Bengaluru Police on Sunday morning halted British musician Ed Sheeran’s live street performance in the city, citing lack of permission by the popular singer-songwriter.
In the evening, Sheeran said he and his team had the permission “to busk” and that they did not turn up “randomly” at the spot.
The police pulled the plug on the gig, which was being held at Church Street, when the Grammy winner was midway into the performance of his chartbuster “Shape of You”.
“We had permission to busk, hence us playing in that exact spot, was planned our before, it wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good though. See ya at the show tonight x (sic)” Sheeran wrote on his Instagram Story hours ahead of his second show in Bengaluru.
Earlier in the day, clips of Sheeran – who performed his first concert in Bengaluru on Saturday night – arriving with his security personnel at Church Street started circulating online in which he was greeted by cheering onlookers.
“We were going to play more than one song but we’re being asked to play one song,” he said on the microphone, before he started strumming the prelude of “Shape of You” on his guitar.
Just before the singer could finish the refrain of the song, a policeman stepped in and pulled the cables attached to the microphone and musical instruments.
A senior police official of the Cubbon Park police station said Sheeran was performing “without any permission so they had to stop”.
“The police got there because someone had complained of public nuisance,” he told PTI, adding if the musician and his team had the permit they could have shown it to the cops.
Church Street is a busy area in Bengaluru known for its nightlife and cultural events.
While a section of social media users were unhappy about the outcome, Bangalore Central MP PC Mohan said rules are same for everyone.
“Shape of You… but not of permits. Ed Sheeran’s impromptu gig on Church Street hit a sour note as Bengaluru police pulled the plug over missing permissions. Even global stars must follow local rules—no permit, no performance!” Mohan wrote on X.
“Ed Sheeran surprised fans with an impromptu performance on Church Street, Bengaluru, but then came along a policeman…” said a Sheeran fan.
“Just saw Ed Sheeran on Church Street. He sang his song , but sadly the police stopped him in the middle,” commented another on the microblogging site.
Also known for tracks like “Perfect Duet”, “Thinking Out Loud” and “Shivers”, Sheeran is currently on the India leg of his Mathematics (+-=÷x) Tour. He is set to perform in Shillong at the JN Stadium on February 12. (PTI)
