Ed Sheeran gets unplugged at streetside performance in India
A police officer unplugged Ed Sheeran's mic as he performed 'Shape Of You' on a street in India.
No one wants to be remembered as the guy who shut down an Ed Sheeran street performance, but the law is the law and this policeman wasn't about to let a British pop star stop him from doing his job.
Sheeran is currently in India on his Mathematics World Tour. Besides trying out things like an Indian head massage (that apparently felt like torture), he also wanted to surprise his fans with a live performance on Church Street in Bengaluru.
According to Sheeran, his team got the necessary permission to perform, but the authorities said the request was denied to avoid congestion in the area.
Watch the video below – courtesy of Instagram.
The BBC reports that fans have criticised the police intervention online. One fan said, "We live in an uncleocracy. And there's nothing uncles love more than to stop young people from having fun." This was in reference to the number of vague rules that govern public spaces in India.
However, PC Mohan, a local MP from the ruling BJP party, explained that even global stars must follow the local rules. "No permit, no performance!"
"We had permission to busk, by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot was planned out before. It wasn't just us randomly turning up. All good, though. See you at the show tonight," Sheeran said.
While it seems like it was a simple case of miscommunication, in one way it's good to see that authorities cannot be swayed by celebrity status.
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Image courtesy of Instagram