Here's What Went Down When Sam Smith Kicked Off His Aussie Tour In Melbourne Last Night

“Happy Melbourne Cup day,” says New South Wales-based artist Gordi. “I’m thinking of moving to Victoria just for the public holiday,” she jokes. The singer-songwriter steps up to the plate tonight after Paloma Faith pulled out just a few weeks before beginning the tour. Gordi fills the arena with her emotionally charged songs with a heavy, melancholic vibe and she rocks out on her harmonium unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. “I heard you guys like ballads, so here I am,” she says before diving into some of her deepest and heartfelt songs including All The Light We Cannot See and Heaven I Know. Gordi captivates the audience with her brooding vocals set among layers of intricate and organic looped sounds that build in intensity to make a powerful connection.

Inspirational quotes from musicians, writers, poets, actors and religious figures display on the stage screens before the arena darkens and lyrics are projected: "Let’s turn off our phones tonight and rely on the stars. We’ve been so lost lately we forget who we are." Sam Smith emerges underneath a spotlight as Burning strikes up. A ceiling-high pyramid structure illuminates above the stage and he sits upon a triangular stage that stretches out into the crowd on the ground floor. As soon as he opens his mouth to sing we instantly get chills – his vocal performance is exceptional. Sam Smith is one of a kind.

“In the UK on a national holiday, we have a fucking party!” Smith exclaims. Tonight is the ninth-last show of The Thrill Of It All world tour and the first of the Australian leg so he ensures that we have a feel-good time by turning the whole place into a massive singalong. Smith is more confident and comfortable in his skin than ever before and it really shows through in his natural and effortless performance. For anyone who’s seen Smith on previous tours, there’s a notable difference to this show’s dynamic and it has a lot to do with his growth over the last few years. Smith admits he realised how depressing some of his songs are and so before embarking on this tour, decided to change things up. It certainly works in his favour – it’s livelier, more upbeat and engaging, featuring some of his hit collaborations including Latch and Omen with Disclosure and his latest chart-topper Promises with Calvin Harris, which really gets the crowd up on their feet dancing. 

You can tell Smith has worked really hard on this setlist to make sure it has a lot of variety for his fans. He takes us back for one of the first songs he ever released (Nirvana), which is dedicated to those who have been with him since the beginning, before a very dramatic performance of his James Bond theme (Writing’s On The Wall) complete with an epic piano instrumental and a raised platform. “Love is love,” he shouts, before sharing the strong message in his powerful track HIM and proudly asking us to join him in putting our hands up as rainbow colours illuminate the arena.  

After a brief absence, Smith reappears for a huge encore to perform a powerhouse duet with a singer from his band. The pyramid structure unfolds to reveal a golden spiral staircase and Smith climbs to the top to where his flawless vocal range reaches soaring heights. Rose petal confetti falls from the ceiling during a fresh rendition of crowd favourite Stay With Me and the show rounds out with his final song Pray, before he takes a seat in the same position he began and descends beneath the floor.