Pop superstar Adele has finally shared the reasons why she abruptly cancelled her entire Las Vegas residency, Weekends with Adele at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, just hours before opening night.
Speaking to Elle Magazine, the 34-year-old chanteuse calls the cancellation “the worst moment in my career by far.” She shares that she had been up for more than 30 hours straight before she recorded and uploaded her tearful video message to Instagram on January 20, 2022.
Adele shares that she’d been feeling serious trepidation about the production for a week before she made her “brutal” decision. Despite months of planning, rehearsals, and mind boggling dollars spent to bring the show to life, it wasn’t coming together for her.
“There was just no soul in it,” she tells Elle. “The stage setup wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy. And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.”
The singer struggled, for example, with the inclusion of a planned water feature onstage. She says it “looked great for a couple of songs, and then didn’t do anything. It was just there.” This for an artist who leans towards elegant and understated designs for her concerts.
She adds that in the final rehearsal, overwhelmed by huge production values, she walked down to the edge of the stage and sat down. Eschewing her microphone and began singing a cappella to the cavernous 4,300 seat Colosseum. And in that moment she realized what had been missing from the new show: intimacy.
“This would be the best part of the show,” she recalls. “For me, and for you. This is what I want,” she added gesturing to the journalist sitting in her kitchen. “And none of that —” referencing the massive production that was jettisoned in Las Vegas —“has that.”
The 14-time Grammy Award winner admits she felt embarrassment for months following the debacle. “But it actually made my confidence in myself grow, because it was a very brave thing to do,” she says in reflection. “And I don’t think many people would have done what I did. I’m very proud of myself for standing by my artistic needs.”
She initially chose to seek the shelter of her own privacy but made a return to performing this summer. At a Hyde Park concert on July 2, the LGBTQ ally draped a Pride flag around herself as she dedicated her performance of “When We Were Young” to her queer fans.
Happy Pride from @Adele 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/h8Ylz8t1Qn
— Harry Rutter (@harryjohnrutter) July 2, 2022
In July, new dates for Weekend with Adele at the Colosseum were announced. The 32 performances are scheduled to begin on November 18 running through March 25.
Adele promises the new show will lean into her bent for intimacy and emotion. “I want to tell the story of the beginning of my career to now. I’m not gonna give too much about it but the show grows. It’s all about the music and it’s really, really nostalgic. It’s gonna be really beautiful.”
(source: Elle Magazine)
