Lewis Capaldi says unfinished Glastonbury set in 2023 was ‘blessing in disguise’

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Entertainment Reporter

Singer Lewis Capaldi has said being unable to finish his 2023 Glastonbury Festival set as he struggled to manage the symptoms of his Tourette syndrome was a “blessing in disguise”.

The 28-year-old said in an interview with YouTuber Theo Von that he promised himself the set would be “the last time I’m going to play a gig for a long time” and that he would seek help afterwards.

The Scottish singer said: “When I got off stage, everyone else around me was a bit like, ‘Oh, this is the worst thing ever’, and I had this weird sort of (like) a weight had been lifted, like, ‘Oh, now this thing’s happened and I have to get help’.

 

“I had been putting it off because, funnily enough, a few weeks prior to that show, last minute we were playing in Chicago, and I had a very similar episode (which) was probably even worse… I couldn’t come back on stage and finish the song.

“I was, like, backstage, convulsing and having this crazy panic attack, mental episode, I was really, really bad, way worse than what happened to Glastonbury, because Glastonbury is such a big stage and a big moment.”

Capaldi announced a break from touring shortly after the Glastonbury performance, but made a surprise return to the festival last month with a 35-minute set on the Pyramid Stage.

He continued: “In a weird way, it’s probably the best thing that happened to me at that moment at Glastonbury in 2023, because I wouldn’t have stopped otherwise.

“I was really bad for not saying no to things, feeling like this is going to pass me by if I don’t say yes to all this amazing stuff coming at me, and I have to catch it all and sort of get it all done.

“So I said yes to way too much, and I took way too much on, and everyone around me was asking me, ‘Are you sure this is OK?’. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine’, but yes, Glastonbury 2023 was maybe the most important day of my life, to be honest, because I wouldn’t have stopped.

“It’s like someone upstairs was like, ‘This has to happen now’, otherwise, I don’t want to think about where I would be now, if I hadn’t, because we were meant to go to Australia and stuff like that, it could have been really horrible.

“I dread to think what would’ve happened to me otherwise, so it was a bit of a blessing in disguise.”

During last month’s Glastonbury show, Capaldi performed his new track Survive, which has since gone to number one on the UK singles chart.

He ended the performance with Someone You Loved, the track that Glastonbury crowds helped him to sing when he struggled in 2023.

The singer has also announced a comeback UK and Ireland tour at venues including The O2 in London, Cardiff’s Utilita Arena and Dublin’s 3Arena, as well as in Glasgow and Aberdeen, in September.

Tourette syndrome causes sudden, repetitive sounds or movements, and while there is no cure, treatment can help manage the tics, according to the NHS website.

Capaldi has had six UK number one singles, including Before You Go, Pointless and Wish You The Best, and both of his studio albums have reached number one in the UK albums chart.