Current:Home > FinanceSam Smith soothes and seduces on Gloria tour: 'This show is about freedom' -MarketEdge
Sam Smith soothes and seduces on Gloria tour: 'This show is about freedom'
View
Date:2025-04-16 22:46:36
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sam Smith wanted to make one thing apparent from the beginning.
“This show is many things,” they said from the stage at Capital One Arena. “But this show is about one thing: freedom.”
Smith, who uses they/them pronouns, said this clad in gold lamé pants, a sparkly corset looped through a black tie and Elton John-worthy sequined boots with a prominent heel.
They had just finished the opening salvo of “Stay With Me” and “I Know I’m Not the Only One” – two major hits that most artists would hold until later in a nearly two-hour show. But Smith’s freedom extends inward, and this tour, named for their fourth album, “Gloria,” is a frisky, confident excursion smartly balanced with aching ballads and thumping dance songs.
At Friday’s show in Washington, D.C., a few dates into the U.S. Gloria run that will continue into September, Smith, 32, exuded genial star power and offered immaculate vocals. Joining the current trend of segmenting concerts by theme, Smith, a four-piece band and a trio of superb backup singers, cruised through three acts – Love, Beauty and Sex – keeping the full arena pivoting from heartache to exuberance.
Here are some highlights from the Gloria tour.
Looking for Taylor Swift tickets for 2024?: We've got tips to help you buy them
Sam Smith can still sell a ballad
The five-time Grammy winner was briefly sidelined during the European leg of the tour in May when a vocal cord injury forced the cancellation of a couple of shows.
Smith’s buttery instrument is back to its soaring beauty, exemplified first during the acoustic guitar-strummed “Too Good At Goodbyes,” performed sitting with their backup singers.
But the start of the Beauty act presented a showstopper, with Smith in a sliver and white taffeta ball gown, standing under a stage top rimmed in purple lighting. The setting was lovely, but Smith’s voice during “Kissing You” was nearly prayerful as it vibrated with emotion, simultaneously soothing and stirring. The moment was chill-inducing and continued when Smith introduced LaDonna – one of their backing vocalists – to join them on “Lay Me Down.” Their voice swelled with a beautiful ache while LaDonna offered glistening vocal accouterments.
Smith can also turn up the heat
Early in the show, Smith, the sparkly glitter on their chest apparent, twirled and swayed their hips during “How Do You Sleep?” and “Dancing with a Stranger.”
But those were merely warm-ups.
During “Gimme,” a sextet of dancers in sheer sparkles swarmed the stage, writhing on the massive gold statue of a recumbent Aphrodite – the goddess of love – that stretched across the stage.
Smith towered above the dance crew in black pants and a ruffled black shirt, pumping their fists to the propulsive beat. As the rhythm intensified, Smith joyfully shook their rear at the ecstatic crowd as the music segued into “Lose You,” a sweaty mixture of swirling lights, unrelenting beats and carnal pleasure between a couple of female dancers.
Smith dresses to impress … and to remember
As the club vibe continued into the stomper “I’m Not Here to Make Friends,” Smith was draped in a massive, Barbie-pink robe, singing happily while being fanned by their dancers.
But if the corset and ball gown of the early parts of the show weren’t striking enough, the saucy attire for – of course – “Unholy” riveted. A top hat with devil horns, fishnets, a bikini bottom and thigh-high black boots completed Smith’s look, leaving the audience with a memorable closer and more proof of how much Smith is enjoying their freedom.
Back to the '80s:Culture Club, Howard Jones and Berlin combine for a night of nostalgic fun
veryGood! (22289)
Related
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Pope says he has acute bronchitis, doctors recommended against travel to avoid change in temperature
- Travis Kelce Reacts to Taylor Swift Showing Her Support for His Career Milestone
- Search remains suspended for 4 missing crewmembers in Mississippi River
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Jason Kelce's Wife Kylie Reveals What It's Really Like Marrying into His and Travis Kelce's Family
- Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy No Longer Officially Referring to Michael Oher as Adopted Son
- Finland closes last crossing point with Russia, sealing off entire border as tensions rise
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Nigeria’s leader presents $34 billion spending plan for 2024, prioritizing the economy, security
Ranking
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Proof Travis Kelce's Mom Donna Kelce Is Saying Yes Instead of No to Taylor Swift
- 'This Is Spinal Tap' director teases sequel with Paul McCartney, Elton John: 'Everybody's back'
- US Navy warship shoots down drone launched by Houthis from Yemen, official says
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Sweden’s economy shrinks in the third quarter to signal that a recession may have hit the country
- Serena Williams Says She's Not OK in Heartfelt Message on Mental Health Journey
- Search remains suspended for 4 missing crewmembers in Mississippi River
Recommendation
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
US Navy releases underwater footage of plane that overshot a runway floating above Hawaii reef
Tan France Reveals How Angel Pal Gigi Hadid Helped Him During His Early Days of Fatherhood
Live updates | Israel and Hamas agree to extend their cease-fire by another day
Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
UN weather agency says 2023 is the hottest year on record, warns of further climate extremes ahead
Coal-producing West Virginia is converting an entire school system to solar power
Suspected drug cartel gunmen abduct 7 Mexican immigration agents at gunpoint in Cancun