Lewis Capaldi made a triumphant return to the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, June 28, after taking a two-year break to focus on his health.
“Glastonbury, it’s so good to be back,” Capaldi, 28, told fans during his surprise set. “I’m not going to say much up here today because, if I did, I might start crying.”
The “Someone You Loved” stepped away from the spotlight following a disappointing performance at Glastonbury in the summer of 2023. Capaldi suffered from vocal issues on stage at the festival, which were attributed to his then-recent diagnosis with the nervous system disorder, Tourette’s syndrome.
During his set on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday, Capaldi told fans that he’d “really, really missed” performing for them during his time away.
“It’s been difficult at times [thinking] that maybe this wouldn’t ever happen again,” he admitted. “Genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, it means the f***ing world to me that everyone’s here.”
He then declared, “My name is Lewis Capaldi and I’m f***ing back, baby!”
The sing-songwriter performed a mini-set of seven songs, including his U.K. chart-topper “Someone You Loved,” “Grace” and “Before You Go.”
In September 2022, Capaldi confirmed he had recently been diagnosed with Tourette’s. (According to the Mayo Clinic, Tourette’s syndrome is “a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can’t be easily controlled.”)
“I’ve always had it apparently,” Capaldi told fans via Instagram Live at the time. “So, I do the shoulder twitch quite a lot and you see underneath every TikTok people are like, ‘Why is he twitching?’ Which is fine. Curiosity is fine. I get it.”
He went on, “It’s a new thing, I haven’t really learned much about it — I’m learning. I’ve got Botox on my shoulder to stop it moving. It worked for a bit, but the worst thing about it is when I’m excited I get it, when I’m stressed I get it, when I’m happy I get it. It happens all the time.”
Capaldi stunned fans shortly after his appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2023 by cancelling all future performances in order to focus on his health. He explained via Instagram in June 2023 that he needed to “take a break from touring for the foreseeable future.”
“[I’m] still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s [syndrome] and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come,” he said at the time.
He summed up his state of mind by declaring: “I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve.”
Two years later, many rightly predicted that Capaldi would make a surprise appearance at Glastonbury following the release of his comeback single, “Survive.” He shared Glasto’s Pyramid Stage on Saturday with the likes of Brandi Carlile, Raye, John Fogerty and headliners, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts. (Sunday’s closing day at Glastonbury will feature headliner Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Nile Rodgers & Chic and Rod Stewart, among others.)
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