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.
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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.
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.
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.
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