British singing phenom Sam Smith, 21 years old, brought his raw talent and humble demeanor to U Street Music Hall on March 20 for the first show of his latest (and brief) U.S. tour.
Smith took the stage for the early show that evening, as U Street Music Hall was celebrating its fourth anniversary and had Norwegian DJ Cashmere Cat playing the late show that same evening.
The singer, best known for his vocals on the infectiously popular song “Latch” by another young British DJ duo Disclosure, has been finding solo success through the beginning of 2014. His single “Money on My Mind” hit No. 1 on the BBC charts following his reception of the Critic’s Choice Award at the Brit Awards (comparable to the Grammy Awards here in the U.S.) in early February.
Smith took the stage about 20 minutes past the slated start time, upsetting the sold-out crowd. The demographics of the show were greatly mixed by age, race and gender, proving Smith’s wide appeal.
When the crooner finally came onstage, the excitement was tremendous. Opening with two songs from his acclaimed EP “Nirvana,” Smith chose to test a few new songs that will be on his new album, “In the Lonely Hour,” released in the U.S. on June 17. One song in particular, “Leave Your Lover,” left the audience in awe of the true, raw power of his outstanding vocals.
The live band that accompanied Smith included a cellist, whose talents were used throughout the course of the show, particularly in the songs, “I’ve Told You Now” and Smith’s incredibly popular acoustic rendition of “Latch”. No matter which song Smith sung, the crowd inevitably knew all the words and was fully engaged. When Smith asked the audience to sing along with his closing number, his hit “La La La,” done in collaboration with producer Naughty Boy, they knew every word and enthusiastically sang along.
The 45-minute set was not enough for the enraptured crowd, which called for an encore. Smith and his band willingly obliged, playing two beautifully romantic songs from “Nirvana”: “Lay Me Down” and “Safe With Me.” Even with Smith’s rapidly rising stardom, he remained humble and appreciative throughout the show, thanking the crowd after each song and talking about his excitement for his new album.
His show at U Street Music Hall may have been his first in D.C., but with Smith’s potential for international stardom and his devoted fans, it most certainly won’t be his last.
