Ed Sheeran brings Ben Kweller, Khalid and more to Tampa Bay starting Friday

Sheeran plays Ruth Eckerd Hall and then Raymond James Stadium this weekend

click to enlarge Ed Sheeran at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Nov. 7, 2018 - Caesar Carbajal
Ed Sheeran at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Nov. 7, 2018
Ben Kweller hasn’t played Tampa in about 15 years, but his catalog, which reaches all the way back to his days with ‘90s rock band Radish endures.

Kweller's very sold-out Friday gig in Clearwater, while notable since its opening for Ed Sheeran, will also find the 41-year-old Texas songwriter enduring as he honors the legacy and memory of his 16-year-old son who recently died in a freak car accident. A GoFundMe will help support young musicians and skateboarders—the two things Dorian loved most—and your attention during Kweller’s set should help him feel loved, too.

Kweller will only join Sheeran at Ruth Eckerd Hall, and now that Raymond James Stadium has fully recovered from Swiftiemania, Tay Tay’s former red-haired opener will drop into the same space to do his own mini-incarnation of an Eras tour.

After years of seeing ol’ Teddy with just his acoustic guitar and looper, the idea of him performing with a full band is pretty surreal, but don’t worry: When he brought his current “+–=÷x” tour to Texas earlier this month, he only brought the band out for a few segments in the earlier stages of each show, which were mostly filled with newer cuts.

Fans hoping for a RayJay guest spot from Kweller as consolidation for paying exorbitant Ticketmaster prices might want to keep their hopes low, but should be hyped about getting Khalid and Dylan in the opening slots instead.

Tickets to see Ed Sheeran play Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday, May 20 are going to be very hard to come by.
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Josh Bradley

Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa's resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in Tampa Bay. Check the music section in print and online every week for the latest in local live music.

Ray Roa

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief in August 2019. Past work can be seen at Suburban Apologist, Tampa Bay Times, Consequence of Sound and The...
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