Sam Smith‘s highly anticipated collaboration with Madonna was teased on May 24, only hours before the singer was forced to cancel their Manchester concert after performing just four songs. The teaser came in the form of a video clip posted on social media at 5 pm, featuring audio of Smith and Madonna saying “Sam and Madonna,” accompanied by flashing text on a black screen.
Shortly after the teaser, Smith took to Twitter to inform their fans in Manchester about a surprise in store for the evening. They wrote, “Manchester, we’ve got a surprise for you this evening. ‘Unholy’ won’t be the last song….” It remains unclear if the teaser and the cancellation were directly related. Unfortunately, due to vocal issues, Smith had to halt the gig at Manchester’s AO Arena that evening.
— SAM SMITH (@samsmith) May 24, 2023
Expressing regret for canceling the concert after only four songs, Smith apologized to their fans and also announced the cancellation of two additional shows. The concert started with popular tracks such as ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’, ‘Like I Can’, and ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’. However, Smith left the stage for an extended period, and the lights were temporarily dimmed. In a statement posted on social media, Smith addressed their fans, saying, “Dearest sailors, I don’t know what to say honestly.” They revealed that during the third song, they noticed something wrong with their voice, hoping it was just their voice adjusting to the performance. But by the fourth song, it became evident that something was seriously amiss.
— SAM SMITH (@samsmith) May 24, 2023
Smith expressed their disappointment, stating that they tried everything to regain their voice but to no avail. Heartbroken, they apologized profusely to their fans for not being able to complete the show and expressed their love and gratitude. The cancellation of their shows in Glasgow and Birmingham was also confirmed. These shows had already been rescheduled once and were initially scheduled for April.
The tour was intended to promote Smith’s latest album, ‘Gloria,’ released earlier this year. However, due to unforeseen vocal issues, the tour has faced setbacks, disappointing fans who were eagerly anticipating the collaboration with Madonna.
