In June 2014, British folk-pop singer Ed Sheeran—at the peak of the x Tour supporting x (Multiply), which sold over 14 million copies and marked his shift from acoustic ballads to orchestrated pop-rock with soul inflections—headlined Pinkpop, Europe's oldest annual festival launched in 1970 in Landgraaf, Netherlands, where his set emerged as a key moment amid acts like Metallica and Arctic Monkeys. His 60-minute performance, delivered with a loop pedal and guitar in minimalist style, embodied the tour climax, alternating emotive ballads with festival anthems to spark euphoria among tens of thousands under summer sun. As a rare artifact of his early breakthrough, this show highlighted Sheeran's role as a minimalism master, turning a rock-heavy arena into a space of genuine connection.
Setlist: