Sam Smith Serenades Us At The Ticket Pro Dome

Now, won’t you stay with me?

Now imagine singing those words along with 20 000 other people as well as with the one and only, Grammy-award winner Sam Smith.

As part of his The Thrill Of It All World Tour, Sam Smith made his way to South Africa with the intention of performing 5 shows- three in Cape Town and 2 in Johannesburg. Over the past weekend, the crooner performed his Jo’burg show at the TicketPro Dome in Northgate and I was lucky enough to have attended the Sunday performance, courtesy of one Heather Hook.

After getting lost in a taxi and having to endure unsolicited advances from the taxi driver, I finally joined my friend and we made our way to the dome. In my personal experience, these types of shows rarely start on time, but I’m happy to report that time management was not one of the show’s faults.

We got a jazzy opening act

Getting us on our feet before Sam Smith hit the stage was local, rising star Bonj. The sultry, white-haired crooner,  who was born and raised in Soweto and later studied jazz, wowed the crowd with her powerful voice and sound – which can best be described as EDM with jazz roots. If that wasn’t enough, the singer also brought DJ Zinhle to the stage to help her perform their new collaboration Against The Grain.

Sam Smith hits the stage

Following Bonj’s eclectic performance, the lights soon dimmed and the crowd went wild as Sam Smith made his way to the stage. While the visuals were beautiful, a lot of people were unable to see the singer on the stage as, for some bizarre reason, the screens weren’t operating so if you are legally blind and far away, the best you could get for thirty minutes out of the show was a white moving figure.

However, just because you couldn’t see him doesn’t mean you sway along as his voice effortlessly caressed your soul. Opening the show with his latest hit, Dancing With A Stranger, and looking dapper in a grey blazer and pants, Smith got the crowd amped for what was sure to be an entertaining two hours.

Through two costume changes, Smith got us singing, swaying, dancing and on the verge of tears as he performed fan favorites from both of his two hit albums – In the Lonely Hour and The Thrill of It All. The Jo’burg crowd was treated to hits such as I’m Not The Only One, Lay Me Down, Nirvana, Like I Can, Praying, Lalala, Too Good At Goodbye and of course, Stay With Me. 

All in all, it was an amazing show and I do not have a single complaint- except that Sam Smith didn’t stay with us after the show. See what I did there? Sorry, I had to.

Aside from the Sam Smith concert, another event I could barely contain my excitement for was The Beauty Revolution. Here’s why.