Why Adele couldn't do a 'stripped back' show for Las Vegas residency

It might not have been possible for Adele to deliver 'stripped back' performances for her Las Vegas residency, according to a regular Sin City headliner. 

The British superstar stunned fans after canceling her Nevada shows at the last minute on January 20, leaving thousands of ticketholders desperate for an update on the status of the highly-anticipated concert series. 

Weekends with Adele, which was scheduled to take place at the iconic Colosseum in the Caesars Palace Hotel for the next three months, was postponed by the Easy on Me singer just one day before its opening night. 

Adele announced the disappointing news in an emotional video on social media, citing staffing shortages and production delays due to Covid-19. She also apologized for the inconvenience and promised to reschedule the dates, tearfully insisting, "I'm going to finish my show and I'm going to get it to where it's supposed to be." 

Adele's set at the Colosseum has since been dismantled and the Grammy-award-winner has returned to Los Angeles, where she has reportedly moved in with her new boyfriend, Rich Paul. It remains unclear when—or if—the Las Vegas residency will go ahead. 

While some folks have expressed sympathy for Adele's predicament, others are extremely dissatisfied with her excuses. Thousands of fans had paid big bucks to see their musical idol perform live, with tickets prices ranging from $600 to a whopping $5,000. The decision to base the concerts at a single venue has also required the majority of fans to travel, meaning many have already paid for flights and accommodation. 

Some pragmatic fans have offered a solution to the problem, suggesting that the singer hold a lowkey performance rather than the spectacle she had promised. It's understood that Adele was unhappy with set designer Es Devlin's vision for the show, which reportedly included an extravagant pool stunt. 

However, this idea—while likely favored by Adele—might not have been feasible. 

According to Tenors of Rock frontman, Jimmy Denning, the singer probably would not have been able to justify charging such high prices if she'd stripped back the show. 

"We could absolutely do that, in fact we recently talked about doing that, but I don’t agree that Adele could. She’s the biggest star in music, the tickets are $600 and it’s Caesars Palace… people expect a big show and from what I know about it was going to be spectacular," the Vegas headliner told Metro. 

It looks like the 33-year-old will need to think of an alternative sooner rather than later, as ticketholders become increasingly frustrated by the lack of communication from her team. 

Adele's latest social media update has infuriated fans, after she dispelled rumors of relationship trouble but failed to address their questions over her residency. It didn't help that she also revealed she will perform at the Brits next week—an announcement that hasn't gone down well with her out-of-pocket followers.