Once again it is nice to start from the end, when thousands and thousands of people leaving the concert also swarm into the streets of the centre, to return to their cars, the hotel or the bed & breakfast or to sit in a place to eat or drink something . It’s the magic of live music. Because there is nothing more beautiful than seeing so many people with smiles and eyes full of joy for having seen a live show together with everyone else. The wait for Ed Sheeran was that reserved for the grown-ups and the figures don’t lie: forty thousand attendances last night, the same number tonight.
Forty thousand people applauding, singing with one voice, embracing each other even if they don’t know each other, united by the same passion. The English artist, who has already seen huge crowds around the world, seemed surprised, this time, by the roar that greeted him when he showed up on stage. He certainly hadn’t seen the scenario that appeared before him anywhere else in the world, with the historic walls as the backdrop. A special place, which he wanted to pay homage to with a t-shirt dedicated to Lucca, with the name of the city on both the front and the back.
“Tides“ is an excellent start to immediately warm up (so to speak, given the torrid climate even in the evening) the audience, with a series of decidedly rock pieces. Then it’s the turn of some acoustic songs that culminate in “Give me love“ and “Eyes Closed“. Then a long medley which, starting from “Take it back“, passes through “Superstition“ by Stevie Wonder (the greats always pay tribute to the greatest) and arrives at “Ain’t no sunshine“ by Bill Withers. The show continues with the calm tones dear to Sheeran, until the super hit “Thinking out loud”. Also arriving are “Happier“, “Perfect“ and the intense “Bloodstream“ which introduces the grand finale: with “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You“ you can move and dance again, before launching yourself into one- two knockouts of “Shape of you“ and “Bad habits“, for the final apotheosis of a rich and entertaining show, well played by the band and excellently sung and directed by Sheeran, who also confirmed in Lucca how good it was always said of him as a “stage animal”.
Over two hours passed quickly, but this time the call will be there and this evening: same time, same stage. And among the fans there are those who will do an encore and will still be here tonight, even at the cost of listening to the same songs, because live music is always a unique and unrepeatable experience.
Finally, an obligatory mention also for Birdy, the British singer-songwriter who opened the evening (and will do so again tonight). Certainly one of the most interesting characters on the new singer-songwriter scene, Birdy knows how to be delicate with just voice and piano and incisive with more sustained rhythms: she deserves great attention.
Paolo Ceragioli
