Will Smith – Live Review – Scarborough Open Air Theatre
By Roger Crow, August 2025
“Thank you all. This is magnificent,” remarks Will Smith, genuinely impressed by the masses that have turned out for him. His Based on a True Story European Tour has everything you’d want from a big show. Dancers, hi-def screens, pyro effects, gushing smoke, and a powerhouse performance throughout. There’s never a sense of Will phoning it in. He performs like his idol, Muhammad Ali, in the fight for his life. And of course the fight to stay relevant in an era when a lot of younger, fitter superstars are nipping at his ankles adds fuel to his fire.
He’s never played Scarborough before, but judging by the heartfelt reception he received on Sunday, August 24, I doubt he’d need much persuading to come back.
The evening starts with an overlong DJ set from Radio One’s Melvin Odoom and Rickie Haywood-Williams, who do a good job of warming up the crowd, but then things seem to go off the boil a little. Thankfully the energy returns when Scott Mills takes over for half an hour.
He works the crowd beautifully, but it’s the magnificent Ellie Brennan who does the heavy lifting with her flawless ‘Welcome to Scarborough’ rap, as debuted a few weeks ago on the Radio Two breakfast show. I knew then she’d have to do it live on stage before Will’s set, and she doesn’t disappoint.
“Hollywood legend”
By 8.55, Mexican waves and a giant beach ball batted around the crowd are in danger of eclipsing the main act. As if that were possible. Of course when the actual Will Smith does take to the stage, eight thousand people give him the sort of reception reserved for the Lionesses after a Euros victory. And then some.
If there’s one thing that comes across this evening, it’s that Will may be the stuff of Hollywood legend, a former A-lister clawing his way back to the top after that “close encounter” at the Oscars a few years ago, but he doesn’t ignore the elephant in the room. Halfway through the set, he addresses it, and admits he made a mistake, and the crowd love him for it. They love him even more when he produces the actual Oscar which was overshadowed by that terrible night.
“This has been a beautiful night and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart,” he explains. “This (night) is particularly joyful for me as I’ve had some difficulties in the last couple of years. I’ve spent my entire career trying to bring joy and fun and love. It’s been my deepest human devotion to bring a little bit of light and love into this world.”
“Emotional rollercoaster ride”
The Academy Awards debacle had arrived just after I finished his epic autobiography, a fantastic study of what makes him tick. Of course that potential second volume is bound to kick off with Oscar night, but I can’t wait to see what he made of the Scarborough crowd.
The set list included classics ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’, ‘Miami’, ‘Summertime’, ‘Wild Wild West’, ‘Bulletproof’ and ‘Men In Black’. The latter featured 30 members of Scarborough Rugby Club – all dressed as the interstellar secret agents from Will’s hit 1997 movie. And yes, it was quite the sight.
‘Boom! Shake the Room’ was a personal favourite, and he certainly does that. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride, especially when he stops his set as an audience member needs medical attention, and thanks the crowd for helping her get the help she needs. Just when we thought we couldn’t love Will more. Things also get emotional when he pays tribute to James Avery, his mentor on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
“A genuine wave of love”
It’s a surreal night. I have to acclimatise to the fact one of my favourite actors is there on stage, in Scarbados, doing what he does so well, at least in terms of music. The atmosphere is terrific, and yes, there’s a genuine wave of love that ripples through the crowd when Will stresses that we never know what complete strangers are going through. It’s the everyday empathy we can easily forget about and a welcome reminder of how important an emotion that is.
Will’s autobiography opens with a section in which his dad teaches him how to build a wall, brick by brick. As a kid he thinks it’s pointless, but that life lesson helped him build a media empire. And now he’s rebuilding the slightly damaged ‘wall’ of his career, it’s a joy to see him on top form, working his derrière off at an age when many men are attempting to take things easier.
Will Smith – a genuine Hollywood legend. In Scarborough, at one of the UK’s best open air venues. What a time to be alive. And what an absolute privilege to witness as the 2025 season closes on a vertiginous high.
Magnificent.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor
