FACT Review: Ed Sheeran's one-man show proves to be the perfect equation
Abu Dhabi has been upping the ante lately with a lineup of incredible concerts. 2025 kicked off with Coldplay, and we've since seen legends like Sting, Christina Aguilera, and Usher set stages on fire. Most recently, it was Ed Sheeran who headlined the inaugural Offlimits Music Festival in the capital.
Bringing his Mathematics Tour to Abu Dhabi's Etihad Park, this marked Ed Sheeran's first-ever performance in the UAE capital. He had previously wowed Dubai crowds last year with the same tour.
As a long time Ed Sheeran fan, this concert was a third time's the charm moment. Having missed his 2015 show at Dubai Media City Amphitheater and 2024 Dubai shows, his performance as part of the Offlimits Music Festival felt like fate — even if fate involved a very last-minute dash to the venue.
Getting into Etihad Park was its own mini adventure. With Yas Mall parking packed to the brim, a solid 15-minute mall trek and then to the actual gate, FACT made it just in time.
Before Ed Sheeran took the stage, One Republic had gotten the crowd buzzing. The band's frontman, Ryan Tedder signed off cheekily, announcing, 'Next up is Ed Sheeran from the UK… he's alright,' sending ripples of laughter and cheers through the crowd.
Then, without any dramatic pause, playful tease, or the usual 'get-your-phones-ready' intro most artists lean on, Ed Sheeran burst onto the stage strumming — and drumming — with his battered and beloved guitar. The crowd instantly erupted.
Dressed in simple black trousers and a black T-shirt that had 'Abu Dhabi' printed across it in the colourful style of his Mathematics Tour branding, Ed Sheeran took command of the stage effortlessly.
He kicked off with a guitar solo, layering beats with his loop pedal. This lets him create tunes completely live and have them looped, freeing him up to interact with the crowd without missing a note.
Once Ed Sheeran was in the groove, he launched into Castle on the Hill, with the entire crowd belting along. Behind him, animations danced across giant screens — some clips from his album artwork, some live visuals like butterflies fluttering across bright backgrounds. It added a dreamy feel without overpowering the simplicity of his one-man-band setup.
Ed Sheeran rolled through hit after hit — Shivers, I'm a Mess, and The A Team. Fun fact: the singer confessed he thought The A Team would be a one-hit-wonder. Safe to say, things turned out just fine for him.
When he sang Give Me Love, the mood mellowed, but the crowd stayed connected, humming along with him. Then, picking the energy right back up, he invited the audience to sing along that only made the night feel even more special. Next came Don't and Take It Back, where Ed Sheeran went full rap mode, ditching his guitar for a bit and just spitting bars.
While most artists spend live shows switching flashy outfits, Ed Sheeran stuck to his trusty black tee and swapped out guitars instead. It was clear. For him, it's about the music, not the theatrics.
Soon, he slowed things down with Happier, Love Yourself and Sing. When Photograph started, you could feel the emotional shift. That song hit differently as the crowd swayed under a soft green sage-like animation playing on the screens.
From there, the set flowed beautifully — One, Perfect and Thinking Out Loud had couples dancing and grooving in a sea of lights, before everyone jumped back up for Ed Sheeran's latest track, Azizam.
Finally, we hit the home stretch with the high-energy Shape of You — the entire Etihad Park jumping in unison — before he closed the night with Bad Habits and a massive firework display that lit up the sky. It was a grand, sparkling finale to a night that felt like it flew by too fast.
Ed Sheeran performed for two hours straight — no backing band, no break, just a man, his guitar, his loop pedal, and 30,000 fans singing right along. Most artists would have taken a breather, but not Ed Sheeran. He powered through with an energy and passion that proves why he's considered one of the best live performers today.
Now, to be fair, not everything was perfect. While Ed Sheeran's performance was spot on, the sound system at Etihad Park left a bit to be desired. It felt overly loud and slightly distorted with that crackling sound that can get a bit uncomfortable. Maybe it was because the organisers were trying to project all the way to the back of a massive crowd or to drown out the sounds from the other stages, which really should have been inactive during the headline set.
All in all, Ed Sheeran's set at the Offlimits Music Festival was nothing short of incredible. The sheer talent, energy, and heart he brought to the stage completely overshadowed everything else. After years of near-misses, finally seeing Ed live felt like the perfect full-circle moment — worth every step of the mad dash to the venue.
GO: Visit https://www.offlimitsfestival.com/ for more information.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
10 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly paid millions to clean up Astronomer's viral scandal
After tech company Astronomer found itself at the centre of a social media firestorm, thanks to a viral Coldplay concert moment involving its then-CEO and head of HR, Hollywood's Gwyneth Paltrow stepped in to turn all the chaos into calm. Now, her biographer Amy Odell has revealed just how handsomely she was rewarded. In a video posted to Instagram on July 26, Odell claimed that Paltrow was paid 'in the millions' for her short-term role as Astronomer's spokesperson, following the now-infamous concert clip. For context, Odell also shared some of the Goop founder's previous brand deals: $1.6 million for appearing at the Red Sea International Film Festival, a $1.25 million Swarovski contract, and a number of other multi-million dollar endorsements over the years, including with Copper Fit. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amy Odell (@instamyodell) The drama began when Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristen Cabot, both married to other people, were caught together on the jumbotron during a Coldplay concert in Boston. Their attempt to duck off-screen only made the moment more meme-worthy, sparking days of online ridicule, headlines, and even commentary from celebrities. The fallout was swift. But Astronomer didn't follow the typical PR playbook. Instead, they brought in Chris Martin's ex-wife, and in a savvy twist of celebrity-meets-crisis-management, Gwyneth Paltrow became the face of their reset. In a video posted by Astronomer on July 25, Paltrow appears poised and playful: 'Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer.' She skips over the scandal entirely and instead turns the spotlight to Astronomer's tech, calling it 'the best place to run a patchy airflow, unifying the experience of running data ML and AI pipelines at scale.' Whether the stunt was worth the steep fee is debatable, but in terms of brand visibility, it was a win. Astronomer's new CEO, Pete DeJoy, addressed the attention on LinkedIn, noting that the company has faced tough moments before and always bounced back.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
Ex-Astronomer CEO to sue Coldplay over viral kiss cam video?
Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron could sue Chris Martin's Coldplay for defamation, according to a Page Six report. This came after an unexpected kiss cam moment from Coldplay's recent concert made global headlines, bringing the former CEO and HR exec's personal lives under fire. In videos going viral on social media, Byron was seen sharing an intimate moment with the company's head of human resources, Kristin Cabot. In days after the incident, Byron resigned from his position amid growing backlash and an internal review from the Board of Directors. According to a Page Six report, Byron can possibly sue Coldplay due to the massive fallout he suffered after the kiss cam fiasco with his former colleague. Attorney Camron Dowlatshahi spoke to the outlet and shared, "If we are getting creative, a possible claim would be for defamation, specifically as it relates to Chris Martin characterising the two as having an 'affair.'" During the concert, Martin passed a brief remark as the camera caught Byron and Cabot, jokingly stating, "Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." The attorney went on to explain that Byron would need to prove that the singer's comments were defamatory and refute the "affair" claims, which he believes wasn't the case. He also said that Byron will need to prove that Chris Martin knew about his innocence and "made the statement anyway with malice." "None of those elements will be met, so any claim against Coldplay would be frivolous. I also very much doubt that Mr Byron would want further public scrutiny by bringing a borderline frivolous suit against the event organizers and/or Coldplay," he added.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Astronomer gets Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow to 'answer' questions after Coldplay controversy
In a surprising turn of events, Astronomer has hired Gwyneth Paltrow to 'answer questions' from the internet. Paltrow and Martin announced their split in 2014, after a decade of marriage. This comes after the company's now former-CEO was mired in controversy after being seen at a Coldplay concert with the firm's HR head. Paltrow, who is a popular actor, says in the video that she has been hired on a "very temporary" basis to answer common questions that people have been asking on the internet. While the star doesn't actually answer any questions or address any real concerns that netizens may have conveyed earlier, the actor does redirect the conversation to the products that the firm already offers. Watch the video below: Thank you for your interest in Astronomer. — Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 25, 2025 Just last week, Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron put in his resignation, according to a statement issued by the tech company. The company said on X, "As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met." "Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO," they said.
