Fans are devastated that Adele canceled her highly anticipated Las Vegas residency.
The singer shared a video call with fans to express her sorrow over the cancellation, which happened just 24 hours before a scheduled event. In the video, Adele blamed COVID-19 for the collapse of her planned shows, but sources are saying the real reason is “diva” tendencies and high demands from the singer herself.
According to the Daily Mail, sources claim working with Adele’s team has been a “total nightmare” from the start.
For one thing, the Grammy-award winning singer’s team allegedly insisted on replacing a state of the art sound system at Caesars Palace, which is where the shows were scheduled to take place. The equipment was the same system previous artists including Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion all used, but Adele’s people demanded an upgrade.
Vegas-based journalist Scott Roeben said: “Apparently, Adele and her team refused to use the house equipment in The Colosseum. The theater has a massive video screen, very high tech, but Adele’s team insisted upon an entirely new system – a larger screen, essentially built a few inches in front of the existing screen.”
“Such demands not only drive up production costs but, at a time when supplies are disrupted, it’s a recipe for disaster – in this case last-minute delays or cancellations,” he continued. “’I also hear from a source that Caesars had to replace the cutting edge Meyer sound system and replace it with a different system for her.”
Roeben shared on casino.org: “It’s being shared from those familiar with the situation that Caesars Palace was 100% ready for her, so there are other forces at work here. Unfortunately, it sounds like one of those factors is a diva.”
TMZ reported that multiple sources of theirs said the same; that Adele canceled the show because she was unhappy with the setup. various set pieces, a choir, the sound system, and other items associated with the show. According to TMZ, Caesars “could not satisfy her production demands” and she felt many aspects “were not good enough.”
Apparently, Adele has canceled shows in the past for a variety of reasons, including stage fright and vocal strain, but this time she blamed the cancellation on “half her crew” being exposed to COVID-19, plus “delivery” issues.
TMZ reported that the Caesar’s employees were “shocked” when she pulled out at the last minute, especially since their crew had been hard at work setting up since December.
Other sources told the Mail that Adele’s anxiety played a factor. “In spite of the set costing millions to put together, Adele was unhappy with the result and she made her feelings very clear to Es [set designer Esmeralda Devlin].”
They continued: “She was already nervous and the falling-out sent her spiraling into a panic because she was desperate that everything should be perfect.”
As of now, the show may just be postponed rather than canceled outright, but with a busy schedule at the venue, there’s a chance Adele’s sold-out shows won’t happen until 2023 at the earliest.