Lewis Capaldi's BST Hyde Park show, attended by 65,000 fans, was the teariest concert I've ever been to. Just over a year since his surprise onstage comeback at Glastonbury, the 29-year-old singer-songwriter proved how far he's come with a performance defined by raw emotion and unwavering fan loyalty.
Emotional Honesty and Fan Devotion
Capaldi's career has been built on emotional honesty in his lyrics, infused with lovelorn melancholy, and his no-filter attitude about his struggles. Walking into the Hyde Park show, I quickly realised he has one of the most loyal fanbases I've ever seen. Their joy coloured the atmosphere with a warmth rivalled only by the ongoing heatwave.
He kicked off with his three most upbeat songs—Hollywood, Grace, and Heavenly Kind of State of Mind—to get the crowd moving. After singing the ethereal lyrics, 'From now until the afterlife / Be it rain, or hail, or shine / We could be intertwined,' the Scottish singer launched into a joke about his equivalent of Pitbull's bald cap being a hairy arse crack.
Choking Up and Gratitude
Breaking the ice with brash humour, he turned to gratitude, choking up while telling us how much this night meant to him as he continued his comeback after a two-year hiatus. He tied off the speech with another joke that the fun's over, and we should buckle in for 15 back-to-back depressing ballads—his speciality. Starting with Love the Hell Out of You, it was clear that despite nerves and self-deprecating humour, Capaldi is on stage for a reason. Armed with powerhouse vocals that sound even better live, he is one of the greatest vocalists in Britain today.
For those less familiar with his catalogue, there were times when the repetitive nature of songs like Almost, Forever, Bruises, and Pointless blurred together. But the catchy, simple choruses often had me singing along by the second half, making the show more fun. He can get a crowd to belt out a heartfelt ballad rivalled only by Adele.
Surprise Duet with Sam Fender
Later, he brought out industry pal Sam Fender, celebrating making UK music chart history with his song Rein Me In, which they sang as a duet. Their high-energy rendition lit up the park, a nice break from the soulful tunes. After Sam bowed out, Capaldi sang a few more hits, and I discovered I had absorbed plenty by osmosis.
The show took an emotional turn when Capaldi found himself lost for words as tens of thousands chanted his name. The moment was so powerful that as he started The Day I Die, he couldn't get through it. My heart squeezed for him as he tried to stop crying, staring at cheering fans and simply taking it all in—no jokes, no singing, just Lewis and the people who stood by him through his most difficult times.
Encore and Promise of New Album
After wrapping the main set, we waited for the encore, no easy feat with an England World Cup match on. Capaldi issued a jokey plea for fans to stick around. He returned for a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Have You Ever Seen the Rain, and his live rendition of Survive was the most visually compelling, with lights flashing and fake rain pouring from the sky. The only reason it fell short of five stars is the potential to elevate live performances with more visual theatre as he grows in confidence. He ended with Someone You Loved, which we all sang along to, before leaving with the promise of a new album on the way.
All in all, the evening felt like a warm hug on a cold December day, my cup filled with mutual love.
