Sam Smith Sets “To Be Free: San Francisco” Residency
The singer released a cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine” with the news.
Sam Smith is taking their talents to San Francisco for an eight-night residency. Titled “To Be Free: San Francisco,” the “Stay With Me” singer will perform eight shows at the historic Castro Theater in February 2026. Tickets for the show go on sale on October 7.
“I LOVE San Francisco and The Castro especially has been so central to the Queer community here over the years,” said Smith in a statement. “These shows will also celebrate the official reopening, so it’s truly an honour to become part of this iconic venue’s history.”
In addition to the news of their residency, Smith shared a cover of Bill Withers’ 1971 classic “Ain’t No Sunshine,” shot in the theater and in the larger Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. The neighborhood is known as an essential location in the history of LGBTQ+ rights, and remains the epicenter of the community in San Francisco. The clip sees Smith beginning in the theater before moving out into the community, mingling with the diverse crowd on the streets before they eventually meet him on the iconic stage.
The San Francisco residency will follow another residency the artist has planned on the East Coast. Beginning later this month and continuing into December, Smith will perform intimate 24 dates at the Warsaw Theater in Brooklyn, New York. Like their San Francisco residency, the title of the New York show takes its name from Smith’s recent single “To Be Free,” released in July. “I’ve never had a recording experience like I did making this song. It’s one vocal-and-guitar take from start to finish — one live performance of me and my friend Simon in a pure state of music and expression,” Smith said after the fact. “I wrote it five years ago while writing my last album, Gloria, and then parked it because I knew it was not a song for that album. It was created during a time in my life where I became free within myself.”
