I watch the people around me: young couples hold hands and take solo shots of each other, children dressed in bright colours argue with their parents about what to eat, loud friend groups decide how to split the costs of the alcohol they just purchased. I quickly snap a selfie, realising I won’t have anyone else to look back on this moment with. As the sky begins to darken, I consider, for some time, staying comfortably seated here for the entirety of the concert. Then I remember 2017: how I struggled to get a glimpse of Sheeran as he performed. Dusting my shorts, I push through the crowds until the stage is in plain view. A ten-minute countdown later, he appears.
Even though it is his third—and biggest—concert in India, Sheeran seems almost surprised by his popularity. He shares how he sometimes closes his eyes while playing ‘The A Team.’ The song—his first hit—was what he used to play at open mics in London, to nearly-empty rooms. Now, when he opens his eyes again,…