Photo: Getty Images
Ed Sheeran was his own backing band at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival presented by Capital One.
The English musician returned to the festival for the first time in 11 years, taking the stage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (September 20) for a jaw-dropping set of songs that he "made live on the spot." While artists are typically joined by backing musicians, whether for instrumental accompaniment or back-up vocals, Sheeran commanded the stage alone with just an acoustic guitar and loop pedal.
As he explained at the top of his set, he created his own backing tracks for many of his songs throughout the night, adding layers of harmonies, guitar and keyboard riffs to build the songs we all know and love live in front of the crowd.
Photo: Getty Images
Starting with "Shivers," from his 2021 album Equals, Sheeran got the audience dancing and singing along to the track he made right before their eyes, doing the same with "Sapphire," one of the first singles off his latest album Play, which dropped September 12.
Sheeran took a break from his impressive loop pedal skills to simply strum his acoustic to "Perfect," the romantic ballad from his 2017's record Divide. The crowd was feeling the love, immediately lighting up their phones to decorate the arena in spots of brightness. As the audience sang along, many couples were seen holding one another and swaying, some even serenading each other.
After returning to a newer track, "Azizam," backed by a large pink heart beating on the screen behind him similar to a music video he previously released for the single, Sheeran ended his set with two more of his popular hits. First up was "Shape of You," the crowd quickly cheering when they heard the identifiable opening riff, before he moved on to "Bad Habits," the audience clapped along as he built the final song of the night.
The "Camera" singer, who is preparing to hit the road for his Loop Tour, recently revealed that he previously turned down the chance to perform the "first gig in space." Unlike fellow pop star Katy Perry, who famously traveled to the edge of space onboard a Blue Origin flight in April, Sheeran has no current desire for cosmic travel — and for a really good reason.
Sheeran was one of many incredible sets in a star-studded lineup that hit the stage on the first night of the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Other artists wowing audiences both in person and tuning in to iHeartMedia radio stations across the country over the two-day event include Tate McRae, Maroon 5, LL COOL J, Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Diplo, Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman, BigXthaPlug, Justice, Sammy Hagar, GloRilla, John Fogerty, Tim McGraw and The Offspring.
In case you missed it, or just want to relive it all again, fans can tune in to an iHeartRadio Music Festival special, including highlights from the music mega weekend, on Hulu on Thursday, October 2nd.