First of all, wow!
After six long years, Adele has finally made her grand comeback with her hit single “Easy On Me”, and CBS special Adele One Night Only.
The CBS primetime special aired Sunday, November 14, at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. The location definitely set the mood for her terrific performance, adding a unique and beautiful environment. The views were gorgeous, especially during the sunset. The special featured performances from Adele ranging from her chart-topping classic hits, such as “Someone Like You” and “Rolling in the Deep”, to her latest single “Easy On Me”. Not only was it the first time she performed in years, but it was also the first time she performed her new hit.
The intimate show served as a welcoming back for Adele as a performer. The audience consisted of people she loves and some of her closest friends. Through the duration of the show, you can see celebrities such as Melissa McCarthy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lizzo, Nicole Richie, James Corden, Ellen DeGeneres, Seth Rogan, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Gordon Ramsay, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Tyler Perry, and Drake…to name a few. It was an audience I wish I was amongst!
For a long time, I have dreamed of seeing Adele perform live. Her music speaks to me on so many levels. I feel like she is one of the few artists who makes her audience feel a certain way with her songs, so imagine being able to see her live! All the emotion and passion that Adele possesses transfers to her music and fans, which is truly the essence of it all.
Her music is slow and sentimental, which gives off sad girl vibes. It makes you feel like you’re going through a breakup, even though you’re not. Adele writes songs that tell a story which is part of the reason why listeners retrieve the emotion delivered through her songs. It is like she is talking to you through her lyrics.
Don’t even get me started on her high-notes. They are truly phenomenal. They give off a power making her voice one of the best as a singer.
As a singer and songwriter, using her personal life as inspiration for her songs can be therapeutic and groundbreaking. For instance, “Easy On Me” talks about her being young and hopeless, yet she puts everything on the line trying to make things work. She put others above her until she could no longer take it. Amidst all the chaos, she had not got the opportunity to take everything in and make her decisions, which is why they should go easy on her.
The special also featured an exclusive interview with Adele by Oprah Winfrey in Oprah’s famous home rose garden. Through this interview, her fans and viewers were able to get a glimpse of Adele’s private personal life and all the life-altering moments that she experienced in the past six years, including her divorce and its aftermath. More specifically, she opened up on how her son’s reaction to her divorce “broke her heart”. Personally, after watching the interview, I was shocked and touched by the revelations that Adele made, such as not having a relationship with her father until recently or how she used working out as a way to release her anxiety and stress. People in the media always assumed her weight loss was due to wanting a glow-up, but in reality, she used it as a coping mechanism.
Previously, I mentioned how important Adele’s One Night Only event was, but I forgot to mention how personally important it was to Adele. This show was the first time her son, Angelo, got to see her perform. It was the fact that she was performing for her son for the first time that made her nervous. During the show, she addressed him, which was so sweet and heartwarming.
Another significant moment of the night was the surprise proposal that Adele took part in. A couple, Quentin Brunson and Ashleigh Mann, got engaged during the show. Ashleigh was blindfolded and provided with noise-canceling earphones so that she could get taken to the front of the stage where Adele was performing. The speech Quentin gave during his proposal was simply beautiful. The whole world got to witness this momentous moment for the couple. It was beautiful. After Ashleigh accepted, Adele sang “Make You Feel My Love” for them. It was so romantic and definitely set the bar high for others. I mean, who wouldn’t want to get proposed to underneath the moonlight and stars in the presence of a bunch of celebrities, right? Especially when you get Adele to sing and dedicate a song for you.
Setlist for One Night Only Special
For reference, Adele performed the following songs:
- “Hello”, 25
- “Easy On Me”, 30
- “Skyfall”, Single
- “I Drink Wine”, 30
- “Someone Like You”, 21
- “When We Were Young”, 25
- “Make You Feel My Love”, Single
- “Hold On”, 30
- “Rolling in the Deep”, 21
- “Love is a Game”, 30
Upcoming Album
For all the Adele fans, be on the lookout because her album released was Friday, November 19. It will be an album that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Her album consists of the following songs:
- “Strangers By Nature”
- “Easy On Me”
- “My Little Love”
- “Cry Your Heart Out”
- “Oh My God”
- “Can I Get It”
- “I Drink Wine”
- “All Night Parking” (with Erroll Garner) Interlude
- “Women Like Me”
- “Hold On”
- “To Be Loved”
- “Love Is A Game”
With the release of 30, Adele is at the beginning of a new era and I’m here for it.