Adele ‘Never Been More Nervous Before a Show’ in Her Career Ahead of Vegas Residency

Adele revealed she felt anxious ahead of her long-awaited Las Vegas residency. The “Someone Like You” singer, 34, admitted to being “incredibly nervous” a day before the opening night of her residency at Caesars Palace Colosseum. The artist captioned an Instagram picture of herself having fun in the theater, displaying what looks like baby pictures of herself behind her on a big screen, “I’m feeling all sorts as I write this.” She added, “I’m highly emotional, incredibly nervous but can’t sit still because I’m so excited. I feel a million miles away from home, I can’t stop thinking about when I was little and saw Tom Jones in Mars Attacks and thought blimey how did he get from Wales to Las Vegas!?”

Additionally, the London native acknowledged that she always has pre-performance nerves, but they seemed different this time around. “I always get scared before shows, and I take it as a good sign because it means I care and means I just want to do a good job. Maybe it’s because I didn’t start when I was supposed to. Maybe it’s because it’s opening night, maybe it’s because Hyde Park went so great, maybe its because I love the show I don’t know. But it’s safe to say I’ve never been more nervous before a show in my career, but at the same time I wish today was tomorrow!” The caption ended with her writing, “I can’t wait to see you out there x.”

The rescheduled dates for Adele’s residency were announced in July after she canceled shows because of production complications. She told Elle in August the residency delay was the “worst moment in my career, by far.” “By far. I was so excited about those shows. It was devastating.” When Adele posted a video explaining that the show wouldn’t happen as planned on Jan. 20, she nearly broke down. COVID was challenging for many team members, and the performance needed more time to be ready. According to Adele, she stayed up for more than 30 hours straight before publishing the video, she told Elle. Her heart raced at the thought of disappointing everyone, but Adele knew she couldn’t do it.

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“There was just no soul in it,” the “Easy On Me” singer said. “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.” In the 4,300-seat Colosseum, Adele sang a cappella at a dress rehearsal that was heard by all. As natural and personal as it was, she knew that the show as it was couldn’t reproduce it. “This would be the best part of the show,” she remembered thinking. “For me, and for you. This is what I want.” Her first few months were “really, really hard,” even though she knew it was the right decision for her. “I was embarrassed. But it actually made my confidence in myself grow because it was a very brave thing to do,” Adele said. “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.” Weekends with Adele is scheduled to run from Nov. 18, 2022, to March 25, 2023, with 32 shows.