Sam Smith, 22, ended his tour in Vancouver last night with a sold out show.
The Brit brought fellow Englishman, George Ezra, 21, on his tour with him. Ezra took the stage at 7:30pm and entertained the crowd for just over a half an hour playing fan favourites such as “Barcelona” and “Budapest”.
Just after 8:30pm, Smith took to the stage, decked in his signature suit, new sneakers and gelled back hair. He quickly impressed the crowd with his powerful voice and English charm.
He thanked the Vancouver fans for getting his album to number 2 in the charts. He also thanked his fans for his success getting to go to the Grammys on Sunday, with a whopping six nominations.
After chatting with the crowd he sang “Leave your Lover”, much to fans’ delight. The song was welcomed with a loud cheer, and an audible sing along.
Smith didn’t need the gimmicks of a fancy stage set up as his voice was the star of the show. He didn’t hit one wrong note, his voice carrying effortlessly throughout Rogers Arena. The stage was simple, with 6 blocks of different heights featuring his band and three backup singers.
The crowd grew louder with “I’m Not the Only One”. Everyone in the audience clapped and sang along.
Smith took the time in his set to explain to his fans about himself. “I think everyone thinks I’m just this sad guy who cries every night and writes poetry. That’s not the case,” Smith said.
“I moved to London and I found myself. I stopped caring what other people thought. I got drunk and kissed way too many people. That’s where my music comes from”.
Beforing singing, ‘I’ve Told You Now’ he enlightened the crowd on the inspiration behind it. “One night I got drunk and phoned someone I fancied and told them everything. The next morning I regretted it and that’s where the first song I wrote for my album came from”.
Smith involved his audience in the show all night long. He made them stand, clap, dance to his choreography and, of course, sing.
Midway through, to set the mood, Sam Smith brought out a piano and opened up a bit more with his fans from the 604. “In a year and a half I have gone from playing the smallest rooms to huge places like this. Sometimes I like to strip back and play the songs how I wrote them – just me and a piano”. He then started singing and the arena filled up with lights from cellphones and lighters waving in the air.
Sam Smith’s album, ‘In The Lonely Hour’ is comprised of love songs and heartache. “I do not make music for money. I make music so I can stand on this stage and sing to you guys every night” then he continued to end the show with “Money on My Mind”, the only song on his album not about being in love.
Coming back on stage for an encore, Smith performed ‘Latch’ and everyone’s favourite, and the song that really brought him to stardom, ‘Stay With Me’.
The only thing Smith could have changed was the length of his show. Encore included, he was on stage just over an hour, leaving by 10:00pm.
Last night, Rogers Arena was filled with Smith’s electric personality. He definitely made his Vancouver fans proud. If you missed Smith this time, I would definitely recommend seeing him next time he is in Vancouver.
Sam Smith At Rogers Arena: Concert Review by Megan Renaud