Sam Smith’s pained, yet hopeful tenor and his ability to croon powerful ballads has earned him 27 critically-acclaimed awards, including four Grammys. He is also recognized for a viral video of Adele singing her hit song Hello. A Twitter user slowed it down, effectively lowering the pitch, and the internet agreed that it sounded just like Smith’s voice. So, when his tour came to Kansas City in August, I bought my tickets.

Smith opened the show from below the stage with his moody song Burning. After building the first, verse, a piece of walkway opened up, and Smith emerged as he launched into the chorus. I couldn’t help but think that this was a strange song to open with. His music is generally sad, but I expected a more energetic intro.

Throughout his next half-dozen songs or so, Smith seemed to just plow onward. The songs were impressive, although he didn’t seem to reach the level of talent he usually does on his recordings. Some of the notes were shortened or he switched to easier notes.

Then, Smith sang Writings On the Wall. This performance was my favorite of the night. For this song, Smith amped up the drama; it was much more his style. His voice was powerful and smooth. This is one of the songs that managed to fill the venue with awe.

After that, Smith surged into his more upbeat songs. He and his backup singers, a collection of diverse, gospel-esque performers, bounced and swayed around the stage. Songs like Money On My Mind and Baby, You Make Me Crazy had the crowd on their feet and singing along. He rounded out his act with Too Good At Goodbyes, the biggest hit off of his latest album.

In typical concert fashion, Smith and his backup singers resumed their positions once more for Smith’s song Palace. In his encore, he also sang Stay With Me and Pray. His encore was much more powerful than most of his other songs. He often failed to generate enough energy to fill the huge venue, and it was clear. Regardless, he undoubtedly showcased a lot of impressive songs onstage that night, and I can’t deny that he is an extremely talented singer. I just think that his songs are too morose to have an upbeat and exciting concert.

His opening act was phenomenal. Beth Ditto, an indie folk-ish singer took the stage and belted out a couple of her songs. Her act had plenty of humor and talent, and she never slowed down or let her voice falter. The most memorable moment of her act for the audience was her tribute to Aretha Franklin, who had died only two days prior.

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