Ed Sheeran Joins Wheatus’ Brendan B. Brown for a Powerful Rendition of ‘Teenage Dirtbag’: Calls It a Stage Highlight
By Website Content Manager
Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The “Perfect” singer also reunited with his childhood band to perform the early 2000s hit during a show in Germany.
Ed Sheeran channeled his inner “teenage dirtbag” in Hamburg!
During his July 5 concert at Volksparkstadion in Germany, the “Shape of You” star surprised fans by inviting Wheatus frontman Brendan B. Brown to join him onstage for a performance of the iconic 2000 hit, “Teenage Dirtbag.”
“I’ve got a cool surprise for you—it’s really quite cool, but bear with me,” said Sheeran, 34, before introducing Brown, 51, according to a fan-recorded video.
Sheeran shared that earlier this year, he and his childhood band had reunited to perform the song at a friend’s wedding, which sparked the idea of bringing them onstage for a live show.
Ed Sheeran took fans on a nostalgic ride during his July 5 concert in Hamburg, Germany, by reuniting with his childhood band and bringing out a special guest: Wheatus frontman Brendan B. Brown.
Introducing the surprise, Sheeran told the crowd, “I’ve got a really cool surprise for you—just bear with me.” He explained that the idea stemmed from a recent reunion with his old school band, when they played “Teenage Dirtbag” at a friend’s wedding. That performance inspired Sheeran to reach out to Brown himself.
“I thought, why not email the lead singer and see if he’d join us onstage?” Sheeran said. “He flew in from New York just for this, and it’s going to be absolutely amazing.” He added, “This is easily one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time.”
Sheeran later reflected on the experience in an Instagram post, writing, “I used to cover ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ with my school band when I was 12. We reunited after 22 years to perform at a mate’s wedding in April. We had such a blast that I invited them to play with me at the stadium.”
He continued, “I cheekily asked Brendan from @wheatusofficial if he’d come jam with us—and being the legend he is, he said yes.” Sheeran called the moment “one of my favorite ever on stage,” and ended the post with, “Thank you Brendan. What a night. BEST DAY EVER!!!! 💛🩵”
Wheatus’ official Instagram account responded to the post with enthusiasm, commenting, “BEST DAY EVER!!!! 💛🩵”
In fan-recorded footage from the show, Sheeran recounted how the childhood band came back together for the wedding and how the idea grew into something much bigger. “I was like, wouldn’t it be cool to do this at a massive gig? So I emailed Brendan—and here we are.”
Sheeran also shared behind-the-scenes clips of Brown delivering the song’s signature falsetto bridge:
“I’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby / Come with me Friday, don’t say maybe / I’m just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you, ooh.”
The concert is part of Sheeran’s current European tour, which leads up to the release of his upcoming album, Play, scheduled to drop on September 12.
