After a cancelled tour in 2023, last night Lewis Capaldi proved that the hiatus to focus on his mental health was well worth it, announcing to the Auckland crowd he's now "in the best form of his life".
As someone with a shocking Gen Z attention span, I was originally quite worried about being seated for an hour and a half listening to a man belt ballads with no pyrotechnics or costume changes.
Thankfully, that fear was diminished the second Lewis opened with ‘Survive’. Lewis’s voice is genuinely like butter, not a single note misplaced or a tune not found; he could belt out tax law, and it would reduce you to tears.
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Lewis Capaldi fan, and hadn’t actually heard most of the set list before attending the concert. But as soon as I heard songs like ‘Grace’, ‘Heavenly State of Mind’ and ‘Forever’ for the first time, I was immediately transported back to certain times of my life.
From breakups to deaths, to the grudges I still hold against certain people, every sad feeling I’ve ever experienced was encapsulated perfectly by the Scottish Beyoncé.
Lewis really brought all the energy, barely stopping in between songs, showing off his impressive stamina and pipes, and proving time and time again why he has become such an icon.
I wrote in my notes app the word ‘entranced’, because I felt like I was being put under some secret Scottish spell by this man. I even took note of his guitarist, whom I had a severe crush on (call me if you’re reading this, guitar man).
He openly spoke about how he was fearful that he wouldn’t be able to sell out another arena after cancelling his 2023 show, how "Australia and New Zealand" are his favourite places in the world (and he "definitely doesn’t say that to every country"), and got candid about his battle with his mental health.
You could tell the crowd was also feeling every word, with couples embracing, friends holding hands, and tears being shed across the crowd from the most unlikely suspects.
It’s pretty clear that Lewis’s lyrics and stage presence had a mesmerising effect on everyone and were well worth the nearly 5-year wait to see him again.
The concert was a spiritual experience for a lover girl like me, and I’m manifesting Lewis will be back to our shores IMMEDIATELY (like he promised).
LEWIS CAPALDI AUCKLAND SETLIST:
Survive
Grace
Heavenly Kind of State of Mind
Forever
Wish You the Best
Love the Hell Out of You
Almost
Bruises
Pointless
Something in the Heavens
Leave Me Slowly
Forget Me
The Pretender
The Day That I Die
Before You Go
How I'm Feeling Now
Hold Me While You Wait
Someone You Loved
Image credit: Mahmoud Alhasan
Published by Clara Craig
03 Dec 2025