Ed Sheeran Loop Tour Review

Photo by Dad at Lumen Field animated with ChatGPT

Hi Friends!

On Saturday evening, August 1st, 2026, we got to go see the Ed Sheeran Loop Tour at Lumen Field in Seattle! It was an incredible experience! I hope to share my reflections not only on the concert itself, but how I prepped for it as a neurodivergent kid who knows my strengths and challenges and made the most of it! Any readers out there who are sensitive to noise, heights, smoke, smells, crowds, or any anxieties about going to a massive concert like this one, read on, and I'll share several tips that helped me!

Let's start with prep. I watched previous concerts from the Loop Tour on YouTube and figured out exactly when the fireworks would be. There are also fire jets that happen throughout the show, and while those cause smoke and smells, they don't make noise. If you have asthma, be sure to use your inhaler and have it ready, and consider wearing a mask. Noise cancelling headphones or earplugs are a great idea as well as the decibel levels go well above the 85db mark (don't be surprised to see 100-130db range during Ed's set especially during big cheering sections) that can cause significant ear damage. Note that if you don't have any aversion to super loud noises, and smoke smells, skip the section below and jump to the Review!

Fireworks (super loud, smoky, and smelly)

Sapphire - Prepare yourself leading up to each time he says (and the crowd yells) "Sapphire". Not all have fireworks, but most do, so prepare yourself accordingly.

Castle on the Hill - Cover your ears each time he says "I can't wait to go home" leading into the chorus.

Galway Girl - Whenever he says "My pretty little" leading into "Galway Girl" as well as when the song ends.

Celestial - When he says the word "Celestial".

Azizam - Most of the times he says "Azizam", specifically the first and third references to the word each chorus, but not the second.

Bad Habits - At the end of the concert, after the end of the song, all the pyro goes bananas and the place smells atrocious. Consider leaving a few minutes early.

Fire Jets (smoky and smelly)

Don't - The entire chorus is pyromania.

Give Me Love - A brief moment after he harmonizes "give me love", don't worry too much, only happens once and isn't too smelly.

I See Fire - Whenever he says "fire" pyro goes off,

Bloodstream - Near the end of the song, they launch the flames in rhythm, it's cool (not literally) to watch but kind of smelly.

Bad Habits - Not gonna lie, it seems like they have to use all their pyro and finale's gonna finale. Consider leaving before this.

Before proceeding to our review of the music, a few other challenges you might face. If you're sitting near the back, like 300 level, back rows, it's really high up. Definitely buy a few (overpriced) bottles of water to stay hydrated, maybe practice some stair training in the weeks leading up to the show, and sit down, close your eyes, and do some box breathing (read about that here: Just Breathe... A Yoga Intro) to settle yourself, especially if you struggle with heights. As for the crowd overwhelm, we didn't find it too bad because everyone is kind of in their own space, vibing along to the music with their peeps. Box breathing helps here too to just get you into the moment and center yourself in the space you'll be for the next several hours.

Concert Review

Now that you're prepared and ready to go, let's talk about the actual show. For our Seattle show, doors opened at 4pm. Dad got premium parking at the Lumen Field garage, which was super clutch, but whatever you do, reserve your parking ahead of time as it's crazy crowded. Ed Sheeran didn't come out until 8pm. In our part of the tour, the openers were Aaron Rowe first, then Sigrid, then Myles Smith, Vivaan's favorite artist! Note that Macklemore, who I was on a track with, will be one of the openers in future concerts! Myles came out around 6:30pm. Note that people come in anytime and there's no reason to be there promptly at 4 unless you want to spend 7 hours at the show. Now let's get to the music!

We got there around 5:45pm and got to witness the second half of Sigrid's set! Sigrid is a Norwegian singer who's 29. I didn't know much about her before the show but was very impressed by her high register carrying all of Lumen Field as people made their way in and were talking up a storm. Note that in these pop concerts, unlike classical, they're anything but quiet. People are talking, screaming, eating, you name it, but it's all part of the vibe. Don't Kill My Vibe was an awesome song about empowerment that got me to follow her on Spotify! Strangers was also a fun danceable pop vibe.

Myles Smith's set was honestly PERFECTION. For those who don't know him, Myles is a 28-year-old British singer. His band was incredible, with grooving guitarists and a violinist who was everywhere on stage soaring on her instrument! He started his set with Stay (If you wanna dance), which really amped up the crowd. He also was very thankful for the opportunity to be there and funny with lines like "probably only thirty percent of you know me and I know you're thinking which black guy is this?" Speaking of funny lines, he later said "are you all ready to see your favorite little ginger man?" lol! Wait For You was particularly poignant, and Myles spoke about mental health and the importance of taking care of yourself and being there for friends who are struggling. Throughout his set, he found ways to get the audience involved and taught us some elements to sing along! He closed with his biggest hit so far, Stargazing, and the whole crowd sang along!

Ed Sheeran needs no introduction. He's one of the biggest artists of all time but still maintains his humble roots at 35, though a pop superstar. His first song, You Need Me, I Don't Need You, led into an intro to looping. He explained how most of his set would be just him, no band, no backing track, and showed how loop pedals work and how to build a song. It's literally Garageband IRL and so inspiring! Ed had two stages and entered on the B stage before taking the magical extendable bridge that is popular in many modern concerts to the main A stage.

He talked about his experiences in India and how much he loved learning and working there leading into his global hit Sapphire, which every Indian person sang and danced to in the audience, along with nearly everyone else! He later moved back to the B stage and took fan requests. In this concert he sang A Little More, Tenerife Sea, and a recently made Loop tour medley including elements of Take It Back, Superstition, and Ain't No Sunshine. I loved the shoutouts to Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers while bringing in his own music, something I love doing too.

He moved back to the main stage after that and brought out his band Beoga. They performed many hits they made together like Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan. He also sang Celestial, which (fun fact) was made for the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet game credits. After the band left, he went to the B stage again to perform some of his biggest hits, including Photograph and Perfect. After moving back to the A stage (so much magical bridge), he closed the show with Shape of You (the most streamed song in Apple Music history and second on Spotify with over 5 billion streams), Azizam, and Bad Habits.

If you've made it this far, congratulations! This is definitely one of my longer, more detailed blogs. Let's wrap it up! Overall, this concert experience was insane. It was a combination of overwhelming, enjoyable, thrilling, fun, and challenging (loud and smelly) multisensory experience I'll never forget. Believe it or not, I would totally do it again and I would recommend you do too. Go to EdSheeran.com to learn more and get your tickets to a different Loop Tour show.

That's all for today! See y'all next time! Sarang out.