Ed Sheeran at Roundhay Park

Many of you probably know that I’m a very big Ed Sheeran fan and have been for many years. I was lucky enough to see him twice last year in Manchester and Newcastle, so when he announced that he would be playing some homecoming gigs to bring his Divide Tour to a close I knew that I really wanted to go! It was rather fortunate that he would be doing two dates in Leeds which was great for me as it’s rather easy for me to get to. His shows in Leeds were at Roundhay Park which is somewhere I’ve never been so I didn’t really know what to expect. Concerts don’t often take place there so I didn’t have a clue what the disabled access would be like.

 

Ed Sheeran tickets literally sell out in minutes so I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much but I was going to try my best to get my hands on some tickets.

 

Booking tickets

As soon as the shows were announced, I went online to look for the information on disabled access tickets and provisions. It was really easy to find and gave me all the information I needed. The disabled access tickets were being sold through Alt Tickets, and all the information was on their website.

There were two options for disabled access tickets – wheelchair platform or disabled access tickets for an area away from the crowd. I was also extremely pleased to see that disabled people could get a free companion ticket if they provided proof of disability which I was very glad about as I would have been unable to go otherwise.

 

I had to purchase the tickets online when they went on sale, this was the first time that I had purchased disabled access tickets online as I usually have to book them over the phone.

I was a bit apprehensive about doing this as I had no idea whether the booking process was accessible with my screen-reader so my Mum was there to lend me a hand just in case. I think that purchasing disabled access tickets online is definitely a step in the right direction but accessibility is key.

 

On Friday 27th September 2018 I nervously waited in the queue to purchase tickets. I selected the disabled access tickets I wanted and within a few minutes I had purchased them…I was seeing Ed Sheeran live again!

 

The process was rather straight forward and I was able to purchase them without too much hassle, luckily the site was accessible with my screen-reader which was great.

 

Once I had purchased the tickets, I emailed my proof of disability to Alt Tickets and my free companion ticket was approved the same day.

I then just had to wait 11 months for the concert!

 

A few months before the gig Ed announced that Lewis Capaldi and The Darkness would be his support acts in Leeds, I was really excited about Lewis.

 

A couple of weeks before the gig I received an information pack which had detailed information on the disabled access area itself, disabled parking and instructions on what you could and couldn’t take into the venue, it also included wristbands that we needed in order to gain access to the disabled access area, as well as information on food and drink stalls at Roundhay Park. The information also said that disabled fans were able to take camping chairs into the disabled access area which I thought was really good.

I thought it was great that disabled fans were sent information beforehand as this answered many questions, it helped you to plan your visit and may put many people’s worries at ease.

 

The concert

After waiting 11 months, Saturday 17th August finally came around! I can’t explain how excited I was to be seeing Ed again! He had done a gig at Roundhay Park on the Friday and reading tweets and news articles, there was some chaos with getting to the gig and also the rainy weather didn’t help as it was extremely muddy so I wanted to be prepared.

 

My Dad was coming to the concert with me, it was his second concert so it would definitely be a different experience for him.

 

We set off in plenty of time and thought that it was best to get there early.

Once arriving at Roundhay park, we followed the signage and then a member of staff asked us which car park we wanted, we told them that we wanted the brown car park as that was the closest to the entrance we needed, he told us that that carpark was staff only so we couldn’t park in there and then sent us to another one. However, this was contrary to the information in the information pack that I had received through the post and the information online. We arrived at the other car park and managed to find a disabled parking space.

We had plenty of time until the gates opened for the show so we had a snack before going to queue.

 

We asked a steward where we needed to be for the Hill 60 disabled access area and he told us that we had to walk up quite a steep hill which would then take us to the entrance we needed.

We grabbed our coats, things and camping chairs and made our way up the hill and to the entrance we needed. I managed to get up the hill easy enough but it may have been difficult for someone with a mobility impairment.

 

We asked a steward where we needed to queue for the disabled access area on hill 60 and they pointed us in the right direction.

It was a ticketless event; you needed the credit card that you used to purchased your tickets with in order to gain entry. Each ticket company was assigned a colour so people knew where to queue so it was vital that you got the right queue. There was a lot of people in front of us but after a while, it was split into four sections so the queue we were in was ok and I hoped that we could get a good spot for the concert.

After waiting for around 40 minutes, the gates were opened at 4pm and we were able to enter. We put our wristbands on to show that we had disabled access tickets, and waited in line until it was our time to go through ticket checks and security.

 

Once we were at the front of the line, my bank card was scanned, we then went through security checks and were able to then go in.

 

Upon arrival, we walked past all the food stalls and made our way to Hill 60 (the disabled access area). We showed a member of staff our wristbands and we were then able to go into the disabled access area.

It seemed like we were one of the first people to enter so we made our way to the front of the area to try and get the best spot possible so that my Dad could have a good view. I was really glad that we got there at the time we did as we were one of the first to enter the disabled access area so we could get right to the front.

 

We got our stuff sorted, got our camping chairs out and sat in our spot. Whilst we were doing this, one of my school friends actually recognised me from the general admission area so she came over and we had a catch up. It’s always lovely to see someone that you haven’t seen in ages!

 

The disabled access area (hill 60) was very far away from the stage.

As the park started to fill up, it became clear that the view was very poor as we were so far back. I’ve been to many gigs over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so far back at a concert before.

I’m registered as blind and have no useful vision, but for people that have some useful vision then they wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all. My Dad said that the view from the disabled access area was shocking because we were too far away from the stage. I was really disappointed and felt like disabled people weren’t thought of at all.

 

It was then just a matter of time to wait for the concert to start.

 

A little while later, Elin and her Mum arrived and found us and we spent the rest of the evening together.

 

We decided to get something to eat before the concert started, my Dad went to get us something whilst I reserved our spot.

Reading from the information in the information pack and online, it seemed like there would be food stalls within Hill 60 (the disabled access area), by this info, you were led to believe that the stalls would be for disabled people which I thought was great. However, this was not the case, the food stalls were located on hill 60 but they were for everyone so I do think the information should have been clearer.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed some chips before the concert.

 

Lewis Capaldi came on stage at 6:15pm, I had seen him in July so I was really excited to see him again.

 

As soon as Lewis came on stage, there seemed to be something wrong with the sound system in our area, we could hardly hear him, it sounded like you were listening to music in someone else’s back garden, it wasn’t clear or good quality at all, In fact, it was appalling.

The only song we properly heard of Lewis’ was the final song but the sound kept fading in and out during that as well. Due to the sound quality, we were unable to enjoy his set.

As someone who is registered as blind and has no useful vision and therefore relies on hearing the music, I was really frustrated and disappointed. I actually said to my Dad that if it continued and we couldn’t hear Ed then there wasn’t really much point of us staying as it was that shocking, and I am most definitely not the type of person to want to leave a concert!

Many of us told the stewards in the hope that something could be done.

 

The Darkness came on at 7:15pm, the sound improved a bit during their set but it still wasn’t brilliant as it kept fading in and out. I only knew one of their songs which was their hit single I Believe In A Thing Called Love which they ended their set with.

After The Darkness went off stage, the countdown began for Ed!

 

Ed came on stage at 8:30pm, he opened up with one of his many hit singles ‘Castle On The Hill’. I was in absolute awe of his talent, how one man can put on such an incredible performance with just a guitar, a loop pedal and a microphone is incredible.

Here is a video of Ed singing Castle On The Hill

 

 

Ed performed a range of songs, some slow songs included Tenerife Sea and I See Fire, some of the upbeat songs included Bloodstream and Galway Girl. He didn’t forget any fan favourites though, these included The A Team, Thinking Out Loud, Perfect, Photograph, Sing and Shape Of You. I loved the two mashups he did as well which included Don’t/South Of The Boarder and All Of The Stars/Hearts Don’t Break Around Here/Give Me Love.

I enjoyed hearing songs that I’d never heard live before such as Beautiful People, Tenerife Sea and the All of The Stars/Hearts Don’t Break Around Here/Give me Love medley. He told us that Tenerife Sea was his favourite song to perform so it was really special to hear that live.

Every show he does is unique, and he certainly proved that. Ed explained how he writes loads of songs, some of them make it to his albums whilst others don’t, and some of them go to other artists, and with that in mind, he performed Love Yourself which was given to Justin Bieber. It was something different and I really enjoyed hearing him sing it.

 

Ed’s latest album ‘#6 Collaborations Project’ is an album that he collaborated with some of the world’s biggest artists so I loved hearing him perform some of those songs solo such as South Of The Boarder, Beautiful People, I don’t Care and Blow.

 

At one point during the show the crowd put their phone lights on and held them in the air, my Dad said it looked fantastic and I wish I could have seen that moment through my own eyes, I bet it was breath-taking. There are certain moments I wish I could see and that was one of them.

 

You can tell that Ed is truly passionate about what he does, he loves performing and he has a real passion for music which is clear to see. His performance is absolutely mesmerising, I don’t think there is any other artist like him in the world. amazing.

 

I don’t think I can pick a favourite song but some of the highlights for me were Castle On The Hill, the Don’t/South Of The Boarder mashup, Beautiful People, I Don’t Care, his impromptu performance of Love Yourself, the acoustic version of Photograph, Perfect, Thinking Out Loud and not forgetting the All Of The Stars/Hearts Don’t Break Around Here/Give Me Love medley.

 

He performed 19 songs and was on stage for 1 hour and 45 minutes so he most certainly put on a good set.

 

Ed announced that Sing was his last song, the crowd fully got involved with that one! After a few minutes he came back on stage and performed two encores – Shape Of You and You Need Me, I Don’t Need You…what a finale!

 

The fact that one guy can keep 80,000 people entertained for nearly two hours is definitely a skill. He wanted everyone to sing along and have a good time which I obviously did.

 

I always love when Ed tells little stories in-between songs, he reminisced about his first-ever gig in Leeds and how he gradually worked his way up to the larger venues and now he’s playing to thousands of people.

 

Before walking off stage, his final words were “I’ll see you in a couple of years” and at that moment it kind of hit me what wonderful memories this tour has given me, I’ve been lucky enough to have seen him live three times which means the world as I’ve been a fan of Ed for years, I will never forget his gigs.

I can’t wait to see what he will go onto do next!

 

Ed’s vocals and guitar skills are sensational, his talent really does blow me away.

There were no special effects, it was 100% live, it was just him on that stage singing to thousands of people.

I always feel like his shows are really inclusive as it’s all about the music for him which is exactly the same for me as a blind person, He also tells you to clap and jump which makes a difference for me as a blind person with no useful vision, I hate moments at gigs when I have no idea what’s going on because it’s all really visual.

There was a sign language interpreter at the show for fans with a hearing impairment, I love how him and his team Make the show equal for everyone, I do hope that more artists take note of what Ed is doing and implement that in their own shows. Music should be enjoyed by everyone.

 

I think the issues with the disabled access could have improved the evening but Ed’s performance was incredible and no one can take that away from him. Despite the issues we had, I’m so glad that I got to see him again. However, I think the disabled access at Roundhay Park would have to be improved for me to attend a concert there again.

 

Once the show had finished, we got our stuff together, said our goodbyes to Elin and her Mum and made our way out and to our car. It was easy enough to get out of the park, but there were no lights so my Dad had to use the torch on his phone to lead the way and to make sure that I didn’t trip over anything.

 

Once we got to the car, we had to wait for a vehicle to move which was blocking us in until the crowds had got out of the park. Everyone was walking on the road which meant we couldn’t leave until it was clear which we completely understood.

It did take us around two hours to get home, compared to the usual 45 minutes but we arrived home at around 12:30am.

 

It was my Dad’s first outdoor concert and the second concert that he’s ever been to. He said that he was Staggered at the amount of people that were there. He did think that the organisation could have been better as people gave conflicting advice, and the car park we were supposed to park in was allocated to staff, he also thought that the view from the disabled area was not good at all as we were too far back. In terms of the concert, I’m pleased to say that he really enjoyed it, especially Ed, once they had sorted the speaker system out.

 

I can’t wait to see what Ed has planned for the future but do hope that he has a well-earned rest first as he’s been touring for over two years. His work ethic and dedication is so inspiring.

I really hope that I’m able to see him when he tours again in the future!

 

If you ever get the chance to see Ed Sheeran live then go for it, he puts on the most amazing show.

 

I am extremely grateful to my Dad for going with me and I’m so glad that he enjoyed the show.

 

Have you been to the Divide Tour or seen Ed Live? If so, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

 

Holly x