Ed Sheeran went from being a 13-year-old in the audience at a James Blunt concert to sharing the stage with him over two decades later.
Taking the stage at Portman Road Stadium in Ipswich, UK, on Sunday July 13, the Sapphire hitmaker wrapped up his three-day homecoming concert series in his hometown with an emotional surprise.
In a true full-circle moment, the Grammy winning singer invited his longtime idol-turned-close friend to join him on stage at the same venue where he first saw him perform 21 years ago.
“I saw @jamesblunt when I was 13 opening for @eltonjohn at Portman Road. I bought his album that day, then got obsessed,” Sheeran wrote in a heartfelt caption on Instagram. “His songs moulded me, his performing inspired me. I wanted to be him.”
Sheeran revealed that his deep admiration for blunt eventually led him to sign with the same management and record label as Blunt.
Calling it “super weird,” Ed Sheeran reflected on how surreal it is to be close friends and even the godfather to the son of someone he once idolized.
Despite their decade-long friendship, Sheeran admits he still has moments where he has to remind himself that he’s the same 13-year-old who used to obsess over Blunt, cover his songs at school, and attend his gigs as a fan.
He continued, “Thank you James for coming today. I know you finished your South American tour two days ago, and you should be resting, but you flew to ipswich to sing with me. And it meant the world.”
He wrapped up the tribute by calling the experience, “Top 3 favourite moments on stage of all time for me.”
Additionally, to make the occasion more memorable Sheeran debuted a new song, Slowly, during the final show.