ed Sheeran on stage of the crowd in Philly. |
Overall the concert was fabulous. I would have to say one of the best I have been too. If you ever get a chance to see Ed Sheeran or Foy Vance in concert I highly recommend it! You will not be disappointed.
*Stay tuned to this blog to see more concert reviews that I will do in the future.*
Where to find...
The Mann
Twitter: @MannCenter
Website: www.manncenter.org/
Foy Vance
Twitter: @foyvance
Website: www.foyvance.com/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/foyvancemusic
Ed Sheeran
Twitter: @edsheeran
Website: www.edsheeran.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/EdSheeran
Me
Twitter: @ATodero
