Concert review: Sam Smith performs in Sydney on Australian tour

AFTER cancelling his tour nine months ago because of vocal cord damage, powerhouse Sam Smith has performed his first show in Australia — and it was glorious.

Sam Smith concert

BEFORE Sam Smith ushered a note from that golden throat, he was greeted with one of those communal screams that make you say “Wow!” out loud.

Then he opened his mouth and your skin instantly pebbled with goosebumps and you marvel yet again at the power of the pure voice unleashed in song.

Smith was devastated when he was forced to cancel his Australian tour earlier this year after his vocal cords were damaged.

Nine months later, he beams at the packed Qantas Credit Union Arena with such genuine joy, celebrating the phenomenal success the young English soul singer has enjoyed since the release of his award-winning debut record In The Lonely Hour.

In the intervening months, he has sold more albums, enjoyed more hits and been tapped to be the latest Bond theme guy and his cancelled Australian shows were upgraded to bigger venues for his return.

Wild greeting ... Aussie fans were ecstatic to at last have the opportunity to see Sam Smith perform. Picture: Dylan Robinson

“I cannot tell you how happy I am here to be here,” he says. And Smith means it, having established close friendships in Sydney as well as bringing his family to join him for the end of the world tour.

The adoringly vocal fans were encouraged by the engaging Smith to sing along but he needn’t have asked because they obliged with infectious crowd karaoke, punctured by the obligatory squeals, for the entire gig.

They were boy band loud but with soul.

With just one album’s worth of songs and a stripped back stage — no Swifty rotating catwalks here — Smith entertains with THAT voice and a superb band who bring the old school funk back to a pop show, right down to the choreography for Restart.

He fleshed out his own enviable track list with a medley of soul which kicked off with a respectful tribute to Amy Winehouse on Tears Dry On Their Own but erupted into a Sister Act Friday flashback with Ain’t No Mountain High Enough followed by the disco clap along of Chic’s Le Freak with band vamp while the singers went off stage to powder their noses. Good times.

Powerhouse vocals ... Sam Smith wowed the arena with his famous voice. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Smith was quickly back onstage to take it down a notch again with piano and cello for Not In That Way which mashed into Can’t Help Falling In Love.

“These aren’t my songs, Sydney, they’re your songs,” he said by introduction.

As the crowd sang along to the chorus of his song, Smith proves that is true. He sings heartbreak for everyone. But when they join in the chorus of the Elvis standard, it is simply gorgeous.

And then they keep going on with Lay Me Down and it’s one of the best concert karaoke moments of the year. It is that beautiful.

You can just imagine how loud it was for Stay With Me.

Smith says he will now take time out to write his second album. If he does happy with as much heart and soul as he did sad, you can bet the next tour is going to be epic.

Originally published as Concert review: Sam Smith performs in Sydney on Australian tour