Sam Smith experienced vocal troubles and left the stage four songs into their setlist at the Manchester Arena, leaving the venue in darkness for 20 minutes. Fans were left scared and upset as they were not informed why Smith left the stage, and were asked to leave the arena. Smith later apologized on social media, citing a virus that affected their vocals.
Fans at Sam Smith’s Manchester Arena concert were left in the dark for 20 minutes, evoking memories of the 2017 bombing at the same venue during Ariana Grande’s concert, after the singer left the stage due to vocal troubles and cancelled upcoming shows due to a vocal cord injury.
Fans of Sam Smith were left shaken after a blackout occurred during their concert at the Manchester Arena, on the sixth anniversary of the tragic Ariana Grande concert bombing at the same venue. The concert came to a standstill after four songs as Smith experienced vocal issues and left the stage, leaving the venue in darkness for 20 minutes. Patrons who were present were asked to vacate the arena but there was no explanation given for the outage. Fans took to social media to express their concern and several references were made to the terrorist attack that occurred at the same venue in 2017, claiming 22 lives.
Smith later apologized to fans on social media and mentioned that their vocals were affected by a virus. They had fought the virus a few weeks before touring, with travel across Europe to perform shows. Smith explained that during soundcheck they felt fine but noticed something wrong with their voice during their third song. They attempted to continue with the show but had to exit after the fourth song after realizing that something was seriously wrong. They explained that they tried everything to fix their voice but were unsuccessful which resulted in them canceling the show.
Smith’s management followed up on their post by confirming that two upcoming shows in Glasgow and Birmingham would also be canceled as advised by the doctors. The doctors advised complete vocal rest to prevent permanent damage to Smith’s voice. This came after a performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards with Kim Petras caused controversy among conservative politicians including Texas Senator Ted Cruz who referred to it as “evil”.
In conclusion, Sam Smith’s concert in Manchester was brought to an abrupt halt due to Smith experiencing vocal issues. Fans were left in the dark for 20 minutes, which reminded many of the tragic Ariana Grande concert bombing that occurred at the same venue just six years prior. Smith later apologized on social media for the incident and canceled two upcoming shows following advice from their doctors.