The artist demonstrated that he has vocal power and great hits, he appeared dressed on stage, moved the audience and gave one of the best performances
Sam Smith is the type of artist who doesn’t get enough credit. He has impressive vocal quality, a large number of hits and knows how to offer an excellent show, as he demonstrated on Sunday evening, the 24th, at Lollapalooza 2024.
Before the presentation even began, audiences were already flocking to the Samsung Galaxy Stage. Anticipation was high and when the dancers came on stage and lit the red flares, the audience cheered. Wearing a cap and black costume with sparkles, Smith appeared above a huge sculpture that resembled a reclining human body.
He made the right choice by starting with the emotional Stay With Me, his first major solo hit. It captured the audience effortlessly and became another hit: I’m Not The Only One. The melancholic ballads highlighted her vocal power and provided a great chorus for the audience.
The connection with the audience was maintained throughout the presentation. Smith called the spectators and asked them to sing, jump and dance. The clear message was that everyone was welcome there. In fact, diversity was the main theme of the show.
Smith, who is openly gay and identifies as nonbinary, gave a speech after the first few songs. “This show means a lot to me and everyone on this stage. We’ve been traveling the world for a while and I say the same thing every night. This show is about one thing: freedom. Wear what you want to wear, sing what you want to sing and have the freedom to be whoever you want. Please have fun with us today.
In one of the show’s best moments, Smith returned from a break wearing a long black dress with puffed sleeves. “Did you like my dress?” he asked. The audience roared loudly in response. He sang the fantastic and emotional Good Thing and Lay Me Down, before changing tone.
The feeling was that Smith’s performance was growing along with his career. Her most recent albums are more upbeat, with touches of dance music. At the show, the biggest breakthrough came with Gimme, a collaboration with Koffee and Jessie Reyez: The singer, who performed at the festival on Saturday, took the stage for this moment. It was also the dancers’ time to shine. Smith, who was already wearing a cap and vest, was also jumping and dancing. In Lose You it was as if she said: ok, now that we’ve resolved the melancholy, let’s dance.
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The sequence never stops, with three collaborations with the American DJ Calvin Harris: Promises, I’m Not Here to Make Friends, when Smith wore an extravagant rainbow outfit, and Desire, in which he appeared wearing the Brazilian team’s shirt and accompanied the dancers in the choreographies.
Next, Smith sang Latch, a collaboration with the electronic music duo Disclosure, his first big hit, when he still didn’t have much projection. She was very friendly, blew kisses and made the audience gasp. After this sequence, those in the audience who didn’t know much about the show or the setlist were likely to think, “wow, I didn’t know that song was by Sam Smith.”
Towards the end, Smith even took off his shirt and made sensual movements for the fans, who made a lot of noise. He also sang Glória, from his 2023 album of the same name, his most recent work. Part of the audience was already starting to disperse to watch the American SZA’s show: a shame because they missed the icing on the cake.
Wearing gloves, a corset and a shiny hat with horns, she sang the megahit Unholy, a collaboration with Kim Petras, which topped the charts and earned the duo a Grammy. A great finale for a show that deserves the same adjective.
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Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.