According to sources, Adele’s Las Vegas residency was cancelled last minute after “explosive disagreements” over staging and production.
This comes just weeks after the superstar at 33 years old told her fans through a heartbreaking video, that Caesar’s Palace’s concerts wouldn’t be happening because ‘half’ of her crew had fallen ill with Covid.
It left her legions of fans devastated after many had flown in from across the world to see the Easy On Me singer – with some forking out up to £9,000 on tickets.
Sources told the Sun, however that there were behind-the scenes clashes between Adele & Esmeralda Delvin – the set designer she worked with previously on her 2016 tour around the world.
According to one source, Adele wasn’t happy with the final result despite the fact that it cost millions of dollars to make. She made clear her feelings to Es.
“She had already been nervous, and she fell-out caused her to spiral into panic.
According to a second source, the dispute erupted after production was already in chaos due to ‘endless’ changes to the running system.
According to sources, the Sun was told by Sun that the show’s fate would be decided due to clashes behind the scenes between Adele and Esmeralda Devin, the renowned set designer – with whom she had previously collaborated on her 2016 global tour.
According to a second source, the dispute erupted after production was already in chaos due to ‘endless’ changes made at the order. (Pictured: Set designer Ms Devlin)
Even though Adele cancelled her shows, Billboards continued to promote Adele’s concerts on Thursday.
Fears mount for sobbing Adele as she makes Vegas fortune without singing a note – thanks to frustrated fans snapping up £55 Adele wine, £11 socks and £7.50 tissues
Lina Das from Las Vegas. Katie Hind and Caroline Graham are for the Mail on Sunday.
Last minute cancellation of her Las Vegas concert sold out shows left fans, who had booked hotels and traveled with her, devastated.
Adele managed to still make a lot of money without even singing one note when her Weekends With Adele gift store opened at Caesars Palace.
Disappointed fans descended on the store – which opened just before Adele had been scheduled to take to the stage at the famous hotel and casino – to buy official merchandise including £55 Adele wine, £33 T-shirts, £11 socks and £8.50 key rings.
Adele wine is available in gift shops for $75 per bottle
There were also £20 necklaces with ‘Hello’, ‘Married’ and ‘Divorced’ motifs, as well as ‘Cry Your Heart Out’ tissues for £7.50, referring to a song from 30, her new album.
On Thursday a sobbing Adele, 33, cancelled all 24 Vegas gigs, for which tickets were being sold for up to £20,000. Blaming Covid and ‘delivery delays’, she explained: ‘It just ain’t ready.’
Adele, who was FaceTimeing fans with tears in her eyes on a phone that she held at the time of her manager’s arrest, broke the news.
Fears began to surface about her health. A source close to the singer, whose hits include Someone Like You, Chasing Pavements and Hometown Glory, said last night that friends were becoming increasingly concerned, adding: ‘She used to look so happy. Recently, she’s looked scared at times.
‘Her comeback happened so quickly. Oprah Winfrey was interviewing her one moment and she was the next.
A hoodie will set Adele fans back $90
‘Adele was in prime position for 2022 being a massive year. Her record breaking was just the beginning. It seems that things are changing. It is very sad to see her like this, she looks nothing like her usual self.’
The Colosseum was guarded by soldiers and surrounded by fans outside Caesars Palace Theatre. One told The Mail on Sunday: ‘She was crying as she FaceTimed me. She had no make-up on and kept saying, “I’m so sorry. I love you”.
‘She looked pale and very emotional. Fans are furious at her cancelling the show less than 24hrs before it started, however, we are all concerned. She doesn’t look right. She was crying and so were a lot of the fans she spoke to.’
One hotel worker said guards had been stationed outside because of fears ‘irate customers might cause trouble’. James Fox, 25, from Nashville, Tennessee, who spent around £2,000 on flights, tickets and hotel rooms, posted a critical message on social media. Adele replied by telling him to go to the store and see what she has to offer, such as her Oscar for James Bond’s title song Skyfall, two Grammy nominations, and her suit for Oprah Winfrey.
‘James, it’s Adele. If you’re still here at 6pm my store in the middle of the Caesars casino just outside the entrance to The Colosseum is opening up still,’ she wrote. ‘It’s not just a shop! There are fun and nostalgic things from my career.’
For cancelling show tickets, fans received an Adele tote bag and T-shirt along with a key ring, four magnets, and a key ring. The singer told one fan that she was ‘heartbroken’, adding: ‘I designed that store myself. I bled and f****** sweated and cried into it. I’m letting myself be sad. I’m really sorry I’m not there.’
Some items including T-shirts ‘sold out in minutes’. A lookalike of Adele drag queen serenaded people who waited at least one hour to get in.
Adele has vowed to re-schedule the shows, which took £50 million in advance sales and were set to make her £500,000 per weekend. This may not be possible until 2023.
Detroit native Teresa Whittle (42), was unsure, stating. ‘We all know how fragile she can be. Her struggles are evident…to the point that it seems to be crippling her. I hope she reschedules, but it would not be a surprise if her residency never happens.’
Adele’s appearance at next month’s Brit awards is now in doubt. She had been in talks to appear from Los Angeles but sources are now ‘deeply worried’ she will no longer appear. One told The MoS: ‘Would it be a good look for her to do the Brits after cancelling these gigs? Probably not.’
The extent to which Covid was involved in the cancellation has been questioned. According to industry experts, it’s unlikely that Covid and her crew would get the virus which would have caused the cancellation. One Vegas show runner said: ‘We have understudies for everything. I’m not buying Covid as an excuse.’
Adele, who is due to play two concerts this summer in London’s Hyde Park, has made no secret of her fear of live performing and admitted having anxiety attacks.
The producers added that there was not much clarity about Adele’s wishes for the show due to all the changes made.
“It seems that she preferred a more stripped down performance but was put under pressure to create a big extravaganza.
“So it was constant ricochet in between these two ideas of what the show should look like, which caused quite explosive arguments.
“Most shows are experiencing some sort of teething problem, but it has always been felt that they were headed for failure.”
“Alde suffers from anxiety in performing live. So it is not hard to picture her doing well if it wasn’t for that.
Caesars Palace issued a statement last week that failed to mention Covid but stated: “Creating a show this size is extremely complex.”
Sources said that Adele was excited by these programs. However, when it got down to it there was just too much conflict and indecision for it to work.
In a video posted to social media from a £30,000-per-night suite at Caesars Palace, Adele sobbed as she apologised for the 11th-hour cancellation and insisted that she had been forced to scrap the shows following a Covid outbreak.
However, fans weren’t satisfied by her explanation about how ‘half’ of her crew was positive for the virus. They demanded their money back.
Insiders claimed that Adele clashed against Caesars Palace, after 60 auditioned singers performed the Skyfall opening numbers.
The venue planned a spectacle, but Adele wanted it to be more intimate and personal.
While FaceTimeing groups of Vegas fans to see her performance, she had to struggle to keep her eyes from bursting with tears.
After offering a drink token for the concert-goers who were disappointed, she quickly retracted her offer after realising that they were too young.
Adele encouraged ticket-holders to spend even more money on her merchandise, despite her guarantee that tickets holders would get a complimentary gift bag from her Sin City shop. They had already lost thousands of dollars on $12,000 seats, as well as travel costs, and Adele did not stop there.
Pop-up sold Adele-branded clothing priced at more than $85 for the tickets. Sweatshirts ranged between $90 and $110 each.
An industry veteran branded Adele a ‘perfectionist’ who has a track record of axing her shows at the last minute, adding: ‘She has cancelled shows before — she cancelled two shows in London in 2017 which she said she would reschedule and she never did.’
A source close to Adele says Covid is causing problems. But, speculation is bound about her concern over live performance.
On Twitter, she stated that all dates would be moved. You will see more of her tweets soon. She has not hidden the fact she loathes touring and struggles with crippling stage fear.
Interviewer on TV: She stated that she is afraid of audience members during live performances.
“One Show in Amsterdam. I was so anxious I ran out of the fire escape.
“I have thrown up several times.” In Brussels, once I projectile vomited upon someone. I just gotta bear it.
‘But I don’t like touring. I get anxiety attacks all the time.
She described how she panicked constantly onstage, her heart felt like it was going to burst because she never feels confident that I will deliver.
According to some reports, Adele panicked before she filmed the Audience With ITV show in October 2013.
According to a source, “Nobody cancels the day prior.”
You have 24 hour notice for Covid issues. It seems that Adele did not want to appear at the Vegas shows.
“I doubt they’ll be rescheduled. I don’t believe she can perform at such a high level on this many dates.
She is perfectionist. You can see it in the way that she arranges her albums so they are all in order until she’s satisfied.
“But, she is more than that. She is a recording artist. Not a performer. And she shouldn’t have accepted these shows at all.”
She suffers from terrible stage fright. To commit to being on stage for 3 months every weekend is crazy.
“The moment she decided she was not going to do it, that’s when the point was going to be made.
In 2017, during a concert in New Zealand, Adele said: ‘Touring isn’t something I’m good at — applause makes me feel a bit vulnerable. It’s not clear if I’ll ever go on tour again.
She has twice pulled out of US tours — once in 2008, when she was barely known, citing ‘personal family reasons’.
She pulled out twice of American tours in 2011: once due to laryngitis, and again because she suffered from vocal hemorhage. She cancelled an Arizona concert because of illness in 2016.
Since the beginning of 2018, rumors began to spread in Vegas about Adele’s dislike for any extravagant staging.
Caesars Palace embarked on a complete overhaul of the dressing room originally created for Celine Dion — leading many to be convinced that Adele was in it for the long haul.
Many in Vegas believed that the plan was for her to keep on with the residency until 2024, potentially netting her up to £100million – £50million from performance fees and the rest from merchandising.
Roger Friedman, however, was persuaded that there was something wrong with the gossip column.
Though the shows sold out instantly online during the pre-sales period and many tickets have since been sold again at inflated prices, Friedman noted there were still hundreds of tickets available on a resale website at around £400 each, and prices were said to be dropping.
According to insiders, Adele clashed against Caesars Palace when a 60-strong choir auditioned for the opening song of Skyfall. According to insiders, Caesars Palace had planned a dramatic show while Adele desired a more low-key and focused performance.
Adele on stage at Brit Awards 2016. 02 Arena London. February 24, 2016, 6:59 PM
Fans were left angry and out of pocket when Adele opted to pull the plug at the 11th hour from the string of concerts that would have netted her £500,000 a show
He wrote yesterday: “The entire Adele Vegas residency was a disaster.
“But we ain’t ready” at the very last moment doesn’t make sense. This is not the stage performance of The Rolling Stones.
Adele lives is her orchestra with some lighting. It’s not a drag-race, and there is no pyrotechnics.
‘Plus, let’s face it… this is only two shows per weekend.
“If the show isn’t finished, the show could be delayed for a few weeks and missed shows could have been rescheduled during the final run.
‘But they’ve scrapped the whole thing… so it’s not just a matter of not being ready… doesn’t make sense.’
Caesars Palace is closing its ranks and employees have been warned they could be fired if they talk to the media.
They released a statement saying that they understood the dismay at the delay of Weekends with Adele.
Adele is an amazing artist who is devoted to her music as well as her fans. A show of such magnitude can be difficult to create.
“We support Adele, and we are certain that the performance she presents at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum will be exceptional.”
Upset: Thomas Wright (pictured) flew from South Carolina for the opening night with a friend for the opening night. MailOnline reported that they had spent $445 each on the tickets.
Dawn Sinko from Los Angeles spent almost $4,000 on her tickets, and $1,500 to book a Caesars room for three nights.
Adele claimed that “half” of her crew was gone with the virus. The surge is in Nevada.
Yesterday night, Adele revealed that her residency may be postponed until June or next year due the singer’s busy schedule.
According to insiders, there are two slots on this year’s calendar. They run from February’s end to May’s start, and June’s middle to September’s middle. However, if they don’t get it done then it might be 2023 when they are rescheduled.
“All weekend dates during the year” are filled by Rod Stewart or Sting.
She is still expected to be part of the Brit Awards next month, and has two headline shows at Hyde Park in July 1.
Adele has a very busy schedule and scheduling can be difficult. However, she cares deeply about her fans and will make every effort to return them to their plans quickly.
Fans demanded that the singer cover Las Vegas hotel and flight costs after she made the ‘astonishing’ decision not to perform any shows while many were already in Las Vegas.
MailOnline has been inundated with emails from people who had already jetted in from across the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK and Europe to see the star, who is making a record-breaking £500,000 per gig before merchandising.
Fans paying between $85 and $12,000 for a ticket — or up to $30,000 on the black market — had already travelled to Las Vegas for the opening gig tonight.
Most people will not be able to attend replacement shows if they don’t have tickets.
Ticketmaster urges people to ‘hang on’ their tickets for the next dates, but they promise refunds if you apply online.
Many are in Vegas already, having traveled thousands to attend the opening night. They demand that the singer pays the thousands they spent on hotel and flights.
She is being questioned by many for her motives for cancelling. Many say they aren’t convinced that Covid or ‘delivery delays’ would force her to cancel 24 nights of her stay and delay them for several months.
The songstress wrote that the dates for her residency — which would have started on January 21 and run through April — would be rescheduled
Mary Clare Donahue, her family and friends traveled from Illinois to Vegas for the show. The show was already cancelled while they were in Vegas. They will be even worse off if they shorten the trip.
Gillian RowlandKain (32), was on her flight from New York to Las Vegas with her twin sister, when she learned about the cancellation through social media.
Brooklyn attorney said that Adele had waited until the last moment to call. Although it is not something any artist would want to answer, she should have known that tomorrow was not the day. It is amazing that she didn’t give notice. She is angry and frustrated.
Thomas Wright traveled from South Carolina to attend the opening night along with a friend. MailOnline told him that the couple spent $445 for each ticket and $1,600 to fly, stay at a hotel, as well as $100 for Covid test. The couple also purchased $400 worth of new clothing.
His response was: “I am sure I won’t be in a position to leave work and go back to work, but I also know that I would not be financially able afford to return.” It was an assortment of Christmas and birthday presents, as well as saving for my own sake.
Gabriel, another fan flew to Vegas from Quebec Canada and was surprised when they got there.
MailOnline heard from him: “We lost a lot of money on hotel and plane tickets to go see her. Pretty unacceptable that a multimillion dollar production crew could do this to people and take the risk of getting Covid to view her show because it wasn’t ready.”
She is best known for her voice, and not her performances. For all that I care I would have enjoyed watching her sing from a bench. They haven’t mentioned any compensation for our travel expenses.