Adele Wows Los Angeles With Spectacular Voice and Humor
(Photo: Instagram / @teallovesyou)
Adele couldn’t have been more modest when she played to a sold out crowd at at a pre-Grammy event at The Wiltern in Los Angeles Friday night. Even playing the small, historic venue that only seats 1,850 was a nicety for the superstar. Her album 25 sold more than 3 million copies in a week and in August she’s booked six dates at the Staples Center.
Wearing a simple black dress, she humbly took the stage after being introduced by her Carpool Karaoke buddy and The Late Late Show host James Corden. She opened with “Hello” and spent the night telling silly stories about how differently she looks from the first time she played at The Wiltern in 2009, freaking out at Disneyland on Thursday when her favorite character (Belle from Beauty and the Beast) talked to her son and even singing happy birthday to a fan. She also said that it was her idea to keep the night’s ticket prices low; she wanted to charge less than the $50 cost.
While many of the British singer’s songs are depressing tales of heartache, her giddy and lively disposition prevailed, leaving the audience feeling upbeat. The 16-song set included picks from her three albums, 19, 21, and 25, a mixture of hits and lessor-known tracks, but all were well received.
After playing the first few songs with her full band, she stripped things down for “Million Years Ago” and “Send My Love,” playing with just the string instruments. The audience was excited to hear “Chasing Pavements,” the second single from her debut and her first Top 40 hit.
A video posted by Adelettes©® (@adelettes) on Feb 12, 2016 at 9:46pm PST
Adele earned a standing ovation for her delivery of “Someone Like You,” the 21 record that made her the first British solo female singer to have two songs from the same album top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. During her intro for “When We Were Young,” she said that watching her son growing up so fast inspired the song.
When playing “Hello” for the second time of the night, she asked the crowd to takeover and they did, singing nearly the entire record, lyric for lyric. During the serenade, the pop star gushed and happily paced across the stage, saying, “That was f******* amazing.”
A video posted by Adelettes©® (@adelettes) on Feb 12, 2016 at 10:17pm PST
She finished the night with a rousing rendition of “Rolling in the Deep.”
Adele didn’t require any diva moments – wardrobe changes, a flashy costume, ornate stage props or even her name in lights to wow the crowd. Her powerful, beautiful voice and good songs held the audience captive throughout the 90-minute set.
