Lewis Capaldi’s stroll along Auckland Viaduct delights fans before concert

Local fans Katie and Kristi bumped into Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi on the eve of his Auckland show tonight.

Aucklanders enjoying the first taste of summer sun were treated to a surprise appearance by Scottish superstar Lewis Capaldi.

Katie and her friend Kristi were going for a swim at the Karanga Plaza Harbour Pool last night when they spotted the singer walking back to his hotel along Auckland’s Viaduct.

The pair is heading to his gig at Spark Arena this evening, Kristi having flown up from Wellington to see the “Bruises” singer.

“It was super exciting. We had tickets to his last show that got cancelled, so we were really excited to then see him as well,” Katie said.

She has been a fan of Capaldi for about four or five years, getting into his music when she was still in university.

“We were kind of a bit word vomit and just told him that we were so excited for the concert and that we’d had tickets to the last one and he was like, oh, you know, like ‘thanks guys’.”

The crooner played Glastonbury in June, his first major performance since he stepped back from the spotlight to protect his mental health two years ago.

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Capaldi has Tourette’s, a syndrome that can cause uncontrollable sounds and movements.

When he last played the major festival in 2023, he struggled to get through his set, eventually being supported by fans who finished the song “Someone You Loved” for him.

He told Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast it was “the lowest moment of my life”.

“I had this moment where I was onstage like two, three songs in, I was like, ‘This is the last time I’m going to play a gig for a long time.’ I need to try and get through the rest of the show, but when I come off, I’m done.”

He went on to say the experience had been “probably the best thing that ever happened to me”, causing him to stop pushing himself and take a break from touring.

Irish musician Aaron Rowe and Auckland-based artist Jude Kelly will open for the singer tonight.

Kelly released her indie pop EP The Seven Spirits of Her earlier in the year, with single “Clarence” receiving support from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin during his time in New Zealand.