Will Smith shocked his fans when he broke down in tears during his first return to the Las Vegas stage with his honest and emotional performance. The singer revealed that his new tour is more than that. It is also a tour of his ‘very soul.’
Smith opened with the audience, sharing his self-reflection during his House of Blues at Mandalay Bay performance. The new tour and album Based On a True Story marks Will Smith’s first album in two decades. He revealed to his fans that the album is based on his real-life events.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star had his audience up on their feet dancing as he performed hits, including Wild Wild West, Men in Black, and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, along with an array of new songs.
Things took a more emotional turn when Will spoke to the audience on a more personal level. According to Daily Mail reports, Will broke down in tears as he opened up about two of the significant turning points in his life.
Will Smith Seeks Redemption
The singer reveals those life changes were the traumatic birth of his firstborn and the loss of his close friend and Bel-Air co-star James Avery. Will was emotional when he paid tribute to the late Avery, also known as Uncle Phil.
“James Avery was like a father figure to me. He was like a father figure to a generation. He set the standard for what a responsible man was supposed to be,” stated Smith during the 80-minute set.
Will changes the subject and shares the news of his new album and tour with the fans. “Season 1 is coming up, and I’ve already recorded Season 2,” Smith said, referring to the album to be delivered in 14-song episodes.
“The first season, these first records, are the records that I wrote directly after the Oscars. You know, I had a couple of really powerful years of soul-searching.” Smith explains that he often felt like two different people.
“There was a Will Smith that was perfect. There was a Will Smith that was flawless. It was the image of everything I wanted to be, but there was, like a reality of emotions and things that I pushed down and put away. I thought people couldn’t like me if they knew that I had sadness in there.”
Will Smith’s tour comes just weeks after facing fan backlash following his raunchy performance in Miami with singer India Martinez. Smith joined Martinez as they performed the song, First Love.
Smith appears eager to restart his idle career. However, it may be too little too late, according to some. “This guy is irrelevant and should be blackballed for his violence,” declares one commenter.
“Not buying his act. Bet he tears up every show on cue, at the same time,” adds another. “Who cares? I was a fan of his but lost all respect when he did what he did to Chris Rock!” claims one more.
Will Smith is excited about his comeback tour. However, it looks as if it will take a lot more than a new album and a European summer tour to regain his fan base. Will has some work to do, and even then, time will tell if he can win back his fans.
