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 — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.
Bobby Carter | October 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. He’s 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, “Shivers,” 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 it’s a pretty rare occasion. For more than a decade, Sheeran’s become revered for ripping down stadiums, but usually (and remarkably) it’s just him, a guitar and loop pedals.
The material released so far from his upcoming album, = (out Oct. 29), leans heavily into the ’80s pop sphere and provides glimpses into Sheeran’s personal life during his time away. Here, he debuts “Overpass Graffiti,” an uptempo ode to the endurance of long love. “Visiting Hours” 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 2014’s “Make It Rain” 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 “Bad Habits.”
SET LIST
* “Shivers”
* “Make It Rain”
* “Overpass Graffiti”
* “Visiting Hours”
* “Bad Habits”
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
#tinydesk #nprmusic #edsheeran
NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts is a popular video series featuring live, intimate music performances by diverse artists, from major stars to up-and-coming musicians, recorded in the small workspace of Bob Boilen’s NPR office in Washington, D.C.brought to you by SloppBoxx.Com.
Hey ed, how about a song called uniques?
You know unique and equals.
🗽💖🌈
Why does NPR have overpass graffiti tagged as “terrain”
❤
The vocals omggg
Backing vocals on Make it rain 🔥
I took an arrow to the heart
I never kissed a mouth that tastes like yours
Strawberries and somethin’ more
Ooh yeah, I want it all
Lipstick on my guitar (ooh)
Fill up the engine, we can drive real far
Go dancin’ underneath the stars
Ooh yeah, I want it all
Mm, you got me feelin’ like
I wanna be that guy, I wanna kiss your eyes
I wanna drink that smile, I wanna feel like I’m
Like my soul’s on fire, I wanna stay up all day and all night
Yeah, you got me singin’ like
Ooh, I love it when you do it like that
And when you’re close up, give me the shivers
Oh baby, you wanna dance ’til the sunlight cracks
And when they say the party’s over, then we’ll bring it right back
And we’ll say, ooh, I love it when you do it like that
And when you’re close up, give me the shivers
Oh baby, you wanna dance ’til the sunlight cracks
And when they say the party’s over, then we’ll bring it right back
Into the car
On the backseat in the moonlit dark
Wrap me up between your legs and arms
Ooh, I can’t get enough
You know you could tear me apart (ooh)
Put me back together and take my heart
I never thought that I could love this hard
Ooh, I can’t get enough
Mm, you got me feeling like
I wanna be that guy, I wanna kiss your eyes
I wanna drink that smile, I wanna feel like I’m
Like my soul’s on fire, I wanna stay up all day and all night
Yeah, you got me singin’ like
Ooh, I love it when you do it like that
And when you’re close up, give me the shivers
Oh baby, you wanna dance ’til the sunlight cracks
And when they say the party’s over, then we’ll bring it right back
And we’ll say, ooh, I love it when you do it like that
And when you’re close up, give me the shivers
Oh baby, you wanna dance ’til the sunlight cracks
And when they say the party’s over, then we’ll bring it right back
Baby, you burn so hot
You make me shiver with the fire you got
This thing we started, I don’t want it to stop
You know you make me shiver-er-er
Baby, you burn so hot
You make me shiver with the fire you got
This thing we started, I don’t want it to stop
You know you make me shiver
Yeah, you got me singin’ like
Ooh, I love it when you do it like that
And when you’re close up, give me the shivers
Oh baby, you wanna dance ’til the sunlight cracks
And when they say the party’s over, then we’ll bring it right back (oh no)
And we’ll say, ooh, I love it when you do it like that
And when you’re close up, give me the shivers
Oh baby, you wanna dance ’til the sunlight cracks
And when they say the party’s over, then we’ll bring it right back, hey
Drums into the bookshelf❤
❤❤❤❤❤❤
So this was during COVID and NPR said you’re playing with a band. Seems this would’ve been the best time to play solo? Just saying…. Amazing set btw!