Sam Smith fans were left terrified after their gig in Manchester was suddenly cut short and bathed in darkness just four songs in.
The Unholy hitmaker excited fans just hours before by teasing Madonna as a surprise guest on stage.
But things went awry when Sam sung just a few song during a chaotic night at the Manchester AO Arena before there appeared to be a power cut and the venue was later 'evacuated' following technical problems. Shocked fans revealed they were then told to return to the foyer.
When order was restored Sam didn't return for long - and the earlier-teased Madonna appearance didn't materialise.
They have been battling a virus and it lead to heartbreak all-round with the prospect of the two stars on stage together gone.
And upset fans were not happy - particularly amid the recent anniversary of the Ariana Grande Manchester Arena bombing tragedy.
One tweeted: "@samsmith @AOArena just not ok I had my 13 year old sat with me in the dark for 20 min 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 genuinely hope Sam is ok but damn handled awfully #SamSmith."
While another fumed: "Apparently lights down, no immediate explanation. How scary for fans in the AO Arena Manchester, just days after the 6th anniversary of losing 22 people. #SamSmith #Insensitive."
A third wrote: "It was so insensitive the way the audience found out. Especially with it being 6 years since the arena attacks! Keep them informed."
While others were quick to speculate on social media over the 'sudden' cancellation, with some pleading for the gig to be rescheduled.
One wrote on Instagram : "No words, so disappointed! Never have I ever been to a concert where the act has left after 4 songs and never came back. You should treat your fans with the respect they deserve. One minute tech diffs which wasn’t heard to a problem with the voice something isn’t right there."
A second user put: "I've seen a lot of comments saying how odd the whole thing was, some people were told there may be an evacuation? Lots of speculation! I had tickets and we decided not to go!"
"Who left Madonna or Sam?" another asked.
One user said on twitter: "Sam Smith had a surprise for us tonight. It was meant to be Madonna!!! However after 3-4 songs the show got cancelled due to voice problems. If it is or isn’t, I just hope they are ok and come back to Manchester soon."
Sorry Sam's gig ended after only a few songs and they later took to social media to reveal something was 'really wrong' with their voice.
"I don't know what to say honestly. I fought off a virus a few weeks ago and since then we have travelled across Europe and had such incredible shows. Today in soundcheck I felt fine and was so excited to give Manchester an amazing show tonight, with a special surprise guest at the end," they said.
"During my third song, I noticed something wrong with my voice. I prayed it was just my voice waking up for the show but into the fourth song I could feel something was really wrong.
"I came off stage and have tried everything to get my voice back in gear but it won't. I am honestly heartbroken I couldn't finish the show tonight for you all. I love you all. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry".
The sudden cancellation comes after they cancelled a previous concert.
At the end of April, they apologised to fans after being forced to cancel another concert due to a mystery illness.
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