Ed Sheeran surprises fans in Ipswich, performs at The Old Phone pub
It was an absolute frenzy in the streets of Ipswich, Massachusetts on Friday as global superstar Ed Sheeran was followed by crowds of fans and other onlookers as he visited the town and even performed his new single.
Waves of people filming with their phones ran alongside traffic to get a glimpse of Sheeran, who's in town to film a music video.
"In the flesh! It is amazingly exciting and everyone is just in awe," said fan Deborah Olszewski.
Surprise performance
At one point, Sheeran climbed up on the back of a man's pickup truck, guitar in hand, and gave a surprise performance of his new song, "Old Phone," in front of more than 100 people.
"He just came up to me and said, 'Do you mind if I sing on your truck?'" said Ipswich resident Jack Wile. "All of a sudden he picked me out of the crowd and just asked to come sing on the truck. I feel like you've got to say yes to that!"
"I did not think he would sing his entire new song for us," said fan Sarah Goodwin.
Music video shoot
The fun continued into the night Friday at his pop-up Irish pub, named The Old Phone after his new song. Fans lined up outside in hopes of getting inside to be a part of his music video shoot.
"Definitely the biggest thing that's ever happened in this tiny little town," said Ipswich resident Jenny Kentros.
It was a three-hour private concert inside the pub with some of his biggest fans including Jeff and Rocio Oliver.
"It was incredible. He was just so easy going. He played so many songs," said Rocio Oliver.
"It was unreal. I felt like I was in a dream the whole show it was sick," Jeff Oliver said.
Sheeran performed in the pub for a select few fans before it opened to the public.
"It's great. It's like a little English pub with greens and browns and pictures of him hanging everywhere and other pictures of horses and things you would see in an English pub," said Kathy McMahon.
A slice of England here in Massachusetts, and an unforgettable day for this coastal town.
"It's a great town with great people and it's really exciting to see our little town on the map," McMahon said.
"Thank you so much for letting us be here," Sheeran told the crowd in Ipswich. "I know it's causing a little bit of a disturbance but we really, really are grateful."
Before he headed up north, Sheeran paid a visit to WBZ-TV, where he met the morning team and tried his hand at forecasting the weather.
