When I was surprised by my husband with Sam Smith concert tickets for this past Tuesday night, I was in a state of silent glee. I cried in disbelief. I proceeded to tackle my day, grinning from ear to ear. Dinner at Wildfire was delicious. When we exited the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised when car and driver met us at the curb. Josh thought of everything. We comfortably drove to the Xcel Center in St. Paul where we were dropped at a door not too far from the suite.
His opening number, Burning, (my favorite!) caught my heart in my throat. My heart was beating out of my chest and my hands were shaking. Tears poking at the corners of my eyes. I never expected this reaction, as I am a grow woman! But there I was, fangirling all the same. He sat hunched over in a gorgeous black suit sitting in the middle of the slim triangle stage with a single overhead spot light shining down on him. I knew once the words, "I've been burning, " had been sung, that the concert was going to be amazing.
Overview and thoughts of the night.
1) His smile radiated all the way to suite we were in. He was smiling ear to ear. You could tell how happy and content he was. He spoke of just returning from three weeks off. He seemed refreshed, svelte, passionate about performing and excited to be there. His smile is what captivated me. He smiled when he shouldn't be smiling! It could have been the saddest song ever, but he wasn't able to suppress that smile no matter how hard he tried.
2) The back up musicians and vocalists were phenomenal. As in the best I have ever heard. I would go to a concert of just them singing and playing they were that good. His musicians played the entire song of Writing on Wall, (from the James Bond 007 movie) the orchestral version before Sam even entered to sing the song. It was breathtaking. And the backup vocalists reigned supreme on songs such as Him and Pray.
3) He talked about loving what he does. He talked about his love for family and friends. He talked about heart ache and pain, but realizing that his focus on romantic love overshadowed all of the other relationships in his life. He said that when he refocused and spent time with those that he loves, his male friends from his teen years, his sisters and family, he felt truly loved, treasured and content. He also talked about how he realized how sad all of his music was. But that he wanted everyone to leave their sadness, heartache and strife at the door. Just for two hours while he performed because he promised we would be glad we did. He was right. I was.
4) He has perfect pitch. 3 notes that weren't perfect all night long. THREE! (And two of those iffy notes were due to poor breath support.) Imagine using your voice all night, top of your range, full volume, and a picky concert goer (me), only finding 3 notes at fault. I was astounded at his performance. I have never heard anything like it. People mess up all the time. Not Sam Smith. He is at the top of his game, an unbelievable performer and I am ecstatic to hear what music pours out of him next! (He is working on his third album now he mentioned.)
5) Concert goers aren't always there for the performance. Some of the clothing choices and behavior at the concert led me to believe that some people weren't there for a Sam Smith concert, but they were there to be seen. They felt the need to shout/sing each song and thought they should be the center of attention. Bless it. No. Enjoy the experience, don't be a distraction please.
6) I will go to every concert that he ever performs from now on in the Twin Cities. No lie. These tickets were a gift and we were so very thankful for them. But this proves my theory, case in point. Spend your money on experiences, not things. Go places, see amazing things, participate in everything you can, take in the sounds and sites and taste the food. Place less importance on the things of this world. They are passing away, they will rust and crumble. But memories of amazing experiences last a lifetime.
7) My husband absolutely struggled. He was only able to be present for about 1/4 of the concert, and during that time, he wore ear plugs and headphones, and his eyes were often closed. It was too much for him. But how I loved that he was so excited that this night was all about making me happy and enabling me to have enjoyable night. We won't go out to dinner again any time soon. We won't go to any large events again anytime soon. But I will treasure this night and the effort that Josh put into it to make it unforgettable for
me.
Here are a few pictures and videos of the night. The sound quality makes up for the poor picture quality as I was so far up in the stands. Enjoy!
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