THIS is the jaw-dropping moment Ed Sheeran’s street performance gets unplugged by killjoy cops in India as the furious singer rages at being “shut down”.
The Brit popstar went back to his street performing roots ahead of his concert in Bengaluru – but only managed to get through a minute of his song before authorities dramatically intervened.
Unbelievable footage shows Sheeran pouring his heart out into his live Shape of You rendition as crowds gather in utter disbelief at the impromptu performance.
But he only got a minute into his song as two killjoy officials are seen marching over to the popstar and unplugging his microphone.
Crowds are heard booing the authorities as Sheeran says: “We had permission to do this”.
Pointing to one of the officials, he adds: “It’s this policeman that’s shutting it down.
“But I will see you later.”
Fans are then heard cheering while Sheeran takes off his guitar and walks away, blazing with fury.
Despite claims from Sheeran’s team that the performance was authorised by officials, authorities insisted permission to busk on the streets had been requested and denied.
This was because they looked to avoid congestion in the area, according to ANI news.
Furious Sheeran took to Instagram to criticise the seemingly unjust intervention.
He fumed on Instagram: “We had permission to busk, by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot was planned out before.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”HUGE soap coming to the UK after 33 years on air – and even Ed Sheeran has appeared on it” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6368196692112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“It wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good though. See you at the show tonight.”
Fans too criticised the intervention by cops, slamming the hazy rules that govern the use of public spaces in India.
One online user said: “We live in an uncleocracy. And there’s nothing uncles love more than to stop young people from having fun.”
But a local MP for the ruling BJP party in India PC Mohan jumped to the authorities’ defence, explaining: “Even global stars must follow local rules – no permit, no performance.”
As part of his Mathematics Tour, Sheeran is currently performing around India, having already performed in Chennai and Hyderabad.
He also has more concerts scheduled for Shillong in India’s north-east, and the capital Delhi.
At his Bengaluru show, the Thinking Out Loud singer surprised fans by singing two local songs in the Telugu language alongside famous singer Shilpa Rao on stage.
He had previously collaborated with Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh during a concert in Birmingham last year.
And in India he has also collaborated with sitar musician Megha Rawoot on a version of his Shape of You hit.
During his Chennai gig, Sheeran was joined on stage by the renowned composer A.R. Rahman, where they performed a rendition of the classic Indian song Urvashi.
Prior to his performance, Ed Sheeran had the opportunity to meet the composer and his son.
Rahman shared photos of their meeting on Instagram, capturing moments of camaraderie and music-making.
India can’t get enough of live music concerts as its demand for gigs continues to increase.
Dua Lipa did a recent performance in Mumbai meanwhile Coldplay conducted a multi-city tour around the country.
As the hunger for live music increases, partnered with India having growing disposable incomes, the country is emerging as a player in the “concert economy,” with live concerts set to be worth £550 to £730 million, according to reports.
