[LONDON, GB.] Out of all the times I had the chance to see Sam Smith perform, it never worked out for me! It just wasn’t in my cards, I guess, until now. What a major blessing for me to witness one of London’s greatest voices perform at the legendary arena, The O2. The fact that Smith is from London and seeing him pour out his heart on stage in front of his family and closest friends was definitely the greatest treat. The show started with Smith being elevated onto the stage whilst sitting on a chair, hunched over as he sung, Burning, the fifth track from his second studio album titled The Thrill Of It All.
After completing two songs, Smith talked to the audience about his excitement to be back home, especially during the sunny weather that London isn’t quite used to seeing. It’s been four weeks for him touring and the next 4-day shows will be his last stop before heading on to Europe. Later on, he recounted the time he was 16 years old when he forged his parents signature and bunked school to run off to London and see Lady Gaga’s concert at the O2. Which resulted in a 5-day detention at school but throughout it all, he fantasized about one day headlining on stage where he stood. As the crowd clapped and cheered for his accomplishments, he proclaimed “Any kids in the audience. Fight for your dreams! A dream came true tonight. Thanks for supporting my music.”
If that wasn’t a tearjerker then, hold on tight, because his vocal skills carried every emotion possible to my heart and made me cry during his performance of Lay Me Down. A song he wrote with Jimmy about his personal experiences, that ultimately changed his 19-year-old life. For the 2-hour duration of his performance, Smith took the crowd on a journey of his biggest hits and also a few songs from his EP’s. At one point, Smith brought Brendan Grieve to the forefront of the stage to explain how lucky he is to have him in his band. Further explained that he’ll get lonely on tour – a little bit inside his head and needs time to write music on the road. Scars was a song Smith wrote with Brendan back in 2015 in his dressing room. This is the most personal song he’s written to date because it sums him up as a person. The song made him very happy and fixed him at the time of his parent’s divorce.
The show concluded with Smith’s final message to his supporters as he introduced his song, HIM “Love is love, that’s the message. I wrote this song as a proud gay man. If you’re proud of who you are, put your hands in the air.” Of course, he continued the show with a final encore performance with Cam as they both sung Palace. It was an emotional ending to a great showcase of Smith’s soulful melodies, he definitely sounds great live.
Inherit Love, I AM,
#StyleHeirs.
Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All Tour at The O2 Arena, London, GB Courtesy of Getty Images.
Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All Tour at The O2 Arena, London, GB Courtesy of Getty Images.