Ed Sheeran's Bengaluru Street Gig Abruptly Stopped by Police: Mixed Signals on Permission

Ed Sheeran's Bengaluru Street Session Ends Suddenly

Fans in Bengaluru got more drama than they bargained for when Ed Sheeran, the British pop superstar behind global hits like 'Shape of You,' took to Church Street with nothing but his acoustic guitar and a microphone. The plan? Deliver an old-school busking moment before his major concerts in town. Instead, his impromptu gig was cut short by local police, leaving onlookers bewildered and sparking a debate over what actually went down.

Sheeran picked a classic busker's spot—Church Street, always buzzing with energy and weekend crowds. He started strumming through 'Shape of You,' instantly drawing a pack of music lovers and curious passersby. The moment felt personal and relaxed, a rare scene where one of the world’s top pop acts mixed with Bengaluru locals on an unassuming street corner. Phones went up. Voices joined in. The mood was electric.

Mid-song, out of nowhere, a police officer appeared. The officer made his way through the crowd, walked up to Sheeran, and—just like that—unplugged the microphone, halting the music. The crowd’s confusion was clear, and the abruptness added some shock value to an otherwise joyful singalong. It was all captured on countless fan videos, spreading quickly across social media platforms.

Permission or Miscommunication?

It turns out the story behind this unplugging is a messy one. Sheeran quickly took to Instagram, telling his 45 million followers that he and his team weren't just winging it. According to Ed, “We had permission to busk btw, hence us playing in that exact spot was planned out before, it wasn't just us randomly turning up. All good though. See ya at the show tonight x.”

The local authorities weren’t having it. Deputy Commissioner Shekar Tekkannanavar told reporters that the event organizers had in fact approached him for a permit — but he’d refused, specifically because Church Street can get dangerously crowded. His view was that safety came first, especially with an international celebrity drawing larger-than-usual crowds. “A member among the event organisers came to meet me to seek permission... I refused because Church Street gets very crowded,” he confirmed, standing firm on the decision.

The exchange left a lot of confusion in its wake. Was there a mix-up between Sheeran’s team and the city? Did someone misunderstand the green light for the performance, or was it just a classic case of miscommunication?

Meanwhile, fans who stumbled upon the moment feel a little shortchanged. Sahil Kaling, a 22-year-old software engineer who witnessed it firsthand, summed up the feeling: “Honestly, I joked with my friends earlier in the day about bumping into Ed Sheeran — and then it actually happened! Too bad it ended so quickly.”

The busking moment took place ahead of Sheeran's two sold-out gigs in Bengaluru, part of his massive +-=÷x (Mathematics) world tour. On February 8 and 9, thousands packed the city’s biggest venues to watch Sheeran in full concert mode. But for a brief stretch on February 9, before the unplugging, a lucky group got something even more intimate—a street-side singalong with the man himself, microphone or not.

The incident turned the spotlight not just on Sheeran’s spontaneous flair, but also on the logistics and red tape of live public performances, especially when they involve global celebrities. For Sheeran and his fans, the unplugged session (literally and figuratively) is just another story in a world tour obsessed with breaking barriers between artist and audience. Sometimes, though, all it takes is one police officer and a power cable to remind us: the rules of the street are never simple, even for the stars.