LONDON, UK: Following a three-week mental health sabbatical, Lewis Capaldi returned to Glastonbury on Saturday, June 24. His fans gathered around him as he battled his Tourette's symptoms while performing on stage. At Glastonbury, however, Lewis made the announcement that he would be taking yet another break from the limelight for his mental health. The 26-year-old musician, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, canceled all of his gigs earlier this month in order to "rest and recover" before the eagerly anticipated music festival.
According to Daily Mail, Lewis has been candid about his battles with Tourette's, a neurological disorder that is characterized by various uncontrollable noises and movements known as tics and can affect speech and voice. Despite his difficulties, Lewis persisted in performing his act, and his devoted fans rallied around him.
'I'll be taking another wee break over the next few weeks'
Lewis stepped up on stage and addressed the audience for a moment about how nervous he was to play at the event, saying, "I am, quite literally, s****ing my pants." The young singer acknowledged as he began that his "voice is going" but that he was still going to perform even though he couldn't sing well. He addressed the crowd, saying, "I’m gonna be honest everybody, I’m about to lose my voice up here. But I’m gonna keep going and I’m going to go until the end, I just need you all to sing with me as loud as you can."
The Scottish singer revealed that because he intends to take a break from work for his mental health, fans will not see a lot of him for the rest of the year. He told the crowd near the end of his performance, "I’m really sorry. I hope the Eavises will have me back on, even though it’s been a bit of a s**t show. I feel like I’ll be taking another wee break for the next few weeks, you might not see me for the rest of the year. But when I do come back and I do see you I hope you’re up for watching," as per Daily Express.
The show came to an emotional end as the crowd sang 'Someone You Love' for him. In a touching moment, Lewis crossed the Pyramid Stage and sang snippets of the song as the adoring crowd clapped and cheered for the star. His devoted fans rallied around him and assisted him in singing his hit songs while he coughed and strained to sing and had to take a break due to vocal problems.
'How brave is Lewis Capaldi'
After the performance, many fans expressed their love for Lewis on Twitter and noted how the emotional masses had been moved to tears during his final song. One fan wrote, "Blown away @LewisCapaldi at Glastonbury. I’ve been coming for years and that’s one of the best sets I’ve ever seen. Absolutely nothing to apologise for, everyone around me was WEEPING by the end. Amazing." A second fan wrote, "How brave is Lewis Capaldi? His ticks are severe but he perseveres and entertains a massive crowd. It’s clearly hard for him. He’s inspiring. #Glastonbury" A third fan tweeted, "Watching Lewis Capaldi at Glastonbury right now. He's struggling with a combination of losing his voice & a severe bout of his Tourettes, most likely being triggered by the frustrations. But he's still fantastic & the crowd are helping him through it, and it's just wonderful."
A fan chimed in, "One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen - well done Glasto, well done Lewis takes bottle to continue and well-done producer and camera teams who were so quick to capture the moment the crowd recognised he needed help." Another wrote, "You are amazing Lewis, as someone who supports SEND children in primary school I know you will be an inspiration to them. You are so loved." Someone else said, "This is really beautiful, because they all understood he needed a little help and jumped right in to do it. People criticising him know nothing of his life and challenges he’s overcome - he’s something special to have achieved all he has done."
A tweet read, "How beautiful this is in so many ways. People holding space for the incredible Lewis. What a moment to remember in this mad world." Another fan wrote, "This is too emotional. Lewis Capaldi had crisis and lost his voice amidst performance at Glastonbury Festival, then the crowd lifted him up by singing the song through for him word for word." Someone else tweeted, "That was one of the all time greatest #Glastonbury moments. Lewis Capaldi and that crowd just did more for mental health in an hour than the Tories have done in 12 years. Incredible."
Why Lewis Capaldi took three weeks off
Lewis also spoke openly about why he had taken a three-week sabbatical from performing before the music festival. "I took three weeks off because I've been non-stop at the start of the year and I wanted a break for my head and my mental health," he claimed. "I wanted to come back and do Glastonbury, because it's so incredible." As he battled the symptoms of his Tourette's disorder and began to lose his voice while singing, a distraught Lewis apologized to the crowd for his performance.
