UK singer Sam Smith cancelled his first show in Cape Town on Tuesday after performing for 45 minutes due to vocal strain.
The "Lay Me Down" singer took the stage at GrandWest Arena full of energy to kick off the Cape Town leg of his tour.
All seem fined as he opened the night with "Dancing With A Stranger", "I'm Not The Only One", "Omen", "Nirvana" and a few more songs.
@samsmith opens the night with Dancing With A Stranger featuring @Normani. #TheThrillofItAll #SamSmithSA pic.twitter.com/vL6sBNSvgh
— IOL Lifestyle (@IOL_Lifestyle) April 16, 2019
"You know you're not the only one!" @samsmith. #TheThrillofItAll #SamSmithSA pic.twitter.com/rmYpGU68X7
— IOL Lifestyle (@IOL_Lifestyle) April 16, 2019
@samsmith performing his first single Lay Me Down. #TheThrillofItAll #SamSmithSA pic.twitter.com/O10u0J1Yrz
— IOL Lifestyle (@IOL_Lifestyle) April 16, 2019
@samsmith gave an amazing show before he left the stage abruptly due to vocal strain. #TheThrillofItAll #SamSmithSA pic.twitter.com/ORb76Ib0n4
— IOL Lifestyle (@IOL_Lifestyle) April 16, 2019
Smith then abruptly exited the stage during "Baby You Drive Me Crazy" with his backup singers closing out the song.
The arena became very silent and a few minutes later an announcer said that there were some technical difficulties.
A couple of minutes later the house lights were turned on giving the thousands of concertgoers the bad news that the show had been cancelled due to Smith suffering vocal strain.
Following this Big Concerts official Twitter account released a statement saying: "Sam Smith's CPT concert tonight has been cancelled. Unfortunately Sam Smith took strain to his voice & had to stop his performance. Ticket holders will be contacted directly. We will keep you posted with more info for the other CPT performances as it becomes available.
Sam Smith's CPT concert tonight has been cancelled. Unfortunately Sam Smith took strain to his voice & had to stop his performance. Ticket holders will be contacted directly. We will keep you posted with more info for the other CPT performances as it becomes available.
— BIG Concerts (@BigConcerts) April 16, 2019
It is still unclear if the "Pray" singer will be able to perform the rest of his Cape Town dates.
Fans of the singer voiced their feelings about the situation and sent well wishes to Smith on social media. Many also applauded him for performing a phenomenal 45 minutes.
It was a really amazing 45 minutes too. Sam looked so happy on stage. Band was flying. Backup singers were killing it. The energy and crowd were on point. Get well soon @samsmith😭
— Sibongile Mafu (@sboshmafu) April 16, 2019
Thank you very much. I really hope Sam is all right. The bit that was performed was sensational and just so incredible. I loved it. He should just focus on getting better and protecting that lovely voice of his. Thank you for letting us know. <3
— Lise-Mari (@nialloholic_1d) April 16, 2019
The most important thing is that he is healthy. He gave Cape Town his all for the time that he was on stage. And for that I will always be grateful. He did the best he could. 🥺❤️
— laeeqah. (@SouthAfricanHB) April 16, 2019
As bad as it may be for him, it's worse for the concertgoers. Massive inconvenience and people have lost a lot of time and money. This is no good for Sam Smith. He's had his issues, so he needs to decide where this is going.
— Carlo Hill (@carlo_hill) April 16, 2019
Sad and disappointing but it was easily the best 40 minutes we could ask for! Such an amazing atmosphere! Would have loved to see the whole show though!
— Anthony Rau (@anthonyrau) April 16, 2019