Ed Sheeran rocks crowd, Steph Curry jersey in Oakland
Ed Sheeran is a mostly savvy entertainer.
He plays the hits, charms the crowd and does what it takes to keep a show moving and on track.
He even wears the right clothes for the occasion. On Wednesday, that translated to Sheeran rocking a Steph Curry No. 30 Warriors jersey during the encore of his sold- out performance at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
His guiding mantra, it seems, is “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And very little seems to change from tour to tour. Oh, sure, new songs pop up in the set list, as the 26-year- old British folk-pop hero continues to chart hits at an amazing pace. Otherwise, however, Wednesday’s show was so very similar — in terms of approach, overall feel and standout moments — to what Sheeran delivered in 2014 at the SAP Center in San Jose and even in 2013 at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco.
On one hand, that made Sheeran’s latest Bay Area outing feel a bit boring at times, like watching “The English Patient” for the third — or, let’s face it, even the first — time. But it was also a bit reassuring, like here’s a guy who refuses to change who he fundamentally is, even as his career continues to sky- rocket.
He’s in the same league with Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and other multiplatinum artists now, yet he still comes across like the most unassuming superstar in concert. He seems like a regular Joe, one who knows just how fortunate he is to be famous enough to land that much- discussed cameo on “Game of Thrones” and doesn’t care what his fellow fanboys and fangirls might think of it.
Sheeran took the stage at 8:30 p.m. with very little fanfare — no fireworks, countdown, dance routines or other choreographed stunts that you see with many of his contemporaries.
The lights just dimmed a bit and Sheeran, wearing a white T- shirt and jeans, strolled out to center stage with his guitar. He stepped up to the microphone and began belting out “Castle on the Hill,” one of the many Sheeran cuts that are currently being played ad nauseam on pop radio.
It was straightforward and effective — a coffeehouse approach translated to a basketball arena — as Sheeran simply let the music do the talking, continu- ing to spotlight the new album “÷” ( pronounced “divide”) with a strong take on “Eraser.”
He performed alone, but that’s definitely not how it sounded. As per usual, Sheeran leaned on “live looping” technology, using foot pedals to record himself playing guitar and vocal parts and then play them back as he moves on to the next part. Several of these “loops” will play at once, allowing Sheeran to layer his own vocal harmonies as well as accompany himself with multiple guitar parts. He is, in effect, creating his own one-man band.
It’s an impressive sight to behold — at least once, maybe twice. But, in 2017, it’s growing old. Not surprisingly, some of the best moments of the concert came when Sheeran left the live looping behind and took a more traditional approach, allowing fans to more fully focus on the lyrics.
And there’s a lot there. Who knew that this boyish troubadour — who once upon a time looked like he might be remembered as a one-hit wonder for “The A Team” — would so quickly establish himself as one of finest songwriters of his generation?
He’d greatly underscore his immense lyrical talent during the second half of the show, wowing the exuberant fans with “Thinking Out Loud” — which stands as one of the best- selling singles of all time — as well as the powerful rendition of “Photograph.” He’d close the main set with the anthem “Sing” before returning for an encore that included the groovy, sexy “Shape of You.”