What’s the perfect way to celebrate your birthday? If you ask most people, they will probably say with a cake, candles, and maybe some sparklers. Well, if you were really searching for the perfect way to celebrate your birthday, you would’ve found it with Mac Miller and Ed Sheeran. The two celebrated their birthdays on October 28th, with a sweet, nostalgic tribute to their hometown. The singer-songwriter and the folk singer-songwriter paid homage to their Belfast, Northern Ireland, roots through a series of captivating performances that made for one of the best birthday parties we’ve ever seen.
The Perfect Setting
It wasn’t just the perfect birthday party that made this event so special. The location was picture perfect—a gorgeous marquee pitched perfectly in the centre of a lush green field. At one point, the Twitter users who were there for the concert even said they’d go as far as to rename the phenomenon as, “The Molly Malone Party.”
The perfectly manicure nails, the floral crowns, and the extravagant dresses accentuated the romantic atmosphere. The dresses were so pretty that some of the fans even started posting about their own weddings they’d happily attend.
The Perfect Tribute
The celebration of music and poetry was a wonderful mix of Mac Miller’s talent as a rapper and Ed Sheeran’s gift for a beautiful, haunting voice. The two MCs opened the show with a few of their biggest hits, and they were soon joined by some of the biggest guest stars we’ve ever seen on a music stage. The most notable names included Little Mix, Stormzy, Jess Glynn, and Anne-Marie. The show also featured some special performances from Conor Maynard, who performed his hit ‘A Better Man’ alongside the legendary Billy Elliot, and Myodriver, who performed her new single ‘Make Me a Real Person’ alongside Grammy award-winning artist Margo Buchanan.
The highlights of the evening included Billy Elliot’s rendition of his hit ‘Dance With Me’, which saw the actor strut his stuff across the stage in a glittering suit. The crowd went wild, and Twitter went crazy with delight. The nostalgic performance also featured an acoustic version of ‘Dance With Me’, which was just as emotional as the original.
Other highlights included Little Mix’s performance of their chart-topping single ‘Shut Up’, which had the audience entranced until the very end. Musically and emotionally, it was a performance the crowds will never forget. Later on in the show, Maynard once again took the stage alongside Billy Elliot for an intimate performance of the timeless classic ‘I Love You Madly’. The emotional duet perfectly encapsulated the love story that inspired the musical, which is often cited as one of the greatest love stories of all time.
It’s safe to say that the night was a triumph. The fact that so many big names were on stage at the same time made it such a special moment for anyone who was there. The love shown by the celebrity couples and the audience was palpable, and it felt like an unforgettable event as the sun began to rise over Belfast.
What makes this tribute even more special is that Mac Miller and Ed Sheeran have never been more than a couple of hours apart the whole night. The fans who saw them on their ‘Springsteen On the River’ tour in May will know that the duo are rarely, if ever, seen apart. They’ve been together almost all their lives, and it’s safe to say they adore each other. So much so that they’ve been quoted as saying “I think we’ve found the perfect way to spend our whole lives together”.
It’s been almost a year since Mac Miller tragically lost his battle with addiction and died far too early at the age of 24. Since then, Ed Sheeran has focused on continuing his music career and taking the time to grieve and heal. The singer released a wonderful solo album, ÷, in March 2019, and he recently announced that he is currently working on a collaborative album with the likes of John Legend and Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Ward.
The two artists paid homage to their dear friend and musical collaborator with a gorgeous duet, ‘All I Need’, which was released this week. They also released a heartfelt video in which they talked about the good times they had together. It’s difficult to put into words the impact Miller had on everyone who knew him, and it’s still coming as a great shock that he passed away after battling drug addiction for so long.
It is my great pleasure to welcome Mac Miller & Ed Sheeran to the blog. The ‘Springsteen On the River’ tour will be over in just under two weeks, and I’m sure that this article will become one of the most read articles on the blog. This is an amazing and moving tribute to an incredible talent who will be sadly missed by so many. Enjoy!