The Thrill of Sam

When I saw that Sam Smith was doing two shows on his “The Thrill of it All” tour at Madison Square Garden, I was excited at the prospect of seeing this talented artist live.  However, that excitement soon vanished when I saw that both shows were sold out – and I refuse to pay the criminally inflated prices of resale tickets.  Then, by some stroke of luck or fate, I saw that Sam was also performing at Barclays Center – this was a day before the show.  When I checked the tickets I was surprised to find a) that there were still tickets available and b) there were tickets for $39.  I jumped (literally) at the chance and before I knew it, I was in my seat, ready for the magic of Sam to begin.

This was my first visit to Barclays Center and I have to say, the seats are far more comfortable than other arenas, with convenient cup holders on the backs of chairs.  It was easy to get in and out of the venue and the lines at the food and drinks stands moved quickly.  Of course, the food and drinks are overpriced ($7 for a sparkling flavoured water and $8.50 for a tiny Nathan’s hotdog) but that is to be expected I guess. 

The opening act was a charming country singer who goes by the name Cam.  I was not expecting country music but I was pleasantly surprised by her voice and music.  She did a stunning cover of Patsy Cline’s Sweet Dreams as a tribute to the women of country music who came before her.  She also co-wrote Palace on Sam’s new album.  I wanted to hear more from her but, as an opener, her set was limited to 30 minutes.

Before long, Sam, looking at ease in a dusty pink suit and sitting on a chair, rose from below the stage and opened the show with Burning.  When he addressed the audience, he was gracious and seemed genuinely happy to be in New York, and at Barclays in particular.  He acknowledged that his songs had a tendency to be depressing but guaranteed that he and his band would ensure that the audience was filled with nothing but joy by the end of the show.  And I have to admit, I was surprised by the energy that he brought to his performances.  Even more surprising was the fact that the entire audience was on their feet from the very first song and remained on their feet, even for the more subdued tracks.

The first half of the show was dedicated to his earlier work and the hits from his first album, In The Lonely Hour.  Some of the highlights of this section were Like I Can, I’m Not The Only One and of course, Money On My Mind while his performance of the Disclosure collaboration, Omen, really had the audience dancing.  The second half showcased the stunning songs from The Thrill Of It All, including HIM (after which he explained that he wrote the song as a message “to anyone listening…that love is love” and that he is “a proud gay man”), Midnight Train (one of my favourites from the album) and of course, the hit single Too Good At Goodbyes.

The audience wanted more, as evidenced by the deafening cheering following Sam’s exit from the stage.  He reemerged to perform three encore songs.  The first was the beautiful Palace, for which he ascended a golden spiral staircase and performed from the platform at the top.  The second encore was Stay With Me and concluded with a shower of confetti - which is always a winner when it comes to concluding a concert.  Finally, he ended the evening with the emotionally-charged Pray.

I loved the fact that the stage design was simple yet effective because the focus was on his voice and the music;  each note was perfect.  While he stayed true to his music, the show was anything but serious or sad.  In addition, he connected with the audience which is so important for an enjoyable show.  It was a thrill to share the space with him.