Páirc Uí Chaoimh, one of the most iconic stadiums in the country. It’s hosted the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, 17 million GAA games and now a ginger lad from Halifax, with a guitar.

Hype, excitement and plans to drink bags of cans have been reaching fever pitch around Cork in the last few weeks. Friday was the first of Ed Sheeran’s gigs on what is a sell-out tour. The day started out overcast and gloomy, but in true Hollywood style, the sun started to break through the clouds in the late afternoon, which made the shuttle bus journey (it was called Sheeran’s Shuttle) to the Páirc all the more pleasant.

Hopping off Sheeran’s Shuttle, the route to the stadium was divided into colours and depending on what ticket you had, you walked with the masses on a particular route. Arriving into the recently redeveloped stadium was mightily impressive. The tunnels opened up into a sea of sun drenched people and an absolutely incredible, gigantic stage which seemed 50 times too big for one lad and his guitar.

The crowd was incredibly diverse, from folks of finer vintage, who casually chugged vino out of small plastic bottles, to teenagers who wore outfits that were not Mammy approved. And of course there was a few who'd bolted out of the barn a few hours earlier.
Hundreds of stewards and security paraded around the stands and the pitch, and to their credit they kept the fun disruption to an absolute minimum, only pulling a few people down off shoulders. as is required.

Support for the night was Beoga, Jamie Lawson and Anne-Marie. It was great to see a band like Beoga on the support list, and they did well – but, in a way, the support slot was a mere prelude. I interviewed Jamie Lawson a few years ago on the old radio show and seeing him on stage, playing to a huge crowd was inspiring stuff. Even if he himself did look a bit apprehensive at the sheer volume of faces. Anne-Marie came on and whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy.

And then that was it. No more waiting.

Sheeran walked out at 8.45pm. From the sheer level of noise that met him from a 40,000 strong crowd, he may as well been kitted out in a Cork GAA jersey, on top of Seán Óg Ó hAilpín’s shoulders. Clad in his usual attire of a checked shirt, t-shirt and jeans even Sheeran himself looked genuinely blown away with the crowd.

Immediately, you knew you were in for something special. This wasn’t just about him belting out the songs and saying good night – far from it! Sheeran asked the crowd to give him everything, to dance, to enjoy themselves, to just let themselves go. In return he’d give 110%. By the end of the night, he’d given at least double that.

The level of interaction with the crowd was nothing short of brilliant, from stories about fans just staring at him in sheer awe, to his incredible, self-deprecating self-awareness. He knew people, mainly husbands and boyfriends, were dragged there, and he knew they weren’t fans. He made a huge joke out of all this and at that moment, this 27 year old with a guitar, had 40,000 people eating out of his hand. Those non-fans, were now fans. I spotted at least one moaner who was on the bus earlier, dancing his arse off.

One of the highlights for me was when he spoke about his support acts – and then introduced Beoga back on stage. From there they belted out Galway girl and it’s just as well there wasn’t a roof on Páirc Uí Chaoimh. I’m getting chills just thinking back to this moment. The place exploded. And I mean exploded! People running to the toilets stopped in their tracks. EVERYBODY jumped, everybody bounced. Hell, I’d say the Páirc has sunk a few inches.

While there may have been close to 40,000 people in Páirc Uí Chaoimh last night, we may as well have been in a dimly lit pub attending an incredibly intimate gig. The way Ed handled the crowd, was genuinely impressive (and that’s not even taking into account the spectacular video walls that ran throughout on the huge stage). Actually, it was more than impressive.

My mind was truly blown that one man and his guitar could connect and relate to a crowd this size in such a visceral way. Ed Sheeran is a very different animal live. The energy the guy projects and the tempo and vibe he creates is amazing. This was genuinely one of the best gigs I’ve ever been at.

This was a total Ed-sperience! And to borrow a song title from one of Sheeran’s support acts, Jamie Lawson, I wasn’t expecting that!

Victor Barry