Swooning For Sam Smith

We have been to the legendary Troubadour hundreds of times over the past 25 years or so, and we feel confident in reporting that the venerable L.A. rock club has never been as crowded as it was Monday evening as Capitol Records presented a “secret” Sam Smith show that was far from a secret, judging by the local fire laws that were seriously bent to accommodate this raucous, oversized throng of fans.

“I missed you so f***ing much!” a jubilant Smith told the enthusiastic crowd, as he opened the show with “Lay Me Down” and “I’m Not the Only One” from his Grammy-winning 2014 debut album, In the Lonely Hour. And yes, the audience sang along loudly with every word, much to Smith’s delight; it was a process that was freely repeated throughout the hour-long set that mixed Smith’s hits — “Like I Can,” “Latch” and his signature classic, “Stay With Me” — with tracks from his highly anticipated forthcoming album, including “Midnight Train,” “One Last Song,” “Burning” and “Pray,” along with a cover of Alicia Keys’ hit, “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart.”

During brief breaks between songs, Smith brought us up to date on his life over the past 18 months, explaining he had spent most of that time at home with his family, telling the crowd, “I promise you, the music has benefited from that.” And to prove that point, Smith closed out the evening perfectly with his incredible new single, “Too Good at Goodbyes.”

Also in attendance — Capitol Music Group Chairman/CEO Steve Barnett, legendary producer Quincy Jones, and, we are told, Late Late Show host James Corden. Special thanks to Greg Marella, Patty Morris-Capers, Dixie Tipton and the rest of the Capitol Records team for a remarkable evening!