A really nice summer day! KKL could be situated more beautifully – directly at lake Lucern. July had been enough disgusting so far, so I definitively enjoyed the heath, every sunray. It was almost a pity to be inside on such a day – but the opening of Blue Balls Festival with Nina Nesbitt and Ed Sheeran took place at Luzerner Saal. I couldn’t wait.
Ed Sheeran is a genious. That’s what I’ve seen in 2012 for the first time and now I was going to see the 3rd concert of him after all. All alone with his guitare and the loopstation he’s thrilling the audience like none else. Wonderful melodies, a calm voice with so much charme.
Admission was at 6 pm. It was quited some pushing for the wristband change. The first ones had been there already before 2 pm. Some probably the whole day already. Of course everyone wanted to go through the doors first to get front row. But in the end only the first 5-10 rows of the hall was taken this early. Many only arrived shortly before doors opened. Understandable with this wather. Well, I wanted to be in the front with Ed Sheeran now as well. I didn’t manage to get front row, but compared to before, I was very satisfied.
The nice part of concerts is also the waiting time. You start talking to other fans, telling each other this and that. One of them told how she met Ed at the hotel only few hours before. She could hug him. Another one turned out to be the “crazy one” that climed the palmtree during Luzernfest in front of the Schweizer Hof to see Pegasus better 😉 We sure weren’t bored until Nina Nesbitt started the concert at 8.30 pm with an one hour show.
Nina Nesbitt. I didn’t know her. I thought so at least. I had read, that she has been on tour with Ed as a support. How known she actually was and what kind of music she played, I didn’t know. I deliberately didn’t inform myself about. I thought, if I wouldn’t like her music, I’d be annoyed already before the concert. So there this young, blonde, petite, very shy appearing woman with guitare and joined by a three member band (guitare player, drummer and keyboard / bass player) entered stage. I liked her indie-pop songs from the beginning and until the end of the show I at least had recognised three songs. The Scotish keep asking hesistand and very politely (maybe too politely) , whether the audience wanted to sing along and asked to clap along. You don’t need to always ask. Just do it, just request to do so. And at some point she jumped exuberantly into the pit to hug the visitors in front row. Yes, it was a good start into the evening for sure.
[more photos of Nina in gallery]
Ed Sheeran‘s concert started around 10 pm. I had studied already the setlist from Wien the day before and yes, it seemed the same. With “I’m A Mess”, a song of the new album “X”, and three big streens in the back he opened the show. As soon as everyone was standing shoulder to shoulder banned in front of the room, it really became very hot in the room. Loads of screaming with every word Ed said, every step he came closer to the stage edge, almost with every gesture and move. Additionally shoutings like “You are amazing” or “I love you Ed!”. The average age in the front of the hall was rather low and there were incedebly many english speaking teens there. Wherever they came from. Well, Ed Sheeran is also only 23 years old. But I remembered it a little different from the last times. Possibly it was because I used to be further in the back…?
[more photos of Ed in gallery]
The concert was a mix of his first hits like “Lego House” or “The A-Team”, Covers as “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”, during which he also sang without micro or accompaniement, just acappella, as well as “Be my husband”. Of course he also played new songs like the actual single “Don’t”, “Bloodstream” or the Lord of the ring hit “I see fire”. From the beginning the bigger part of the audience sang along word by word. Inbetween it was very quite and the audience just was listening to his words. He was wondering about the festival name (what probably all the English speaking people do) and was happy about the bubbles in the audience. Only the screaming he obviously didn’t understand. He did scream into the micro then for demonstration. So you are standing there, thinking: “umm, ooookay…?!”. But the goosebump moments where there too – when everyone was singing in a choir, the hall was lit up in red lights and bubbles floating over the heads of the fans. Once very soulful, strong and always with loads of humour. The whole thing could have gone on forever.
A wonderful evening. If I think, that he will perform at Maag Halle in Zurich in atumn and the whole thing will change to Hallenstadion in January… I don’t bedrudge him, he’s great and I don’t doubt his skills. But I imagine that it definitively won’t be the same again in this huge arena. I like smaller locations anyway. Or do you think differently?
