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LEWIS CAPALDI
@ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne,
10th December 2025
(Live Review)

Review by Jeana Thomas Photography (@jeanathomasphotography)

Photos by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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Lewis Capaldi has this rare talent for making a massive space feel small. He walks onstage like he’s wandered in from the kitchen, no grand entrance, just a grin that almost says he’s as surprised as everyone else. Then he starts singing and the whole room shifts. His voice has that worn-in, lived-in texture – smooth one second, gravelly the next and it hits you with a weight that feels honest rather than polished.

It was a completely sold-out night, with the floor packed shoulder-to-shoulder and the energy running high. Several times during the night the show had to pause while a few people on the floor received medical attention, a reminder of just how dense the crowd was. Even with the interruption, the atmosphere remained calm and supportive, with everyone looking out for each other until the music continued.

He opened the night with Survive, easing everyone straight into the emotional core of the show before sliding into Grace and Heavenly Kind of State of Mind. It was a strong start, the kind that lets the crowd settle in while also reminding them why they came. By the time he reached Almost and The Pretender, the energy was stretching wider across the room – a mix of people swaying, belting out lines, or filming shaky clips they would definitely rewatch later. When Before You Go arrived, the arena shifted again, this time into something heavier, quieter and beautifully collective.

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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This was the first time I heard him live and it makes you realise you don’t need perfection for something to feel powerful. His deeper notes settle straight into your chest and when he pushes into those aching choruses, it’s not the volume that gets you, it’s the emotion underneath it. His music sits right in that space where vulnerability feels both huge and strangely normal.

The crowd knew every word. Phone lights popped up – some intentional, some because people didn’t know how to turn them off – and the whole arena turned into its own constellation of tiny heartbreaks.

At one point, he spoke about the period where he stepped away from everything. It was raw, but still unmistakably him, slipping between sincerity and humour like only he can. “I’m happy to say that I’m in the best form of my life, I feel great, I feel happy, I feel pleasant to be back on stage, I’m enjoying these gigs, but it doesn’t really make for a good song, that stuff” he says.

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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He explained how he wrote The Day That I Die when things were really low and not the best. The song came out unfiltered, a little chaotic and completely heartfelt – one of those moments where the whole arena seemed to breathe with him.

That’s the magic of his shows. He can lean into a heavy lyric and then immediately take the edge off with a joke about himself. The room never feels weighed down because he keeps everything human. You’re laughing one minute and hit with something tender the next and somehow it all fits.

The lighting moved from soft warmth to cooler, moodier tones, giving his quieter songs the kind of intimacy you don’t expect in an arena. At times, he let the crowd sing on their own and Melbourne did it proudly. His reaction – that small, grateful pause – said more than anything he could’ve added.

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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What stood out most was how grounded he was. There’s no ego, no pretending, no glossy barrier between him and the audience. Just a guy with a big voice, a bigger sense of humour and a willingness to say the things most people only think at 2am.

He closed the night with momentum, then returned for a short, heart-grabbing encore: Hold Me While You Wait followed by Someone You Loved. Two songs that somehow feel massive and delicate at the same time – the kind of endings that leave a whole arena whisper-quiet before erupting into applause.

And by 10pm, it was all done – an early finish that felt like a gift on a mid-week night. People left smiling, still humming, a little lighter than when they walked in.

Lewis Capaldi builds real connection. No tricks, no pretending, no polished walls between him and the audience. Just a voice that can fill an arena and a sense of humour that keeps you grounded and Melbourne was fully with him.

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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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

Encore:

Hold Me While You Wait
Someone You Loved

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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SUPPORT ACT:
Aaron Rowe and Fletcher Kent

The night opened with two artists who set the stage in very different but complementary ways: Fletcher Kent and Aaron Rowe. If anyone walked in assuming the support acts would just be background noise, both quickly proved otherwise.

Fletcher Kent stepped out first, bringing a bright, open energy that immediately lifted the room. His voice carried a clear, modern tone that filled the arena with ease, blending singer/songwriter honesty with a subtle pop spark. There’s an effortless charm to Kent – relaxed, genuine and quietly magnetic – the kind of presence that makes you root for him without even realising it. His melodies were catchy without losing their sincerity and by the midpoint of his set, people who’d never heard his name before were nodding along like long-time fans. His performance felt youthful yet grounded, an ideal warm start to the night. He even engaged with the audience and had participation.

Then came Aaron Rowe, bringing a burst of warm, upbeat energy that instantly lifted the room. He walked on with an easy confidence, clearly thrilled to be performing in Melbourne – a place he mentioned holds a special spot for him, with friends and family in the crowd cheering him on. His voice carried that familiar, worn-in richness, but this time paired with a lively spark that had the audience hooked from the start.

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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His set moved with a feel-good momentum, opening with “Please Don’t Hate Me,” which he delivered with a bright, bouncy charm that had people nodding along immediately. “What’s Wrong” kept that energy flowing, its upbeat rhythm drawing cheers and getting pockets of the crowd moving. By the time he reached “Hey Ma,” the arena had fully warmed to him – fans clapping, smiling and clearly loving every moment. It was the kind of performance where you could feel the mutual joy: him happy to be there and the audience just as happy he showed up.

Rowe’s stage presence felt open and genuine; he chatted between songs with the same warmth he sang with, making the entire set feel friendly, light and effortlessly engaging. If Capaldi was the emotional earthquake waiting in the wings, Rowe was the bright, energetic tremor that got everyone loosened up.

Together, Kent and Rowe created a beautifully balanced lead-in to Capaldi’s set – one melodic and bright, the other uplifting and heartfelt. It felt less like a conveyor belt of support acts and more like the night unfolding in chapters, each adding something meaningful before the main story arrived. If Melbourne hadn’t known them before, it certainly left with two new names firmly tucked into its playlists.

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Check out Rena Tan’s (@bear.n.tripod) full gallery of this event HERE

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Lewis Capaldi / Photo by Rena Tan (@bear.n.tripod)

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Follow LEWIS CAPALDI
FACEBOOK – INSTAGRAM – TIKTOK
 X – SPOTIFY – WEBSITE

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Press Release 27th October 2025 (below) HERE

Support announced for
LEWIS CAPALDI 2025
Australia and New Zealand
Tour Dates

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AMNPLIFY – DB