The Bengaluru police said that Ed Sheeran’s team had sought police permission to perform on Church Street in Bengaluru but their request was denied. Despite this, the pop singer went ahead with an impromptu performance on Sunday, February 9, only to be stopped midway by Karnataka police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar told TNM, “The organisers had sought permission and we denied it. The organisers have misguided the singer and he has performed.”
A video of the incident, which took place a day after Sheeran’s first concert in the city, has gone viral on social media. In the video, Ed Sheeran is seen singing Shape of You when a police personnel intervenes, asks him to stop and unplugs the speaker. In another clip, Sheeran can be heard telling the crowd, "We have permission to do this [but] the policemen are shutting it down. But we will see you later."
He has a second concert scheduled in the city on Sunday evening.
The singer recently performed in Chennai for the first time as part of his +–=÷× Tour (Mathematics Tour), organised by AEG Presents Asia and BookMyShow Live, followed by two concerts in Bengaluru. His tour will continue in Shillong and Gurugram.