It was Thursday, June 14. The forecast for the day was anything but promising – especially considering the fact that I would be outside all day long. I had highly anticipated the Oake on the Water events since the moment I found out I was accepted as an intern for Cities 97. When I learned that Ed Sheeran would be performing at one of the live broadcasts, it was too good to be true.

The morning of June 14 came along and I was ecstatic knowing that later in the day, I would be up close and personal with Ed Sheeran. But that fantasy did not come without a price – The weather that day was horrific: Nonstop rain showers. The Promotions team arrived around one o’clock, with the idea that there would be a fair share of hardcore fans. We were right – the place was already packed and Ed wasn’t expected to play until around 5. We sat in the rain for hour after hour. Once we got the message that Ed’s plane was delayed in Iowa, due to the storm, I was beginning to wonder if the whole thing was worth it; I was drenched head to toe and resembled a drowned rat. At that point, he wasn’t scheduled to arrive until closer to 7. After a couple more hours of taking turns standing in the monsoon, we got the news that Ed Sheeran had arrived – it was music to my ears. We waited a while longer and hung out with the young, die-hard fans.

After the sky had been dark and gloomy all day long, the clouds somehow began to clear up. There was light at the end of this long, insane tunnel! The golden sun peaked through the black clouds and Ed Sheeran made his appearance and walked down the stairs and to the stage at about 7:30. At that point, I felt as though I was being serenaded in the sunset – it was only me and Ed. The intimate concert was absolutely perfect and everything I had been through that day was completely 100% worth it. Ed Sheeran was better than I could have ever imagined – the voice heard on the radio does not even do him justice. It all goes to show that you truly can’t have a rainbow without a little rain – figuratively and literally!

--Intern Stephanie