All photos by Chantelle D’mello

Thousands of screaming fans gathered at the Qatar National Convention Center last night to watch 24-year-old UK singer-songwriter and Grammy nominee Ed Sheeran perform for the first time in Qatar.

The concert kicked off with an hour-long set by upcoming British musician Ryan Keen, who has toured with Sheeran intermittently since October 2011.

Encouraged by an energetic audience, the young guitarist played covers of popular songs like “Stay” by Rihanna, and several of his own compositions.

When Sheeran took to the stage, he performed some of his most popular hits including “Sing,” “The A Team,” “Lego House” and “Thinking Out Loud.”

He also performed several covers including “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea, “No Diggity” by R&B group Blackstreet, and “Feeling Good” by legendary American singer Nina Simone.

His visit to Doha is part of a world-wide tour spanning over four continents and several Middle Eastern cities, including Muscat and Dubai, where he will perform to a crowd of some 11,000 people tomorrow tonight.

During yesterday’s concert, eager fans, mostly young adolescent girls, were seen holding banners, documenting the event on their phones, and, in some cases, vying for section upgrades.

Others gathered in groups at the makeshift security checkpoints almost four hours before gates opened, hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer, and score coveted front-line spots at the largely standing-only venue.

Reaction

Despite past confusion over the ticketing process, most fans seemed pleased with the concert, and took to social media to share their experiences of the night:

Did you go the concert? Thoughts?