Ed Sheeran told fans in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday 13 June that he plans to take time away from music once his North American tour ends, saying he wants to 'do the dad thing' and spend more time with his children.
The 35-year-old made the remark mid-show while continuing to promote his albumPlay, in a moment that caught thousands of concertgoers off guard and gave his current run of dates a more personal edge.
The news came after Sheeran had already been moving through apunishing schedule this year, with shows in New Zealand, Australia and South America before arriving in North America. He is now set to continue across the continent for the next five months, with the tour due to end on 7 November.
The comment in Glendale did not sound rehearsed or dressed up for effect. It sounded like a man looking at the calendar and deciding, at least for a while, that family will come first.
Ed Sheeran announces he will be taking a break from music to 'do the dad thing for a while' during first show of his North American tourhttps://t.co/pzm5c1i1i1
Speaking to the crowd, Sheeran said, 'This is gonna be my last time here in a while. I might take some time off once this tour has ended and sort of do the dad thing, so if I don't see you for a while, I love you, thank you for coming.'
The line landed because it was so plain. Sheeran is a father of two young children, Lyra, 5, and Jupiter, 4, with his wife Cherry Seaborn, whom he married in January 2019 after the pair were childhood sweethearts. In the life of a global pop star, that detail can sometimes get flattened into a footnote.
Yet it is the centre of the story here. He is not speaking about retirement, and he is not talking like someone finished with music. He is talking like someone who knows he has missed enough bedtime stories, enough small domestic moments, enough of the ordinary life that sits outside stadium lights.
Mit seiner Nordamerika-Tour ist Popstar Ed Sheeran noch mehrere Monate beschäfigt. Bei einem Konzert kündigte er nun an, sich danach anderen Aufgaben zu widmen. Ganz sicher scheint er sich aber noch nicht zu sein.https://t.co/fSDtGHcuKC
That tension has been building around Sheeran for months. His work has kept him on the move for most of the year, and thetouring itself has become almost a second biography, one written in airport lounges, sound checks and stadium load-ins. By the time he reached Glendale, he had already spent a long stretch away from home.
Source: International Business Times UK
