Duke students owe a collective thanks to Cherry Seaborn, Fuqua ‘14. At Duke, she is primarily known for her position on the Board of Visitors of the Fuqua School of Business. However, around the world, she is better known as the inspiration for the Grammy-nominated song “Perfect.”
On Sept. 26, Seaborn’s husband, Ed Sheeran, performed at Wallace Wade Stadium. Despite the earlier tornado warnings and the torrential downpour of Hurricane Helene, students packed Wallace Wade, wearing bright orange wigs, holding up posters saying “We love sexy Ed!” and carrying British flags as well as flags emblazoned with Sheeran’s face.
The fun began at 7:30 p.m., when Grammy-nominated producer 9th Wonder, also known as Patrick Denard Douthit, Duke faculty in the Department of African and African American studies, opened the show. He effortlessly created an electric atmosphere with his strong beats, underscoring a Duke Centennial video that reminded students of the accolades earned over the century. Ultimately, his mix kicked off the night’s lively energy and prompted many students to throw their Dukes — a hand sign resembling the horns of the Durham Bull and Blue Devil — up in support.
Then, several inspirational messages were shared by Mayor of Durham Leonardo Williams, Emmy-nominated actress Retta, Trinity ‘92, and President Vincent Price. Their words captured the spirit and community of Duke, echoing a sentiment that the future starts here. Lastly, Duke’s Chorale brought us home with their rendition of “Higher Love” accompanied by a drone show that recognized all things Duke. To illustrate, the drones arranged themselves in the shape of Duke’s mascot and the founding year of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, emphasizing the century that has passed since Duke’s establishment. The drone show was complete with iconic sayings such as “Forever Duke!” and “Our Blue is Best.”
At 8:30 pm on the dot, Ed Sheeran took the stage with nothing more than a guitar and a water bottle, performing hit songs like “Castle on the Hill” and “Shivers.” Immediately, everyone stood up and started clapping along. Sheeran explained, during a break in his set, that he performs with a Loop Station, a device that can record and play back music in real time, allowing him to create his own backing track based on his guitar and voice. This resulted in a performance with unique percussion and vocals that only Duke students, alumni and faculty got to hear.
The energy became even more explosive when the rain started coming down during Sheeran’s performance of “A-Team.” While the rain briefly stopped, it soon picked up again for a few other songs, including “Eyes Closed,” “Thinking out Loud” and “Photograph.” As the songs played on, the crowd joined together to create harmonies, sway side by side and raise their phone flashlights to truly embody his lyric, “we found love right where we are.” Even after the rain subsided for the night, the magic still continued. In section 24, a man got down on one knee during Sheeran’s performance of “Perfect,” and by the end of the song there was a newly engaged couple in the crowd.
After a sing-along to Sheeran’s heartfelt ballads wrapped up, he changed the pace, performing “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” and infecting the crowd with a hip-hop and jazzy vibe. Despite stating that he was not a rapper, Sheeran showed off his impressive flow and quick paced lyrics through a strong R&B and pop mashup of “Take it Back,” “Superstition” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” This medley electrified the crowd, warming everyone back up as if they were never drenched by the rain. Sheeran also revealed that he had not performed this mashup in years and relearned it for the Duke Centennial, making this show one like no other.
After an exhilarating hour, Sheeran closed the show with “Shape of You” and, at the demand of the crowd, returned for an encore of “Bad Habits.” During the show, Sheeran expressed his excitement at being back on Duke’s campus and predicted our triumphant win against the Tar Heel football team.
Sheeran created a core memory for many Duke students, adding to the pride and love Blue Devils have for our home in Durham. Because, in the words of President Vincent Price, “Duke is forever!”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.