Lewis Capaldi – Rod Laver Arena
It’s been five years since Lewis Capaldi last played in Melbourne, and judging by the energy inside Rod Laver Arena, the city had been counting the days. Back for the first of three huge shows in Melbourne, Capaldi delivered an emotional, hilarious, and deeply human performance that reminded everyone exactly why he’s one of the most beloved voices in music today.
Opening the night was Central Coast’s own Fletcher Kent, who made the most of his Rod Laver Arena debut. Armed with earnest storytelling and soaring vocals, Kent delivered songs such as Are You Ready, Open to the Light, Blindspot, and Wasted, connecting instantly with early arrivals. His track I’ll Be came with a touching story – a friend passed it on to Lewis Capaldi, and now here he was, sharing the same stage. It was a full-circle moment for the rising artist, and the crowd showed up for him in all the right ways.
Next up was Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, delivering a stripped-back set that featured songs including Drawing the Line, Please Don’t Hate Me, Talking With You, and What’s Wrong? Dedicating There’s Still Rain to his family in Melbourne, Rowe shared how much it meant to perform for them. He closed with Hey Ma – the very first song he ever released. From performing in pubs for years to playing arenas, Aaron Rowe is where he belongs performing to thousands.
Finally it was time for Lewis to return. Stepping into a single spotlight, Capaldi opened with Survive; immediately introducing both himself and his stellar band with warmth. A string of fan favourites followed – Grace, Heavenly Kind of State of Mind, Forever – with the crowd singing along to every lyric.
After Wish You the Best, he paused for a moment of vulnerability. ‘Ok Melbourne, how we getting on? It’s good to be fucking back,’ he said to roaring cheers. Reminiscing on his mental health journey, his cancelled shows and spending his 2023 NYE in Melbourne, Lewis tells us how happy he is to be back. ‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been on a tour in my life. This is my favourite place to come play.’
From there, the night moved between humour and heartache. Love the Hell Out of You slowed things down before Almost from his latest EP Survive and Bruises, which turned the arena into a powerful choir of voices. The band shone through Pointless, and Something in the Heavens came with one of Capaldi’s best lines of the night telling us his testicles are too low for him to sing that high.
Other highlights included Leave Me Slowly, Forget Me (his ‘only danceable song’), and The Pretender, which brought one of the night’s strongest reactions. Seated at the piano for The Day That I Die, he opened up again about his break for mental health and while the song came from a low place, it made for a good song.
Before launching into Before You Go, Capaldi acknowledged the crowd one more time. Jesting playfully about how it’s his ‘last song’ wink, Lewis said ‘There’s a lot of people here… and we’re doing three fucking nights in this place’. What was great to see all night was just how happy he was to be back on tour and back in Australia.
For the encore, he kept it short and sweet: ‘We’ll play two, then we’ll go fucking home – it’s a school night.’ Hold Me While You Wait and Someone You Loved closed the set in signature fashion showing Capaldi at his absolute best.
Before leaving the stage, he gave a heartfelt shoutout to his supports and let the crowd know, ‘won’t leave it five years before I’m back again.’