I will remember Jan. 30, 2015, as the day my life changed forever. I went to a Sam Smith concert. Due to high demand, Sam Smith added an extra day to the West Coast leg of his tour, as he was originally scheduled to play only one day, Jan. 29, at the Forum in Los Angeles. Since releasing his debut album, "The Lonely Hour," Sam has gained impressive attention from the music industry and the public. He has earned six Grammy nominations from his debut album, despite being fairly new to the business. Sam Smith’s powerful and soulful voice complements the heart-wrenching ballads that he writes (yes, he writes his own songs). I got lucky enough to go to his sold out show, which was also jam-packed with celebrities and Hollywood socialites such as Lucy Hale, the Kardashians, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Together, we all got to share the euphoria that was Sam Smith’s concert. As I have observed here are the five stages that you would typically experience during a Sam Smith Concert
1. Anxiety
The days leading up to the concert were just filled with anxiety, the kind of anxiety and nervousness you get when you see a celebrity at your local Starbucks or an extremely attractive individual.
2. Anticipation
Counting down the hours until the concert, I listened to Sam Smith nonstop all day, every day. His songs took over my “Most Played” list on my iTunes and I sang along to his beautiful voice every day in my room.
3. Euphoria/Cloud Nine
The lights in the Forum dimmed and the crowd went wild. Sam was singing “Life Support” from the stage, but he was hidden behind the curtains. When the lights on the stage turned on and the curtain lifted, the crowd went absolutely nuts. Sam’s powerful voice echoed throughout the building and kept the crowd on their feet by being interactive. “Like I Can” was a particularly notable performance.
4. The “I Don’t Know What To Do With My Emotions” Stage
During the middle of his performance, Sam toned down the already-somber mood into an even more serious mood. Bringing out an accompanist on the piano, Sam sang an acoustic version of “Good Thing” and “Lay Me Down.” This brought the crowd to tears. Sam sang the songs with such power and emotion, that it was amazing as a concertgoer to experience, but the songs were filled with so much emotion that tears were streaming everywhere. I personally felt happiness, sadness, love and mourning all at the same time; my emotions did not know what to do.
5. Facing Reality
As he prepared to sing the final song of the night, “Stay With Me,” I began to realize that the concert was almost over and I had to go back to a life of midterms and school. The concert was such a surreal experience; I felt the emotion in Sam’s voice as he sang his songs. He truly made the concert sentimental and special for every one of his concertgoers. I definitely recommend going to future Sam Smith concerts.
