Sam Smith left fans confused as they suddenly walked off the stage during a concert, but they soon revealed that they had spotted something "really wrong".
The event in Manchester earlier this year started with great anticipation as the audience eagerly awaited Smith's performance. However, midway through the show, after delivering their 2017 hit 'Too Good at Goodbyes,' Smith unexpectedly left the stage, plunging the arena into darkness.
Confused concertgoers were soon informed through the venue's announcement system that the 'Unholy' sensation would not return due to "vocal issues," according to Metro.
The abrupt cancellation left many fans disappointed and sharing their confusion on social media.
One attendee tweeted: "Really odd night at Sam Smith's Manchester show. Brilliant vocals & great energy for a handful of songs, a promise of an exclusive of a new song at the end. A few songs in, the stage goes black before house lights come up and it's announced that the show's canceled."
Another fan expressed their disappointment, saying: "Sam Smith’s concert started off INCREDIBLE like banger after banger, and then everything stopped, they ended up canceling. I’m so f***ing sad," while a third added: "Well all was going great at the Sam Smith concert until urm… they canceled it after 4 songs… FUMING!!"
Several hours later, the 'Stay With Me' vocalist took to Instagram to share a heartfelt statement about the incident.
"Dearest sailors, I don't know what to say honestly. I fought off a virus a few weeks ago and since then we have traveled across Europe and had such incredible shows," Smith explained.
"Today in soundcheck I felt fine and was so excited to give Manchester an amazing show tonight, with a special surprise at the end," they mentioned, hinting at a potential performance with Madonna.
However, Smith's vocal troubles became evident during the third song. They continued: "During my third song, I noticed something wrong with my voice. I prayed it was just my voice waking up for the show, but into the fourth song, I could feel something was really wrong."
Expressing their heartache over the canceled show, Smith concluded: "I came off stage and have tried everything to get my voice back in gear, but it won't. I am honestly heartbroken I couldn't finish the show tonight for you all. I love you all. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry."
This incident follows Smith's previous cancellations, including a performance at the OVO Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 22, and the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on April 25.
In those cases, Smith cited health issues due to a mystery virus and assured fans that their tickets would be valid for the rescheduled date on Saturday, May 25.
"It’s so important to me that we give you the very best version of Gloria. I don’t want you to experience it at anything less. Thank you so much for understanding; I know how excited everyone is to see the show, and I feel the same about seeing all of you," they wrote at the time.