Adele Has Opened Up About Decision To Postpone Las Vegas Residency

August 17, 2022

Adele has offered insight into the behind-the-scenes decisions that led to the high-profile postponement of her planned Las Vegas residency earlier this year. In a new cover interview with Elle, the English singer described her decision to postpone the shows as “the worst moment in my career, by far”.

Having originally announced the months-long Las Vegas run last year, the shows were expected to run from January to April 2022, with tickets to the shows reportedly selling for as high as $20,000 each just days before the cancellation.

Adele discusses scrapping her Las Vegas residency in a cover interview with Elle

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ELLE Magazine (@elleusa)

One day prior to the series’ scheduled start date, Adele announced its postponement, citing COVID and “delivery delays” as the reason. “I’m gutted and I’m sorry it’s so last minute,” she explained to fans in a video posted on social media. “I’m so sorry, but my show ain’t ready.”

Speaking to Elle, Adele said that at the time of the video being posted, she’d been up for more than 30 hours, trying to come to terms with the fact she would have to make a decision that would affect herself, her team, her band, organisers, venue staff, and fans who had travelled to see the show. But ultimately, she said, it came down to the shows lacking the sense of authenticity that she knew they needed.

“There was just no soul in it,” Adele explained. “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.”

Late last month, Adele announced a rescheduled series of dates for her Las Vegas residency, with 32 shows set to take place between November and March at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. As she explained to Elle, the decision to postpone the shows was one that she initially looked upon with embarrassment, but now views with pride due to the personal growth it fostered.

“The first couple of months was really, really hard,” she said. “I was embarrassed. But it actually made my confidence in myself grow, because it was a very brave thing to do. 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.”