British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran's surprise street performance in Bangalore was abruptly halted by local police over permit issues. The incident occurred during Sheeran's ongoing Mathematics Tour, where he performed in front of thousands in Bangalore over the weekend.
On Sunday, Ed Sheeran began an impromptu performance on Church Street, one of the busiest streets in Bangalore known for its nightlife and cultural events. Videos shared on social media show the 33-year-old Suffolk-based singer playing guitar and singing when a police officer stopped him and unplugged his microphone.
As the microphone was disconnected, onlookers jeered, and fans joined in singing the chorus amid complaints from the crowd.
The Bangalore police claimed that Sheeran did not have the necessary permits for the street performance. Bangalore police official Shekar T. Tekkannanavar explained that the request for Sheeran's street-side performance on Church Street was rejected due to the area's tendency to get extremely crowded, reported The Independent. “There was a high chance of a massive crowd gathering in an open space, which could have led to safety concerns. No complaint has been registered regarding this incident,” a police officer stated, according to ETV Bharat.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
Sheeran countered these claims, insisting that he had secured all necessary permissions before performing on Church Street. “We had permission to play on the street. The street performance was planned in advance; we didn't just show up suddenly,” Sheeran stated on Instagram shortly after the incident.
“We live in an uncleocracy. And there's nothing uncles love more than to stop young people from having fun” one social media user commented.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara defended the decision to stop Sheeran's performance, explaining that the police had not granted permission due to potential law and order concerns, reported Zee News. Bangalore Central MP P.C. Mohan supported the police's action, stating: “Even global stars must follow local rules—no permit, no performance!”
Sheeran is currently on the India leg of his Mathematics Tour and has performed in Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai. He performed two official concerts in Bangalore on February 8 and 9 after an additional show was added due to demand for tickets, according to The Independent. In Chennai, Sheeran performed with composer A.R. Rahman, creating a mash-up of “Shape of You” and Rahman's 1994 Tamil song “Urvasi” from the soundtrack of Kadhalan, reported The Independent.
Sheeran is scheduled to conclude his tour in India with concerts in Shillong on February 12 and New Delhi on February 15. Recent appearances by artists like Dua Lipa and Coldplay confirm India's rapid rise as a global destination for music events. The concert economy in India is rapidly developing, with the live shows market estimated at $700–900 million, according to a recent Bank of Baroda report, as per BBC News.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.