Rollie Nichols
Staff Writer
Alternative artist, Sam Smith took the stage at the Greek Theatre in LA and performed incredibly during his concert while on his 2014 North American Tour.
Smith’s music is a blend of electronic and alternative music that he combines amazingly. His songs have good rhythm and beat while also containing meaningful lyrics and vocals.
Smith began his career in 2007 but had been more present in Europe than in America. His breakout year came in 2012 with the release of the song “Latch” where he sang with the band Disclosure. Being from London, he does have a thick British accent when he talks but that does not take away from the quality or clarity of his singing.
Smith’s piano player, Ruben James, has played with Sam since he started in the UK and continues to tour with him. James is a well known pianist in the UK and played beautifully while accompanying Smith.
Smith’s vocals never sounded anything short of amazing. His songs have deep sincere meanings and play with many different emotions. His songs focus mainly on love and disappointment leading to a sad but intriguing set of songs.
Smith played a set of 13 incredible songs including originals of his own and also a tribute to the renown artist, Whitney Houston. Smith’s song, “Not the Only One”, was his best song of the night. He sings about his girlfriend who he knows is cheating on him. The lyrics in this song flow beautifully because his emotions are behind them and none of the words are forced.
Although he is more well known for his slow songs, he also played two songs that were more upbeat. “Money on my Mind” and “Restart” were more electronic songs and incorporated heavier beats and louder guitar and vocals making them more fun and energetic. These songs especially stood out during the concert because they set more positive mood.
Smith ended the concert on an upbeat and fun note with his most well known song, “Stay With Me”. This song is extremely popular and he did not fail to impress while performing it live considering the extremely difficult vocals it contains.
Smith performed just as well live as he does in a studio and that is what made him stand out from other artists during a concert. Most artists can not perform as well on stage as they can on their recorded tracks, but Smith did exceptionally well.
Smith interacts with the audience by telling stories to give background to his songs. One story he told was about him calling his ex-girlfriend and telling her all of his feelings and how doing that gave him inspiration for the song “I’ve Told you Now”.
His interaction makes the concert more fun and his stories are interesting. The talking and communication Smith uses makes it seem more like a concert and less just listening to him sing at the audience.
Smith’s performance made it hard to tell how early he is into his career and proved how much he has room to expand and become famous worldwide.
Smith’s 2014 North American Tour ends this month.
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