As a blurry-eyed 11-year-old, likely up WAY past my bedtime, Adele’s first appearance on Saturday Night Live amazed me. As her incredible voice belted out “Chasing Pavements”, I instantly became her biggest fan, determining at that exact moment her next concert in my hometown of Houston, TX would be my destination. Little did I know that this goal would elude me for 8 years and require two round trips flights to Arizona. Regardless, my determination survived years of canceled tours, unavailable tickets, and Adele’s rescheduled August 2016 Phoenix show. Finally! On November 21, 2016, my mom and I crossed seeing Adele in concert off our bucket lists.
Arriving at Talking Stick Resort Arena, a projection of Adele’s closed eyes served as the image on the backdrop screen to a massive stage. As the lights dimmed, Adele emerged from beneath a second stage in the middle of the floor seats, her eyes opened, greeting the crowd as she sang her smash hit “Hello”. The crowd, me included, with Adele only a few feet in front of our seats, roared!
Between songs, Adele chatted with the audience, allowing her fans a more private glimpse into her life and the messages behind her music. She shared details like her chatter on stage is the cause of nerves, her four-year-old son now loves everything cowboy as a result of their recent tour stops in Texas, and as this show in Phoenix is her last on her U.S. tour, she found herself particularly emotional thinking about her journey to that night.
Effortlessly moving through songs like “Rumor Has It”, “Water Under the Bridge”, “Skyfall”, and “When We Were Young”, Adele shared her emotion through her music as well as by interacting directly with her adoring fans. She invited a couple married 38 years on stage for a selfie (which she calls “Adelfies”), lead the crowd in a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to a young man in the audience, and even graciously wore a shirt lovingly created by a fan while performing a song – a shirt that had her face ALL over it!
Towards the end of the concert, while she sang “Chasing Pavements” – a song so special to her because she believes it served as her introduction to the U.S. audience – my thoughts went back to first seeing her on SNL. Her once-in-a-generation singing voice powered through the TV screen. Hearing her in person completely blew my mind! Couple her talent with her witty, honest personality – a personality that makes you wish you could hang out with her over dinner listening to all her life stories – and you enjoy an unforgettable concert experience like no other. If you’re ever given the chance – GO!