Despite having seen Ed Sheeran, months ago I bought standing tickets to his Stadium concert because 1) I've never been in the standing area of a concert before and 2) I'm quite a fan of Ed Sheeran. I have absolutely no regrets, even though people question why I went a second time in a year on the 9th December at Allianz Stadium (where T-Swiz had her RED Concert two years ago).

I was surprised that we weren't too far back even though we got there at 5pm - the crowd wasn't that big yet and we could actually see a decently sized, life-size Ed. Foy Vance, Passenger and Rudimental opened - Foy Vance was alright, Passenger was hilarious because he stopped in the middle of his songs to give commentary, and Rudimental made it feel like a festival. I was quite surprised at how many Rudimental tracks I knew, and I really enjoyed their set - it was fun.

Ed Sheeran's set was amazing. Although we had to brave the rain and get completely soaked, there was so much energy coming from the crowd - Ed himself said so and became a little rowdier than usual. And hey, even though I got completely soaked, everyone else did too and it was such an amazing bonding experience. Plus all the lights look really cool in these photos.
I got so excited when he said he'd brought along a friend with him to the concert tonight - we were all hoping it was Taylor Swift but when he said 'he' we were all really confused... until Sir Elton John walked out on stage. They sang 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' and 'Afire Love' together and boy that was beautiful.
Elton John's song was a bit of fun and it just made me really happy. But I've always wanted to hear Afire Love live - and although it took two shows, lots of rain and a special guest to get there but it was very much worth it to finally hear a song that I love so much. It's actually the only time I've recorded a whole song at a concert because I always want to enjoy it through my own eyes, rather than through a screen. I don't even know what the video looks like because I was watching the stage rather than my phone.

It makes me really sad when people just try and record the whole thing on their phones - and subsequently watch the concert through a screen even though they're physically there. I had this discussion at work the other day - and we basically concluded that concerts were better in the old days because people wouldn't whip out their phones to put something on Snapchat or on social media in the middle of the song and enjoy the experience. I'm not guilt-free - I have pulled out my phone but I do try my best to avoid looking at it.

During A Team.

During Bloodstream I think?

It's been quite a year on the concert front - I've been to Ed Sheeran twice, The Script and Taylor Swift, and I've also seen Les Miserables as well. And although that means I've spent A LOT of money on tickets, I think it's all been worth it and I count myself extremely lucky to be able to experience things like this. I cherish all these memories and I'm so incredibly lucky to have friends (and my sister) who are also fans because going alone is just not quite the same.

We bonded over food, Ed Sheeran and dancing/singing in the rain. ^_^

I have no concert tickets for next year - I tried to get tickets for Troye Sivan but that didn't work out. I want to go to a festival in the future, and probably see The Sound of Music the musical. But I'm sure something will come up - and I'm glad this year turned out the way it did.

How do you feel about your year? Let me know in the comments below. 

With love, Sarah x