There are some Bhutanese Ed Sheeran fans who worry that the iconic superstar star, used to larger and more vibrant crowds, would have been disappointed by a comparatively lackluster response from the audience at the Friday concert in Thimphu. But that is missing the point.

It is a great Bhutanese trait that we are concerned about how we treat our visitors. All visitors are guests. We want them to be happy. This is the intuitive sense of hospitality that we should nurture.

As a creative society, real talent brings us alive. We want to live up to an event of this quality. We want to do as well as the best anywhere.

So it was reassuring to hear that from his team that Ed Sheeran liked the Bhutanese audience. And Bhutan excited him enough to want to return with his family, not surprising for someone known to be a sensitive person.

However, the real significance is that Bhutan was able to host an international concert of this quality and magnitude. It is momentous that this happened at a time when Bhutan enters a new era in history, defined by Royal vision. Defining a new era means finding new balances between tradition and modernity.

Traditional Bhutanese music has been losing its fans, to Bollywood and now increasingly to K-pop. Much of it is the influence of popular trends, driven by youth, fanned by the media. This concert took us to a new level. As our own music evolves, our musicians need the right role models.

As much as many in the Bhutanese audience didn’t quite know how to “immerse” themselves in an international concert, Ed Sheeran’s team had no clue what to expect in Bhutan. No big surprise because they know nothing about Bhutan. In fact, many of us didn’t know what to expect.

The experience of an international concert in Bhutan raises many thoughts in our minds. It was amazing to see the number of people – largely youth – who could sing along with Ed Sheeran. While there are still Bhutanese who have not heard of Ed Sheeran in this world of social media with confusing choices, what we saw was the inevitable influences of the global trends.

Online visuals can often be misleading, or incomplete, and all we sometimes see is snippets of popular stars, at their best, entertaining fans. It was eye-opening to see that great shows come with real talent, huge resources, and a lot of hard work. And a great star is not just talented, he or she is extremely stable and fit, physically and mentally.

Trucking tonnes of high-end equipment and building the first professional concert stage in Thimphu was a part of the day’s work. Thimphu is not the most lucrative venue for an international personality but some of us did draw important lessons. A few (perhaps too few) of those involved learnt what it meant to work twenty-four-seven.

In the music industry, the Ed Sheeran concert symbolises Bhutan’s goal to be niche and high end, with the right values. His global persona intrigues the media enough to highlight that he is not just hugely successful, but is also a nice guy.

With his versatility, Ed Sheeran has performed for very different audiences, and sometimes with social and cultural rather than commercial interests. He has driven thousands of people wild, but also remembers being totally ignored, as insignificant background for people enjoying a drink with their friends.

The larger perspective is that the Thimphu concert helped stretch the boundaries of the human experience. Bhutan must keep looking to the best of the best as we try to manouvre the conflicts and tensions between dying ideas and emerging trends with intelligence and mindfulness.

Contributed by Dasho Kinley Dorji

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