Global sensation Ed Sheeran experienced an awkward moment in Bengaluru on Sunday morning (February 9) when local police stopped his jamming session on Church Street. Viral videos show an irate cop unplugging his microphone and abruptly halting his performance.
The incident unfolded when the singer, fresh off his sold-out concert in the city, surprised fans with a spontaneous street performance. While Ed Sheeran delighted his fans, he failed to impress the local authorities. In the now-viral videos, an officer is even seen reprimanding the singer and his team for performing without official permission.
Now, Bengaluru Police has officially stated that they did not give the singer permission to perform on the street. According to ANI, an official stated that since Church Street gets crowded, Ed Sheeran did not receive a go ahead from the authority and they wanted to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
"A member among the event organisers came to meet me to seek permission for the Streetside performance at Church Street. I refused to give permission because Church Street gets very crowded. That is the reason he was asked to vacate the place," DCP Central Bengaluru, Shekar T Tekkannanavar, said.
In the videos, Ed Sheeran appeared visibly uncomfortable and disappointed by the interruption by cops.
On Sunday, contrary to Bengaluru Police's official statement, Ed Sheeran stated that he had prior permission to perform at Church Street.
The British singer took to his Instagram story to share a short statement where he wrote that they had "permission to busk" and that it was not just him "randomly turning up."
"We had permission to busk, by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot was planned out beforehand. It wasn't just us randomly turning up. All good though. See you at the show tonight," Sheeran wrote.
On February 8, Ed Sheeran performed in Bengaluru as part of his +-=÷x Tour, during which he crooned some of his global chartbusters. He will now proceed to Shillong for his concert on February 12, and he will conclude his India Tour with the final concert on February 15 in Delhi.
