Adele at Wembley Stadium

When Adele says “I might have actually found what I’m born to do”, surprisingly, she is not talking about singing, rather, her newfound hobby of making pom poms and selling them on Etsy. And while she may be great at making cats out of yarn, there is no way any of her hidden talent tops her breathtaking singing and songwriting. Her soulful, emotive, expressive voice spans all registers with equal prowess and manifests itself in the songs that capture the exact feelings of the nearly 80,000 eager attendees in the unbelievably colossal Wembley Stadium.

The eyes on the screens which form a halo around the circular stage in the centre of the open field, and Adele croons her record-smashing ballad Hello to a roaring crowd. Throughout the evening, the projections on the screens fluctuate from videos made especially for this set, to real-time footage of Adele with her fans, to even a kiss cam. Before performing Skyfall, one of the favourites of the night, Adele explains how she “nearly died” for the fans after her skin split as a result of spending hours in a fish tank filming. Though the video is a beautiful encapsulation of the iconic Bond song, her voice is far more moving, and the London singer personifies the power she portrays in her music, though she may be wearing a purple, sparkly gown. Pain, and somehow serenity, are carefully inflicted in every genius phrase that tumbles from her mouth.

Only Adele is capable of forgetting the words to her classic Don’t You Remember, which she warns us of before beginning. But after finishing the song – forgetting remarkably few words – she applauds the crowd exclaiming “you sounded lovely!” She keeps this humble spirit even in massive hits such as Fire to the Rain, Rolling in the Deep, Chasing Pavements and the show-stopping finale Someone like You.

Before singing Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love, she encourages the crowd to support a charity assisting the victims of the recent Grenfell fire. In a heartfelt speech, she entices Wembley by making them donate five pounds through text before turning on their phones’ flashlights to sway along.

Adele displays her undeniable talent by performing with only a small band and backup singers, keeping the focus on her beautiful singing. She does not need theatrical performances or choreographed dance numbers to enhance her voice, rather, only a microphone and a crowd to sing along.

Laura Boyle
Photo: Kristopher Harris