In the current issue of Rolling Stone, Ed Sheeran participates in a multi-artist survey called “Songs That Made Me” and lists nine songs that significantly influenced him. I’ve been quite impressed with the young man anyway, but his #9 choice ripped my head open and increased my respect for a musical awareness well beyond Sheeran’s generation: “A Million Miles Away” by Rory Gallagher. His comment:

“This was the first song I learned on guitar. The story goes that when Jimi Hendrix was asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, he answered, ‘I don’t know. Go ask Rory Gallagher.’”

Sheeran performs solo in the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday and, while I don’t expect him to cover Gallagher, ya never know. He has been doing clever presentations of tunes by Blackstreet, Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone — and of course plenty from his own mondo-platinum catalog. Expect “Thinking Out Loud” and ““Don’t” off of the 2014 “x” album (pronounced “multiply”), as well as earlier hits such as “The A Team,” “Drunk,” and “You Need Me/I Don’t Need You.”

Combining clever, rap-inspired wordplay, vast looping capabilities, and a spot-on instinct for pop hooks, Sheeran has become a huge star — and his live shows are reportedly tremendous. The estimable Foy Vance opens.

— Rick Koster

Ed Sheeran, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Mohegan Sun Arena; $49, $69; 1-888-664-3426.