Sam Smith Took the London Coliseum for Eight Nights

The broadcast was the way in after the run ended. The BBC recorded Sam Smith's show at the London Coliseum on Wednesday 9 September, and its London schedule listed 'Sam Smith: Live at the London Coliseum' for 10.40pm on Wednesday 23 September, running to midnight. Highlights, with a new interview, were scheduled for Jo Whiley's BBC Radio 2 show on Thursday 24 September, from 7pm to 9pm; Dork's report of the broadcast announcement gives the same Radio 2 slot.

It is the record of an eight-night residency. The 'To Be Free' run played Tuesday 8, Wednesday 9, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September, then Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September: eight nights in twelve days in a West End opera house, which is not the shape of a normal pop booking. The UK leg opened with two nights at Manchester's Albert Hall on 3 and 4 September; London took the remaining eight.

The changeover was its own small piece of theatre. 'Now You See Me Live', the magic show that held the Coliseum for a strictly limited five-week summer season, played its final performance on Sunday 6 September. Two days later the building belonged to Sam Smith.

Each night opened with someone new. BBC Introducing picked ten emerging artists from more than 1,500 submissions to open the dates, and the London support ran from Bradley Jago on the first night to Tyler Lewis on the last.

Sam Smith: 'I'm delighted to invite some wonderful new artists onto the stage for these shows and share in the moment with them.'

Attitude's Callum Wells gave the run four stars, writing that it 'feels like a reset – stripping away theatrical distractions to spotlight the voice'. The set he described included 'Unholy' reworked on piano, a cover of 'Ain't Nobody', the title track 'Hazel Eyes', and 'Stay With Me' to close.

The residency followed 'Hazel Eyes', released on 21 August via Capitol. Smith on the record: 'This album is an incredibly special record to me. I have been writing it for over three years with a very small group of beautiful, dear friends of mine.'

Tickets went to a fan pre-sale on Thursday 9 July and general sale on Friday 10 July, from £55 plus fees. A residency in a theatre was always a different proposition from an arena tour: same singer, same album, a room built for unamplified voices rather than a shed built for volume. The building has since moved on: ENO's Angel's Bone is listed from 16 to 31 October, with Tosca from 30 October to 11 December.