Lewis Capaldi made his long-awaited return to Dublin, kicking off the first of two sold-out shows at the 3Arena on September 29th. The atmosphere was electric as fans packed into the venue, ready to welcome him back in style. Before Capaldi took the stage, the night was warmed up by hometown favourite Aaron Rowe. Aaron has been blowing up lately and just recently announced his own string of shows. Following Aaron was a brilliant set from Skye Newman. She had great crowd interaction and more than once stopped her set to make sure all in the crowd and around her were doing alright.
When Capaldi and his full band finally stepped out, the roar of the crowd was deafening. The massive curtain was lifted and he opened with his comeback track Survive. There were screams, tears and smiles as he belted out the hit. He then followed up with the fan favourite Grace, wasting no time reminding everyone why his voice continues to hold such a grip on fans across the world. With a setlist that went through ballads like Bruises and Pointless to new songs like “The Day I Die” and anthems like Forget Me and Before You Go, every song felt huge.
The highlight, as always, came with Someone You Loved, a track that saw the entire arena singing in unison, phones (and light-up wrist bands) lighting up the space in a sea of stars. It was the perfect way to close a night that felt both monumental. With another sold-out date to follow before the end of this current tour, Capaldi’s triumphant return to Dublin is already being remembered as one of the year’s biggest moments.
Aaron Rowe photos:
Skye Newman photos:
Lewis Capaldi photos & set-list:
Set-list:
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
Photos & Words – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography