Ed Sheeran gave some lucky fans the surprise of a lifetime after stepping behind the counter of an iconic hot dog stand on Chicago’s North Side.
Just hours before performing at Soldier Field on Saturday, the singer, 32, served some Chicago-style hot dogs at The Wieners Circle, known for insulting every meal.
In footage shared by the hitmaker Thinking Out Loud on his Instagram, an employee was filmed announcing his presence to the public as she enthusiastically said, “We’ve got Ed Sheeran here at the asshole Wiener’s Circle and I’m gonna teach that wanker how to makes a great hot dog.”
The woman playfully yells at fans to “shut the f**k up” and “shove (a hot dog) up” their “a**.”
As the father of two smiled at customers and politely handed them hot dogs, other employees could be heard swearing at customers.
Final Appearance: Ed Sheeran gave some lucky fans the surprise of a lifetime after stepping behind the counter of an iconic hot dog stand on Chicago’s North Side
Perform: Just hours before performing at Soldier Field on Saturday, the singer, 32, served up some Chicago-style hot dogs at The Wieners Circle, known for offending every meal
Served hot dogs today at @wienerscircle. This place is legendary in Chicago for serving hot dogs and insulting their customers. I loved it. See you tonight x at the stadium,” he captioned the video.
On Sunday, The Wieners Circle tweeted that Sheeran was their “newest intern.”
“@edsheeran still has a lot to learn, he’s way too neat and friendly,” the hot dog stand joked about his first day on the job.
Later in the evening, the four-time Grammy winner completed his final stop on his Mathematics Tour.
Last month, the singer-songwriter surprised audiences at his show in Maryland after filling in for his opener Khalid, who was involved in a car accident that left him unable to perform.
Faced with a significant chunk of unfulfilled time at the start of the show, Sheeran — who recently earned more than $18 million for a two-night run at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — opted to be his own opener.
In videos captured by fans in the audience, the hitmaker explained that his 25-year-old tour mate wouldn’t be able to make the show.
“He’s recovering and we wish him well,” he said in a video showing him on his circular stage, before launching a special set featuring songs that wouldn’t normally be part of his main show.
Funny: In footage shared by the hitmaker Thinking Out Loud on his Instagram, an employee was filmed announcing his presence to the public as she raved, “We’ve got Ed Sheeran here at the asshole Wiener’s Circle and I’m going to get that wanker teach him how to make a great hot dog’
Funny: The woman playfully yells at fans to ‘shut the f**k up’ and ‘shove (a hot dog) up’ their ‘a**’
Excited fans: As the father-of-two smiled at customers and politely handed them hot dogs, other employees were heard swearing at customers
“I’m going to say this after every song because if people don’t know who the opening act was going to be today, people are going to walk in like, ‘This show isn’t what I thought it was,'” Sheeran joked to the audience. “I thought there would be more fireworks.”
Video from his opening set shows the stands being sparsely filled compared to how they would have been during the main act, and latecomers planning to skip Khalid’s set missed out on the special opportunity.
He performed several songs from his latest album, – (Subtract), which was released in May.
One of the special songs not included in his usual set list was Sycamore, an autobiographical song inspired by his wife Cherry Seaborn’s battle with cancer while pregnant with their second child.
Having recorded the few remaining Subtract songs that made their way onto the headlining setlist, Sheeran sang nearly every song from his latest release.
Served hot dogs today at @wienerscircle. This place is legendary in Chicago for serving hot dogs and insulting their customers. I loved it. See you tonight x at the stadium,” he captioned the video
However, his first performance lacked the theatrics of his main show, leaving his vocals and acoustic guitar playing firmly in the spotlight.
But playing in the open-air stadium was a treat for Sheeran, who seemed thrilled that there was still some daylight left when he took the stage.
“Usually when I start playing it’s pitch dark and now I get to see everyone. It’s great,” he enthused to the audience. “This is pretty fun.”
Since the set was an extra treat for fans, he admitted there was less “pressure” on him.
“I feel like when you’re the headliner, there’s a lot of pressure because people paid to see you, but I feel like when you’re the opening act, you’re like, ‘Let’s have fun. Let’s we play songs,’ he mused.
Going back to opening gigs – even if they were his own shows – also gave Sheeran a blast of nostalgia for his early days, a struggling artist hoping to make it big.
Wow: Later that night, the four-time Grammy winner completed his final stop on his Mathematics Tour
Busy: Sheeran tours the United States from May to September
“I used to open up to people a lot when I was 16, 17, 18,” he recalls, before straight out dating himself. “And it was in the days of MySpace. I used to have cards that I gave people, “Watch me on MySpace, MySpace.com/EdSheeran.”‘
Before finishing his impromptu set, Ed repeated that he kept Khalid in mind.
“I just want to say, before I introduce this next issue, I really hope Khalid gets well soon and joins us in Boston,” he added.
While Sheeran is naturally drawn to open-air stadiums and amphitheaters due to the huge crowds he draws, part of his Subtract Tour will be held in small theaters, including for his next tour stop.