The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It’s the same spirit â stripped-down sets, an intimate setting â just a different space.
Bobby Carter | Oct. 26, 2021
Decked in a hoodie, cargo pants and coveted sneakers, a slimmed-down and clean-shaven Ed Sheeran stands surrounded by bookshelves and a host of world-class musicians. Heâs flanked by music director to the stars, Adam Blackstone, who assembled the band and handled bass guitar duties. After opening this Tiny Desk (home) concert with his latest single, âShivers,â Sheeran introduces himself and proceeds with more hits, new tunes, and a surprise throwback.
The English singer-songwriter may appear acclimated to a live band, but itâs a pretty rare occasion. For more than a decade, Sheeranâs become revered for ripping down stadiums, but usually (and remarkably) itâs just him, a guitar and loop pedals.
The material released so far from his upcoming album, = (out Oct. 29), leans heavily into the â80s pop sphere and provides glimpses into Sheeranâs personal life during his time away. Here, he debuts âOverpass Graffiti,â an uptempo ode to the endurance of long love. âVisiting Hoursâ is a heartfelt dedication to his close friend and mentor, Australian record executive Michael Gudinski, who passed away in March.
Although most of the setlist honors =, Sheeran veers momentarily to take us to church with 2014âs âMake It Rainâ from the TV show Sons of Anarchy. The choir only takes up a smidgen of physical real estate, but their voices manage to engulf the entire space, propelling the song to another stratosphere. He closes the performance with a quiet storm version of his summer single âBad Habits.â
SET LIST
* âShiversâ
* âMake It Rainâ
* âOverpass Graffitiâ
* âVisiting Hoursâ
* âBad Habitsâ
MUSICIANS
* Adam Blackstone: musical director/bass
* Terence Vaughn: keys
* Tim Stewart: guitar
* Clay Sears: guitar
* Brian Frasier-Moore: drums
* Rayfield Holloman: pedal steel guitar
* Whitney Smith: vocals
* Raphael Smith: vocals
* Melissa Best: vocals
* Antia Coach: vocals
* Melany Watson: vocals
* Kyron Elcock: vocals
* Raymond Mason: trombone
* Michael Leonhart: trumpet
* Sam Greenfield: saxophone
CREDITS
* Video: Chadrick Fellers, Jeremy Ivory-Chambers, Porous Porousfreak
* Audio: Tyrell Ace Clark, James Hardy-Martin, Douglas Touré Harris
TINY DESK TEAM
* Producer: Bobby Carter
* Video Producer: Kara Frame
* Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
* Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Bobby Carter, Maia Stern, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis
* Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
* Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
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