“Even global stars must follow local rules”: Ed Sheeran’s street performance was brought to an abrupt end after Indian police shut it down – but the songwriter says he did have permission to play

Ed Sheeran went busking in the streets ahead of his concert in the Indian city of Bengaluru last night (February 9), only to have the plug pulled by the police.

Sheeran was playing his 2017 hit, Shape of You – which has amassed over four million Spotify streams since its release – on the city streets before – as captured in fan video footage – the police approached him and unplugged his microphone.

The singer had was set to play a massive outdoor show at the NICE Grounds just a few hours later, and believed permission had been secured for the surprise appearance on the city’s busy Church Street.

As such, Sheeran was set up with an acoustic guitar and microphone in the city center spot, before the authorities weaved through the growing crowd to intervene.

The police reported that the English guitarist was denied permission to busk on the spot to prevent overcrowding. Bengaluru police official Shekar T Tekkannanavar told news agency ANI: “I refused to give permission because Church Street gets very crowded. That is the reason he was asked to vacate the place.”

Sheeran, in India for 15 days as his Mathematics tour traverses the globe, has built a reputation for impromptu street performances that nod to his roots as a busking musician. He’s since taken to Instagram stories to give his side of the story but holds no grudges for what happened.

“We had permission to busk, by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot was planned out beforehand,” he says. “It wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good though.”

PC Mohan, a local MP for the governing BJP party, said the show has gone “sour,” after the police intervened, but offered no sympathy, adding: “Even global stars must follow local rules – no permit, no performance!”

The tour is Sheeran's biggest in the country, which, according to a recent Bank of Baroda report (via the BBC), has a growing concert economy set to be worth up to $900m.

He doubled down on his support for street musicians last year when he launched a portable PA, adding to his signature loop pedal and expanding his empire.

Last summer, Sheeran grabbed his Lowden GL-10 electric guitar to join The Offspring on stage and live out a fantasy that has lived in his head since he was nine years old.