REVIEW: ‘You’re taking the shine off me’: Capaldi heckles newly engaged couple mid-show
The Scottish star kicked off his Australian tour with a sold-out performance that saw tears, F-bombs, and a spontaneous proposal in the mosh pit.
Scottish hit maker Lewis Capaldi was momentarily upstaged during his Brisbane concert on Thursday night when a fan proposed mid-mosh pit, prompting the singer to pause the show and cheekily heckle the couple.
Midway through Love the Hell Out of You, Capaldi stopped in his tracks and squinted into the crowd before calling out: “Someone’s just proposed?”
Without missing a beat, he followed it up with: “You’re taking the shine off me and it’s my concert!”
The crowd erupted with laughter before Capaldi softened.
“Seriously, congratulations … a round of applause. I’ll wait with bated breath for my invite to the wedding,” he said.
Turning back to the audience, he added playfully: “A lot of you are single as f***, take a look. This is what happiness looks like, you losers.”
It was one of the most unexpected and charming moments of the night, but hardly the only highlight, as Capaldi’s signature banter and soaring vocals lit up the sold-out Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
The 29-year-old has never been the kind of artist who glides into a spotlight looking ethereal.
He sort of wanders out — in this case looking man who shops exclusively at Lowes in a beige short-sleeve button-up, layered over a long-sleeve tee and paired with black trousers — but the minute he opened his mouth, the entire Brisbane Entertainment Centre remembered why he sells out arenas.
Women were crying before he’d even sung a note.
“Brisbane, let me hear you!” he roared into the first chorus, and suddenly thousands of people were screaming, arms in the air.
“Brisbane, let’s f*cking go!” he added, because subtlety has never been his strong suit.
This was the first Australian stop on his 2025 NZ–Australia tour, and Capaldi made it very clear he’d missed us.
“My favourite place to play in the world is f*cking right here,” he told the crowd, later adding that he’d spent the day at Australia Zoo.
The beauty of a Capaldi show is the absence of theatrics.
No dancers, no dramatic costume changes — just him, a few loyal bandmates, and long stretches where he chats to the audience like it’s an open mic night at the pub.
He openly joked about previously cancelling tours due to his mental health, but assured fans he’s doing better now.
“My mind is like a steel trap. Nothing gets under there. Fort Knox, they call me.”
He also told the crowd it was the longest show they’d ever played, a claim made with equal parts pride and disbelief, revealing his hour-and-a-half setlist was a record for him.
Vocally, he astonished me. I’m going to be honest: I only truly know the big hits (which I am obsessed with), but the whole catalogue was incredible.
Every track was delivered with an extraordinary richness and control that caught me completely off guard.
His voice carries an emotional weight that feels almost mismatched with the scruffy, self-deprecating Scotsman shuffling around between lines. It’s raw and sad and huge and funny all at once.
For Forget Me, he urged the crowd to dance, telling them, “This is your only chance,” before breaking into a goofy boogie of his own.
Later, as he introduced what he claimed was his “last song,” he winked, “You all have to play your part in this whole charade.”
After the crowd belted out Before You Go, he grinned: “I was just standing there, I didn’t go anywhere,” happily puncturing the usual encore illusion.
There’s something refreshing about a pop star who refuses to pretend. Capaldi’s stage presence is equal parts heartbreak, humour and genuine bloke-next-door charm.
No ego, no polish, just someone who feels strangely relatable for a man who writes gut-punch ballads about loss, mental health and love gone wrong.
And that’s exactly why Brisbane loved him.
He chats freely, he swears too often, he laughs at his own jokes, and then he hits a note that feels like it came straight from an angel.
A messy, emotional, joyfully unpretentious homecoming. And a cracking way to kick off his Australian run.
Originally published as REVIEW: ‘You’re taking the shine off me’: Capaldi heckles newly engaged couple mid-show
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