Lewis Capaldi was forced to stop his In The Park festival set twice due to “situations” in the crowd.
The Scottish singer, sang to a packed audience in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park, marking his first return to the city in three years.
Lewis admitted there was a time he thought he’d never be performing in front of large crowds again, insisting it “means a lot,” further telling the audience, “I’m back and feeling good after my breakdown.”
After his epic rise to fame, the 29-year-old began to suffer with anxiety, panic attacks, and developed Tourette syndrome.
He also experienced debilitating on-stage episodes in 2023, and famously had to stop singing during his performance at Glastonbury.
Lewis then announced an extended hiatus from music and touring shortly after, to focus on healing and after his recovery, the singer thrilled fans with his ballads in Newcastle on Wednesday night (July 8) and even congratulated a happy couple in the crowd who got engaged during his set.
However, he had to abruptly bring the show to a halt around 25 minutes in and alert security to a situation in the crowd. As the show stopped, Lewis and his band stood watching on for several minutes before leaving the stage.
A message flashed up on the big screens that read, “Thank you for your patience. The show will continue shortly. We appreciate your understanding.” Lewis came over the speakers shortly after to tell the crowd, “Make sure you’re looking after each other and stay hydrated.”
It happened again when chaos was felt in the crowd by Lewis, who described it as a “situation” in the audience. The same message appeared on the big screens, with further delay threatening his set that was already set to a strict curfew.
Lewis apologised but insisted safety is paramount. In a plea with the crowd, he asked: “If your pals are faint, go to the side. Safety is paramount but I can’t keep stopping.”
While the exact reasons behind the stoppages are unknown, Lewis was singing in the heat, with Newcastle registering peak temperatures of 27C on the day. While the park’s trees helped to provide shade, those packed into the main area would definitely have felt the sun.
Things got back on track after the second stoppage as the star played hits such as Hold Me While You Wait, Forget Me and Survive.
But sadly, the delays meant that Lewis Capaldi had to cut a lot of his funny crowd interactions in order to ensure he played as many songs as possible.
