Ed Sheeran sure gave the Boston Music Project Youth Group the “Shivers” when he surprised them at their concert on Sunday.
The British singer-songwriter, 32, stopped by the Tobin Community Center in Boston to perform alongside the young musicians before headlining his own concert at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, later that night.
“Morning off in Boston so went to surprise this kids music group, was so fun,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram. “Onto the second stadium show now see ya later x.”
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In the beginning of the clip, Sheeran could be heard singing an a cappella snippet of “The Hills of Aberfeldy” from his new album Subtract.
“You guys are fantastic. Thanks for letting me play with you,” he spoke into the mic while plugging in his acoustic guitar.
“I heard you love ‘Eyes Closed,’” he added before the video cut to him performing his latest single with the youth group as musical accompaniment.
The “Shape of You” singer then posed with two guitars for a group photo with all the student musicians, and even took selfies with some enthusiastic fans.
Footage featured on the Boston Music Project’s Instagram Story also showed Sheeran sitting in the grass and chatting with the younger audience members as they watched the concert.
“I played with Ed Sheeran, that was really cool. I had a lot of fun. And he gave me a really cool guitar and he signed it,” one kid said, as he held up his autographed instrument.
The clip ended with Sheeran telling the camera, “That was so much fun. I love playing with kids who are just getting inspired by music for the first time, it’s great. Off to the second Gillette show, and I’ll see you there.”
Sheeran previously played the venue on Friday night. He is currently on his first stateside tour in almost five years. See a full list of his North American tour dates here.
This isn’t the first surprise performance Sheeran has given while touring. He appeared at an Atlanta brewery in May, where he poured pints and sang a few tunes hours before his headlining stadium show.
At the time, the Grammy winner shared a video on Instagram that showed him stopping by SweetWater Brewing Company the same day he was set to play Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“So I’m in Atlanta and I’ve been told that there are some breweries that are good in Atlanta so I’m gonna go to this brewery, serve some beers, play a gig, and then buy everyone in the beer garden drinks,” he said in the clip. “Beers on me.”
After a short tour of the facilities, where he checked out a beer made of hemp and a canning line, Sheeran hopped behind the bar to serve the starstruck customers.
He then headed outside to the beer garden for a short acoustic set, during which he played “Eyes Closed” and “Perfect.”
“For one hour, drinks are on me,” he told the crowd. “Enjoy the free beers!”
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