Watch Shawn Mendes Play ‘Mercy’ in Empty Madison Square Garden
Shawn Mendes plays an empty Madison Square Garden in a new black-and-white clip for the acoustic version of “Mercy.” The teenage singer-songwriter spills his guts to rows of empty seats, as a lone spotlight sways across the stage.
In this stripped down version of Mendes’ top 40 Billboard hit, his voice stretches from a croon to a rasp, backed by only stark piano chords. The track highlights the deluxe version of his second LP, Illuminate, which came out in September.
Mendes headlined Madison Square Garden September 10th during his 2016 World Tour. He previewed that performance with another solo, black-and-white clip for “Ruin.” Mendes also promoted Illuminate with numerous late-night performances over the last several months. Most recently, he delivered passionate takes of “Mercy” and “Treat You Better” during his Saturday Night Live debut.
In an April interview with Rolling Stone, Mendes admitted he’s still adjusting to his rise to fame over the past two years. “Even to this point, I don’t feel like I’m caught up talent-wise to my career,” he said. “I never felt like I was good enough and, only nowadays, am I starting to feel like I deserve [all this]. I felt like there were so many talented people who should be getting what I have.”