Sam Smith brings an astonishing performance to night two of a 20-show residency at The Castro Theatre. San Francisco is the second major city on Sam Smith’s “To Be Free” tour, hosting New York for 12 shows in October 2025. Sam Smith’s tour marks the first major event at The Castro Theatre since its reopening. The Castro is one of the first gay neighborhoods in San Francisco and remains a hotspot for LGBTQ+ activism and events.

Sam took the stage at 9 p.m., performing “Lay Me Down,” off of his 2014 GRAMMY Award-winning album In The Lonely Hour. During the opening songs, the stage design was minimal. A single spotlight shone down on Sam, bringing all the attention to him and his raw vocals. After the first couple of songs, Sam picked up the mic to speak to the crowd, saying, “I could not think of anywhere better to spend five weeks. I mean that. I love San Francisco.” Continuing his set, he performed “Too Good at Goodbyes” from his 2017 album The Thrill Of It All. Sam went through multiple outfit changes during his set, adding to the vibes of the following songs he performed. Finishing off his set, he performed “Stay With Me,” which has amassed over 2.4 billion streams on Spotify.

Supporting Sam Smith on the second night of his tour was San Francisco native, Isabel Dumaa. She opened with “C’est La Vie,” one of her most popular songs off her 2024 album Just My Nature. She introduced herself, saying that she grew up with music around her in the Noe Valley neighborhood in San Francisco. Finishing her set, she played “Don’t Stop Trying to Love Me,” an unreleased song.

GALLERY (Provided by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Capital Records)