Lewis Capaldi made a surprise return to the Glastonbury festival, two years after taking a break to prioritize his mental health, as had been widely speculated.
The star’s appearance was confirmed when his name flashed on the video screens at the rear of the Pyramid Stage, eliciting a resounding cheer from thousands of fans who anticipated his performance.
Capaldi walked onto the stage, surveying the scene and offering a peace sign to the sky before slinging a guitar over his shoulder to play the opening chords of “Before You Go.”
“Glastonbury, it’s so good to be back,” he expressed after his second song, “Grace.” “I’m not going to say much up here today because if I did, I might start crying.”
He concluded his brief set with “Someone You Loved,” the song that prematurely ended his 2023 performance.
“I couldn’t sing this song two years ago. I might struggle to finish it today for different reasons,” he stated, visibly emotional.
“My name is Lewis Capaldi, and I’m [expletive] back, baby.”
The set was marked by a strong connection with the audience, as Capaldi shared lines with fans who came to support him.
It was a deeply moving and heartwarming moment, one of the most memorable witnessed at Glastonbury and beyond.
Capaldi, who has Tourette’s syndrome, last performed at the festival in 2023 under challenging and emotional circumstances.
During that performance, he experienced voice loss and pronounced tics in front of a large crowd. The audience rallied to help him finish his final song, “Someone You Loved,” in a display of affection, solidarity, and support.
“Glastonbury, I’m really sorry,” the singer said as that set concluded. “I’m a bit annoyed with myself.”
Days later, he announced his withdrawal from the spotlight to address his “physical and mental health” and “adjust to the impact” of his Tourette’s diagnosis. He has since made limited public appearances.
Reflecting on those experiences on Friday, he said: “It’s just a short set today, but I just wanted to come and finish what I couldn’t finish first time around.
“Second time’s a charm on this one, everybody.”
The audience expressed their support by chanting his name to the tune of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”
Speculation about his Glastonbury performance intensified on Friday morning after he released a powerful comeback single reflecting on his struggles.
Titled “Survive,” it opens with the line: “How long ’til it feels / Like the wound’s finally starting to heal?”
The lyrics continue: “Most nights I fear / That I’m not enough / I’ve had my share of Monday mornings when I can’t get up.”
In the song, the 28-year-old also defiantly sings that he refuses “to spend my best years rotting in the sun” and is determined “to get up and live / Until the day that I die.”
Introducing his new song at Glastonbury, Capaldi became emotional as he admitted: “The last two years haven’t been the best for me.
“It’s been difficult at times. I wanted to write a song that was about overcoming that stuff.”
“This has been my goal,” he added, “to get back here, doing this.”
“You could see, when he was walking off, how proud he was that he’d managed it,” said Kate, a fan from Oxford. “To be part of that was really special.”
“It was really moving,” agreed Georgia, from London.
“I had goosebumps in places I didn’t know I could get goosebumps.”
Welsh teenagers Marley and Maya were in tears after Capaldi left the stage, though for reasons different from other festivalgoers.
“My dog died two days ago, and he [Capaldi] saved us when we were in our darkest time,” said Marley.
“He’s so inspiring,” added Maya.
“He’s someone to look up to because he’s just so strong.”
“Survive” is Capaldi’s first new material since his second album was released in 2023.
Both of his albums reached number one in the UK, and his 2018 single “Someone You Loved” topped charts worldwide, becoming the fourth most-streamed song of all time, with nearly four billion listens on Spotify.
However, he has also spoken openly about the pressures of touring on his mental and physical health and about the impact of panic attacks and Tourette’s syndrome, which he was diagnosed with in 2022.
He made a tentative return to the stage in May, playing a last-minute set at Edinburgh’s Assembly Halls to benefit the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm).
Fans were asked not to film the show, and their phones were placed in sealed pouches as Capaldi sang six songs, including the hits “Hold Me While You Wait” and “Someone You Loved.”
Friday’s Glastonbury set marked his first full-scale show in two years.
The singer teased his return in the days leading up to the festival by erecting a series of billboards near the Glastonbury site and in his home city of Glasgow.
The first sign appeared near Castle Cary train station, about 14 miles from the festival, emblazoned with the words: “I’ve had my fair share of Monday mornings where I can’t get up.”
Separately, an electronic billboard in Scotland displayed a message in the same font which said: “I refuse to spend my best years rotting in the sun.”
Both messages had a phone number to text for more information. Those who sent a message received the reply: “Hey, it’s TBA, thanks for signing up,” seemingly confirming the signs were sponsored by an act listed as “TBA” on the festival lineup.
Speculation that Capaldi was responsible peaked after he liked a number of Instagram posts related to the billboards.
Then, on Friday morning, posters for a Lewis Capaldi lookalike contest appeared around the Glastonbury site.
The singer was not the first surprise performer of Friday’s festivities, however.
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