Lewis Capaldi performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on April 30, 2023. Karen Goldman/STAFF.

BERKELEY — Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi stopped at the Greek Theatre on Sunday to perform to a sold-out house. He has a new album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, coming later this month, but most of the material consisted of songs from his 2019 debut, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent.

The 26-year-old who jokingly dubbed himself the “Scottish Beyonce” had his 2019 debut LP spend six weeks at the top of the U.K. albums chart, was the top-selling album two years in a row, had a song nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 Grammys and reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first Scottish artist to do so since Sheena Easton in 1981.

Capaldi hit the stage right before 8 p.m., surprising many who’d drifted off to restrooms or to buy drinks scrambling back to their seats. With a band behind him, Capaldi performed opened with a musical interlude before launching into “Forget Me.” Performing on a set of lit-up vibe platforms and Capaldi wore black pants which left his ankles and white tennis shoes exposed, and a black top with a white tee peeking out beneath.

Lewis Capaldi performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on April 30, 2023.

Without relying on backing vocals, he started out strong, singing in full voice, matching the recorded version of the song while confidently swinging the mic stand around.

Next, he picked up an acoustic and kicked into “Forever,” singing heartily and the capacity crowd singing along on the chorus. Toward the end, the band backed off to allow people to clap along, and Capaldi took a dramatic pause before continuing on, holding the last note.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking…you heartless bastards!” he announced, cheekily. “No one ever asks how I am.”

When some took the bait and asked him about his day, he quickly retorted, “Too late!” before playing to the room: “We’re going to have fun tonight! We’re going to do as the Greeks did. … We’re going to get drunk, yes! We’re going to eat ’til we … physically vomit. What else did they do?”

More stand-up comedy banter followed, which included a joke about canceling ancient Greeks and the beautiful audience—”If you were an uglier audience I’d be terrified. But thankfully, we’ve got some hotties in the building. No uggos allowed, is there?” There was also a joke about how his North American tour is less financially viable than tours in Europe: “I’m making … way less money. Way less. This tour has been a financial disaster. But I don’t do it for the money. No, I do it for the fame and the ladies, everybody! Boy am I famous, depending on who you ask. This album has not done well in Germany, let’s put it that way.”

Lewis Capaldi performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on April 30, 2023.

Capaldi dedicated “Lost on You,” to couples, “for when you inevitably break up,” solo on an acoustic guitar, jokingly pushing the audience during a dramatic pause and struggling to stay serious and finish the song. The band rejoined him for “Fade,” which had him back with the guitar in his hands. He explained that “Before You Go,” is “a song for my dead aunt.” He began alone and the band folded in minimally.

Following “Bruises,” he introduced new tune “Wish You The Best,” explaining the TikTok trend of listening to the song and then filming yourself crying. Still in stand-up character, he continued on: “A lot of people filmed their child doing it. I wanted to get viral on TikTok for so long, I never thought I’d do it by traumatizing children. … I have a mortgage to pay, so you better cry, fucking children!”

He’d had a couple of coughing fits during the show, including here, but that didn’t affect his singing as he delivered an emotional rendition of the song backed only by his keyboardist, before following it with a full band rendition of choir-like “Grace.” After some more jokes about potential guests like Shawn Mendes or Ed Sheeran making an appearance (they weren’t there) and him really needing to relieve himself at a toilet, he concluded his main set with “Pointless” and “Hold Me While You Wait,” the latter with him playing guitar.

Medium Build performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on April 30, 2023.

The one-song encore consisted of Capaldi’s biggest hit, “Someone You Loved,” as he continued working through his coughing fit away from the mic, yet his singing amazingly remained clear and powerful.

The show’s opener was Anchorage, Alaska’s Medium Build. Lead by talented frontman Nick Carpenter, the band immediately launched into “Gimme Back My Soul” with a bubbly, infectious energy. A drum track was quickly joined by bass guitar and Carpenter’s singing, powerful and passionate. At times, he screamed out his lyrics in angst while furiously strumming his guitar.

“How about those Warriors?” Carpenter  asked, referencing the San Francisco team’s game 7 victory over the Sacramento Kings earlier in the day. “Sorry Sacramento. Our boy put up 50 points!”

Carpenter went on further to recount when he’d played a house show in Oakland for 10 people five years earlier to highlight how far Medium Build come since then. He explained how Capaldi discovered his band on TikTok and asked it to open for him.

Carpenter’s vocals and energy remained strong throughout the set, which included “Be Your Boy,” “Misery” and “Never Learns to Dance.” After announcing that it was bassist Steve Hartmann’s birthday, he led the crowd in a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow photographer Karen Goldman at Twitter.com/Xposure120 and Instagram.com/karenshootsmusic.