Lewis Capaldi Cancels Tour Dates To "Rest And Recover" From Mental And Physical Strain

6 June 2023 | 3:40 pm | Ellie Robinson

He'll return to the stage in time for this year's Glastonbury festival, with his visit Down Under still on the cards.

Lewis Capaldi

Lewis Capaldi (Credit: Alexandra Gavillet)

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Lewis Capaldi has broken the news that a suite of his upcoming tour dates, scheduled between now and June 24 – when he’s set to take the stage at this year’s Glastonbury festival – have been cancelled.

The singer-songwriter has been touring in support of his recent second album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, with shows in Glasgow, Dublin, London and Norway all slated to take place over the next three weeks. In a statement shared on social media, he confirmed he’d be axing those dates from his itinerary in order to prioritise his health.

He wrote: “This is a really difficult message, and one that hurts me a lot to have to type, but I'm really sorry to say that I'm going to have to cancel all commitments from now until I play Glastonbury on June 24th.”

Capaldi went on to say he’s had “such an incredible time” on the touring circuit for Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, and assured his fans that “seeing all of the support from everyone has been beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of”, but noted that “the last few months have been full on both mentally and physically”. 

He added: “I haven't been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I'm struggling to get to grips with it all. I need to take a moment to rest and recover, to be at my best and ready for Glastonbury and all of the other incredible shows coming up so that I'm able to continue doing what I love for a long time to come. I need to take these three weeks to be Lewis from Glasgow for a bit, spend some time with my family and friends and do normal life things that are an important part of me feeling better. I hope everyone understands.”

The artist went on to share his gratitude for the fans that had been looking forward to these now-cancelled shows, writing to them: “I know many of you will have spent money on travel or hotels, which I appreciate more than ever with how difficult things are economically at the moment, so I'm extremely sorry for the impact this will have. The fact you're willing to come out and spend your time, money and love on these shows is beyond comprehension and I feel incredibly lucky.”

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He also assured us all that he is indeed taking care of himself, receiving and accepting “all the help and support I need from the incredible people around me” – which he said he’s “so grateful for”. In closing, Capaldi stressed that he “take[s] none of this for granted and can't wait to be back doing it again”.

At the time of writing, Capaldi’s upcoming Australian tour dates – which include a top-line billing at Splendour In The Grass – are indeed still on the cards. His run of shows Down Under will begin in Eora/Sydney on Friday July 7 and Saturday 8, with subsequent shows lined up for Boorloo/Perth, Kaurna/Adelaide and Naarm/Melbourne.

Back in April, Capaldi admitted he’d be willing to sacrifice his music career if his Tourette’s syndrome worsened. In February, footage emerged showing the singer affected by head and shoulder tics at a concert; he later said in an interview that his symptoms had been worsening in recent times, and said: “If it got to a point where my quality of life was drastically diminished, I’d just have to quit.”