Live Review: Sam Smith At The Castro Theatre

Sam Smith, the acclaimed British singer and songwriter, recently capped off a staggering 20-night residency at the newly remodeled Castro Theater.

Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins attended the final show of this impressive run on March 14. Here is his dispatch and photos from that memorable night:

In a glorious final performance at the newly-renovated and slam-packed Castro Theater, Sam Smith performed with gorgeous grace.

Donning a long, gray trenchcoat with a massive collar and an oversized rose on their left shoulder, Sam walked on stage to a huge roar from the crowd, singing one of their many hit songs, 2014’s “I’m Not the Only One.”

Holding the microphone invitingly at the chorus, the crowd burst into song.

“You say I’m crazy, but you don’t think I know what you’ve done,” hundreds sang in unity. “But when you call me baby…” at which point Sam rejoined, “I know I’m not the only one.”

Sam’s final show, his 24th straight, was another sellout night at the historic theater in San Francisco’s gayborhood. And while he expressed, honestly and humorously, that he was “fucking tired,” he told the crowd that he felt mixed emotions in ending the run of shows.

“Leaving this place, leaving tomorrow, it's a strange feeling,” said Sam. “I don't think I've felt so much love in shows ever in my life.”

Sam said they came out as gay when they were very young, and started meeting LGBTQ friends when they moved to London.

“But for me,” said Sam, “I have never, ever felt the gay community until I came here to the Castro nearly 20 years ago,” prompting cheers and calls of “We love you!”

Sam, long-known for their sad ballads about heartbreak, surprised the crowd with a new, unreleased song, called “My Guy,” likely referring to his boyfriend Christian Cowan. 

“I'm sorry to say but recently I've been feeling really in love,” said Sam, which got cheers from the crowd.

After performing the happier, hopeful song Sam strut toward the front of the stage, saying, “Now enough of the happy shit, let's get back to the depressing stuff,” performing “Too Good at Goodbyes.”

As they performed more songs, they slowly unbuttoned and eventually removed their coat, revealing a black ruffle-neck blouse with the top half unbuttoned, showing their chest hair, a good match for their thick beard and mustache with the ends twisted. Their silky, breathy voice performed their songs a little slower than in the studio recordings, creating a sensual aura as Sam rocked their hips and slithered their hands through the air and along their body, continuing the concert with “Promises” and “Dancing With a Stranger.”

Sam excited the crowd with a jolt of excitement, saying, “Do you believe in the gay power?” The pace quickened as they sang “I’m Not Here to Make Friends,” off their 2023 album “Gloria.” Drag queens, including Peaches Christ – who often emcees queer events – flooded the stage and danced with Sam.

A few songs and a costume change later, Sam returned to stage to a dramatic piano solo and seemingly emerged from a powerful white light and fog that engulfed the stage, wearing an Emerald City-green dress with a massive green cape that they stretched out on their arms like wings and somberly belted “HIM,” a song where a boy seemingly comes out as gay to God.

As the song ended, the white and blue hues on stage turned dark and red. Sam’s reverence and seeming-scared demeanor disappeared, replaced by a sharp sense of confidence. The ethereal, godly feeling of “HIM” was replaced with a devilishly hot atmosphere. Lights flashed, beats slowly pulsed and a siren sounded before a low-pitched piano introduced the climactic moment of the show: the Grammy Award-winning song “Unholy.”

Sam waved their fingers and rocked around the microphone stand as they sang, tilting their head back to sing with the microphone above them. During the chorus line, their voice seemed to mingle with a feminine, harmonizing voice singing, “he left his kids at” and “so he can get that.” Sam then welcomed “Unholy” featured artist Kim Petras onto the stage. Petras, who had a sold-out show at the Castro Theater the following day, wore a shiny, short white dress and carried a matching handbag and sang her solo verse before rejoining Sam for two harmonizing chorus refrains. 

Sam ended the show with their most-popular song, “Stay With Me,” and another new, unreleased song “Hold On.”

“One day, you’re gonna find yourself a river,” sang Sam, “and I’ll be waiting on the other side.”