Following a $41 million renovation, the Castro Theatre reopened on Feb. 6 as a venue for music, comedy, podcasts and movies. Sam Smith christened the landmark building with the sold-out, 20-night “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency that began Tuesday night.
“I have to say, out of all the shows I have ever done in my life, this is by far the most special show,” said the English singer, clad in a custom Vivienne Westwood look personally designed by creative director Andreas Kronthaler. “Leading up to this, the whole of our hearts have just been so filled with excitement and love and gratitude to be able to open this theater in this way.”
The 90-minute set touched on their consummate classics, brought out brilliant cover songs and hinted at a happy new vibe.
“I think a lot of people know me for misery and sadness,” they said. “But recently, I have – I’m in love. It’s fab, she’s amazing! I’m joking. I’m feeling good, and for the first time, I’m writing songs about requited love and it’s an amazing feeling.” Smith, who uses they/them pronouns, performed a new song about their boyfriend called “My Guy.”
Sam Smith performs during the opening night of the “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2026. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Capitol Records)
Smith’s catalog was well represented in the set, including the anthem “Stay With Me” from the 2014 debut album “In the Lonely Hour,” “Dancing With a Stranger” from 2020’s “Love Goes,” and the blissfully sassy “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” from 2023’s “Gloria.”A Sam Smith concert doesn’t need pyrotechnics or any kind of extra bells and whistles – just a few different colored lights tailored to each moment, like a sinful red for “Unholy,” their duet with trans singer Kim Petras.
Their voice – a light-lyric tenor – easily soared up to the rafters, where the unearthed and restored ceiling is worth the price of admission alone. The Castro’s new gorgeous sound system, designed by Meyer Sound, is so clean that this ringing-ear reporter didn’t have to reach for earplugs while standing at the very front of the stage.
The Castro has retractable seats, and this was a general admission show with reserved seats in the balcony. New tiers bring much-improved sight lines, and a new cooling system means the venue has an initial chill that becomes most welcome after the collective body heat starts warming up the room.
Sam Smith performs during the opening night of the “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2026. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Capitol Records)
Smith performed three surprising covers: “A Little Respect” by Erasure (which they said reminded them of San Francisco), “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan and Bonnie Raitt’s cover of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery.” They said that it took eight years to take their friend Elton John’s suggestion to sing the latter. The majority of the audience waited until the house lights went on to confirm that there wouldn’t be an encore.
Earlier in the night, local singer Isabel Dumaa opened the show with original songs, noting that some were about her tendency to be avoidant of relationships, as well as a cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She shared that she grew up in nearby Cole Valley, going to movies and sing-alongs at the Castro Theatre, and she was just as excited as the audience to see Smith.
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Sam Smith performs during the opening night of the “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2026. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Capitol Records)
There are 19 more performances to go in Smith’s sold-out “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency at the Castro. The last show is on March 14, and Kim Petras is performing at the venue on March 15, which invites speculation that the pop singer could easily pop up to duet on “Unholy” the night before.
Venue operators Another Planet Entertainment offered concertgoers beautiful pink and gold souvenir tickets on the way out, a new tradition to be savored. APE expects to eventually host 300 events per year inside the stunningly refreshed building, which has immediately become one of the most special places for live music in San Francisco.
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Sam Smith performs during the opening night of the “To Be Free: San Francisco” residency at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2026. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Capitol Records)
This article originally published at Opening night at SF’s most-anticipated ‘new’ venue of 2026.