Ed Sheeran has addressed the incident where police interrupted his surprise street performance in Bengaluru, India. The February 9 event, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, shows Sheeran performing in front of a mural on Church Street. He was singing his hit “Shape of You” with a simple setup, consisting of a microphone stand and an acoustic guitar.
In the footage, fans can be heard singing along as Sheeran performs, but the show was cut short when a police officer approached and unplugged the microphone. Despite efforts by onlookers to stop the officer, Sheeran could not continue. He calmly smiled and shrugged off the situation, later telling the crowd, “Everyone, we had permission to do this, but this policeman is shutting it down.”
Following the interruption, Sheeran took to Instagram to reassure his fans. In a message shared to his Stories, he clarified that the performance was pre-planned, saying, “We had permission to busk btw, hence us playing in that exact spot, was planned out before, it wasn’t just us randomly turning up.” He added, “All good though” and signed off with, “See ya at the show tonight x.”
Sheeran is currently in India as part of his ongoing Mathematics tour, which included two shows in Bengaluru on February 8 and 9. Despite the brief disruption, fans expressed excitement at the impromptu performance, with one spectator tweeting, “Went for a casual walk on Church Street and stumbled upon Ed Sheeran performing live. What a city!”
Later that evening, Sheeran posted a photo from his backstage green room, preparing for his second performance in Bengaluru. In the midst of his Indian tour, Sheeran has also shared several highlights on Instagram, including a sitar lesson and time spent with England’s cricket team.
The India tour follows Sheeran’s historic concert in Bhutan, where he became the first international artist to perform there. Reflecting on the milestone in January, Sheeran expressed his hopes for more international shows in Bhutan.
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