Inside Sam Smith blackout gig - 'Confusion, tears and terror attack fears'
When Danielle Wroe was walking through Victoria Station to go to Sam Smith's gig last night, she spotted heartfelt tributes to the 22 people that were killed in the Ariana Grande bombing.
It was almost six years to the date of the terror attack at Manchester AO Arena on May 22, 2017, when Islamic extremist Salman Abedi took several young children's lives mid-concert.
Danielle did not go to Ariana Grande's performance, but the traumatic event that took over her city was on her mind when she considered returning to the AO for the first time.
"It took a lot for me to go in the build-up. I knew it would take someone really special to make me go into the arena," Mirror and Manchester Evening News reporter Danielle said.
Fans were terrified when the music stopped and lights remained off (Twitter/ @RachPayne88)
It was approximately 15 minutes before the audience was told to exit the arena (Twitter/ @davidianedwards)And someone special that certainly was. Danielle was potentially the "most excited she'd ever been in her life" to hear some of her favourite music of all time live.
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When Sam strutted on stage in amazing heels and proceeded to sing 'Stay With Me', Danielle had "tears in her eyes" and enjoyed every second of their song.
She "felt every single word" when Sam sang 'Love' and 'I'm Not The Only One', and joined in the whole arena passionately singing along.
Danielle said Sam looked "at ease, happy and genuinely like they were loving life" and the room felt "filled with love" - seconds before it all stopped.
There was a sudden pause in the songs when she overheard the tannoy citing 'technical difficulties'. The lights had already gone out but instead of the arena being illuminated once more, the 20,000 fans remained plunged in darkness.
"Because they said it was a technical difficulty, I approached it from a sensible standpoint and tried not to feel worried," Danielle said.
"I knew if I panicked, it would make me feel worse. But the longer it went on in the pitch black, people in the audience were starting to get more anxious.
"Knowing what had happened in the arena almost six years ago, it did cross my mind that something similar could happen again.
The Ariana Grande terror attack crossed Danielle's mind several times during the night (Kenny Brown)"I was distracted when the concert was underway but when things started to go wrong, I tried my hardest not to think about it.
"People were getting antsy and looking at each other, questioning 'what's happening?'. I assumed that we'd all be evacuated if it was serious."
After approximately 15 minutes of complete darkness, followed by another 15-minutes anxious wait with the lights on, fans began to leave.
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The tannoy notified that due to 'unforeseen circumstances', the show was cancelled, so Danielle finally headed to the exit.
"I did have fleeting thoughts. There was some 'boo-ing' but then people paused and contemplated that it could be something more serious," she said.
"When we were leaving, there was armed police and officers with muzzled dogs. I didn't want to stay there longer than I had to and we went to get a taxi."
Amongst other concert-goes, Danielle was desperately trying to get phone signal and noticed some people were visibly in tears.
"For anyone that had Ariana Grande on their minds, or had even experienced the trauma, I think it could've been super triggering," she said.
"A lot of the terror attack victims were young children and I think a lot of parents that had taken their kids to the gig would've been panicking."
Reactions on social media since have related the event to the Manchester bombing.
Sam Smith released a statement after the blackout gig to explain what happened (Sam Smith/Instagram)
Parents have taken to social media to share their fear and trauma from the night (Kenny Brown)One mum tweeted: "It's just not ok. I had my 13-year-old sat with me in the dark for 20 minutes, before another 20 in the light. On nearly to the day of the awful things that happened and you had us sat in the dark."
Another furiously said: "It was so insensitive the way the audience found out. Especially with it being six years since the arena attacks! Keep them informed."
Danielle added: "It made me think twice about going to a big arena gig again. I was glad that I was seated. If I'd have been standing, I think it would've been a different experience.
"I would have felt much more uncomfortable and scared if I was standing, or if I hadn't clocked that they said it was a technical difficulty."
In a statement released by Sam afterwards, they said they "noticed something wrong" with their voice during the third song and tried "everything", but nothing worked.
"I'm absolutely gutted for them, for me, for all the fans that were left sad last night rather than leaving after a night packed full of fun," Danielle said.
A spokesperson for Sam has since said on Instagram: 'Doctors have advised due to vocal cord injury, Sam must have complete vocal rest.
"They have been told by doctors that if they keep singing, they will do permanent damage to their voice."
Sam has cancelled the rescheduled Birmingham and Glasgow shows.
"I hope Sam is okay and takes the time out in order to get better. This is the last thing they wanted to happen," Danielle added.
Did you attend Sam Smith's gig last night? Let us know. Get in touch at [email protected].
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