Nearly a year after canceling tour to focus on mental health, Canadian singer performs “Lego House” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” alongside Sheeran in Toronto
Nearly a year after canceling his world tour to focus on his mental health, Shawn Mendes made a surprise return to the stage Saturday at Ed Sheeran’s Toronto concert.
During Sheeran’s performance of “Lego House” at the Rogers Centre in Mendes’ native Toronto, he welcomed the Canadian singer, acoustic guitar in hand, onto the rotating stage.
Mendes then hung around to perform an acoustic rendition of his own “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” alongside Sheeran.
This wasn’t the first time the two hitmakers shared an arena stage: Back in 2017, Sheeran popped up during Mendes’ show in Brooklyn to play “Mercy” together.
Saturday night’s cameo was significant for Mendes however, as it marked the first time in nearly a year that the singer has appeared onstage. In July 2022, Mendes postponed and then canceled the entirety of his Wonder World Tour to focus on his mental health.
“I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away. After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger,” Mendes said at the time.
“I know you all have been waiting so long to see these shows, and it breaks my heart to tell you this but I promise I will be back as soon as I’ve taken the right time to heal.”
Thus, Mendes’ appearance onstage with Sheeran could signify that he’s once again ready to perform live.