Christopher Tsou
Medst 330W
11/23/14
Professor Herzog
Field Notes:
~Event 1: Sam Smith Concert Apollo Theater-06/17/14
06/17/14 6:37PM… It’s a hot day in June and there are about 40 people in front of me.
The doors open at 7PM and the line is surprisingly longer than I expected. Sam Smith has
only gotten a limited amount of radio play and his first official album has just dropped
today in America and on May 26th in the UK. Of the people in line, the majority of them
are white, and are attracting an older crowd than I would have expected. I was probably
one of the youngest concertgoers there, most being well into their late 20’s. I did see a
child around the age of 10, excitedly waiting for the doors to open behind me. There was
also a good mix of people with Asian descent but very few black audience members. As
the doors opened to the Apollo, we all shuffled in with anticipation. The venue was not
very large and since this was the day he dropped his first album, there were a bunch of
Live Nation Execs who came out to see their recent acquisition’s first show. Although
Smith’s sexuality has not yet been confirmed there is quite a number of out gay men in
the audience. The men are very affectionate with one another and are usually coupled
with their partners. The socio economic class of the audience is as variant as Smith’s
music. Some people come dressed o impress with their high heels and Chanel flap bags,
while others come in jeans, a t-shirt, and shorts. There are not as many heterosexual
couples in the audience this evening. The crowd is made up more of the older affluent
crowd (35+), gay couples and their friends, and females. There really is not anyone
younger than 20 besides the girl I saw earlier. As the show begins there is a loud roar but
it is soon contained because of the anticipation of hearing Smith’s voice. There are no
annoying young girls around you squealing or screaming to interrupt his set list.
~Event 2: Vh1 You Oughta Know Artist Concert Hammerstein Ballroom-11/13/14 (Aloe
Blacc, Chvrches, Sam Smith, Bleachers, Tove Lo, Vance Joy, A Great Big World,
American Authors, Echosmith, Mary Lambert, Kongos)
11/13/14 7:45PM… It’s a temperate day for November. Heading over to the
Hammerstein Ballroom, there is already such a large crowd around the venue. The line to
enter wraps around two blocks. In just 5 months, the audience demographic has changed,
while this is a multiple artist concert, I hear a lot of people around me buzzing about their
excitement to see Sam Smith and Tove Lo, while some are clueless to who is Vance Joy.
The crowd is much more diverse in terms of ethnicity, but in regards to the median age,
that is significantly lower (teens and early twenties). As the doors opened at 8PM
everyone trampled in. There was a large sense of urgency since the venue was standing
room only. There was an accident in front of the door, a girl had seemingly passed out
while paramedics huddled around her. At the front of the venue there were a group of 8
men and women, mostly in their mid 40’s protesting. I was curious as to what they were
arguing over but as I saw there anti gay slurs, I inferred it was for Smith. Many of the
people on line began to shout back at the small group of protestors, some saying “leave
him alone” reminiscent of the Britney Spears days; there were also shouts of dismissal
some mentioning, “Who care?” The concert venue was packed with screaming fans, quite
oppositional from the venue prior.
Observ. Through Online Forums
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=182TRJq9Zt8 (Leave Your Lover Vevo)
~The environment where the discussion is held seems very tolerant of others. Based on
the responses, commenters are very adamant on not boxing people into stereotypes and
biases. They are careful not to categorize a person as one thing and make judgments on
that. They defend people’s opinion and are sometimes very passionate. They do not have
the best online etiquette but give very candid responses to the video.
-Kurtrebel (2 months ago) Good Gosh!! He is a phenomenal singer. I listen to songs
because the music and singer make them sound good and because they have a message
that means something to me and I feel something from the song. I don't care what his
personal life is. I think he is gorgeous and I hope he finds love in this world. As for me,
bring on the songs Sam, they get me through the day.
-Hannah Belonio (3 months)
I have no clue about his sexuality but this song either means. Leave your lover, leave him
for me" as in the girl leaves the guy for Sam (so the guy and Sam could be together) or
he's asking the girl a favor for her and the black guy to break up for him (so the girl and
Sam is together). Honestly I have Nooooo idea. Haha. But its very interesting.
-Karma27 (1 month ago)
I love this guys songs although I'm currently not feeling all emotional at this time in my
life. I can't definitely relate because I have been there before. I love all kinds of music
though I guess because I have an artistic personality. Most people don't understand these
types of people especially hood folk.
-William Jones (1 month)
I grew up in Homewood in pittsburgh pa google it it doesn't get much more hood than
that and I understand and like this type of music please dead the stereotypes
-Bbria28 (1 week ago)
Especially hood folks? What the hell? And seriously you understand this song because
your an artist oh yea I'm sure you just some special little snowflake inside of a snow
globe judging a world that is so beneath your genius
Interviews:
24 year old female, White. (Brief interview while on line at the Apollo)
-What do you like about him (Sam Smith)?
I love the soul that’s in his voice. I feel that he is very soulful, also not from here and to
have that American culture in his music. You can here a lot of old artists in his voice that
inspire him. I know he is very inspired by Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston and you
can definitely tell those influences throughout his music.
-How do you react to him coming out as gay?
He’s Gay? Really? That’s come out? No I didn’t know that? No Sam Smith is Gay?!?!?!
(She then told her friends)
Really he’s gay I mean you know, I think that’s a really good thing in the music industry
and he’s being himself and that doesn’t have to affect his art. Umm I had no idea that he
was gay and I’m glad that the media hasn’t blown that up. I didn’t know until just now so
that’s pretty awesome.
-Do you think fans have reacted negatively towards him coming out?
I don’t think so. I didn’t even know he was gay until now so I don’t think his sexual
orientation has been a problem. I don’t think it should and I’m glad it hasn’t affected his
art at all
Fader Magazine (June/July ’14 Issue)
You sing a lot about love and relationships. What’s been your experience with love?
I’ve never been in a relationship before. I’ve only been in unrequited relationships where
people haven’t loved me back. I guess I’m a little bit attracted to that in a bad way. In the
Lonely Hour is about a guy that I fell in love with last year, and he didn’t love me back. I
think I’m over it now, but I was in a very dark place. I kept feeling lonely in the fact that
I hadn’t felt love before. I’ve felt the bad things. And what’s a more powerful emotion:
pain or happiness?
Does he know he largely inspired the album? He does. I told him about it recently, and
obviously it was never going to go the way I wanted it to go, because he doesn’t love me.
But it was good as a form of closure, to get it off my chest and tell him. I feel better for it.
I feel almost like I signed off this part of my life where I keep giving myself to guys who
are never going to love me back. It feels good to have interviews like this, to chat about it
and put stuff to bed. It’s all there now, and I can move on and hopefully find a guy who
can love me the way I love him.
This is the first time you’re speaking publicly about him. How comfortable are you
to be open in this way now? I am comfortable with myself, and my life is amazing in
that respect. I’m very comfortable and happy with everything. I just wanted to talk about
him and have it out there. It’s about a guy and that’s what I wanted people to know—I
want to be clear that that’s what it’s about. I’ve been treated as normal as anyone in my
life; I’ve had no issues. I do know that some people have issues in life, but I haven’t, and
it’s as normal as my right arm. I want to make it a normality because this is a non-issue.
People wouldn’t ask a straight person these questions. I’ve tried to be clever with this
album, because it’s also important to me that my music reaches everybody. I’ve made my
music so that it could be about anything and everybody— whether it’s a guy, a female or
a goat—and everybody can relate to that. I’m not in this industry to talk about my
personal life unless it’s in a musical form.
Why do you think people are so curious about your sexuality? In the short time I’ve
lived on this Earth, all I’ve seen are boxes. People put things in boxes; it makes it easier
to digest information. People say I’m the new Adele. Why is [my sexuality] a talking
point? I’m singing, I’m making music, I’m performing my music—that’s what should be
the talking point. If I come on record and start speaking about it in an interview, then
mark my words, that’s your time to chip in; I’ve given you the passcode to my business
and to my personal life. But I am an artist, and in interviews, speaking like this, it’s not
my idea of art; it’s just my idea of exchange, talking human to human. It shouldn’t be an
issue, but it will be an issue. It’s always an issue.