Sam Smith thanks San Francisco for accepting them as a ‘very confused queer kid’ 11 years ago
Sam Smith will perform at the BBC Proms on 2 August. (Getty)
Sam Smith gave a special shout-out to San Francisco while performing in the Chase Center Arena on Monday night (28 August).
The ‘Unholy’ singer revealed that they have a special place in their heart for the Californian city, having first visited it when they were just 20 years old.
While opening their show-stopping performance as part of the Gloria tour, Sam took a moment to share how warm and accepting the city had been to them 11 years ago.
“I want to say I feel a bit emotional coming out here tonight in front of all of you. I have to tell you, I first came here to San Francisco when I was 20 years old,” Sam revealed to the roaring crowd.
“I was a very confused queer kid. This city made me feel so at home when I was younger.
“Today I went to Castro Street with my friends and I saw the Gloria tour poster under the cinema and it just made me feel so thankful to you for having me back after all these years.”
The non-binary performer shared a similar message with fans earlier this month after a particularly emotional show at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.
After the show, Sam took to Instagram to explain that the Bell Centre was a particularly important venue to them, thanks to Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad tour.
“The show was at the Bell Centre. I watched it religiously. I was totally obsessed”, Sam revealed.
““Deep down it was my life’s mission to get to that room and to sing on that stage. My first time doing a show on that stage was at 21 years old with the In the Lonely Hour tour and it was my favourite show of the entire tour. You’ve just done it again.
“You made that confused 14-year-old queer kid watching @badgalriri from a TV in a tiny village in England’s dreams come true last night.”
Sam is on the finishing leg of their Gloria tour, with just over two months left – and boy, has it been eventful.
From overcoming devastating vocal cord injuries to debuting a dance floor anthem with none other than Madonna, and defying bigots at every turn, the Gloria tour has been nothing short of a rollercoaster.
When they weren’t performing to sold-out arenas, collaborating with the likes of Madame X and Calvin Harris, or standing up for an entire community, Sam was busy this year breaking records and winning a Grammy and a Brit Award and making music for the critically acclaimed Barbie movie.
It’s been quite a year, eh?
Sam will eventually get a chance to rest up when their string of arena gigs finally wraps up in Auckland, New Zealand this November.
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