Adele will perform only ten shows in Europe this year. All the shows will be played on the grounds of Messe München. It is an open-air setting created exclusively for these special shows. Apart from an entire stadium, with grandstands and a tailor-made stage (including a 220 meters wide and 20 meters high screen and a 93 meters long catwalk) that has been set up, there is also something called “Adele World”. Adele World is like a small fun fair with food and drink stands, two carnival rides, a second stage and a merchandise store the size of a big boutique in close proximity to the venue.
As Oliver and I arrived to the venue, on the day of the second show, dark clouds were slowly rolling in. After consulting various weather apps we came to the conclusion that we had about 20 minutes before the rain would start. We then strolled around in the Adele World before, cunningly, ending up in the large merchandise store just as the firsts raindrops started falling. 15 minutes later the cloudburst had passed and we could, dry-clothed, continue discovering the small fun fair
At 20:05 Adele opened with the song Hello. She was standing at the B-stage, facing the seated fans far, far back from our position in the FOS1 area. For the next song, Rumour Has It she walked to the main stage and the massive screen lit up behind her, with graphics that displayed tabloids to portray the song- truly impressive. However, the big screen must have been primarily intended for the audience in the back. We were standing so close we couldn’t see the whole screen in one gaze and when I tried it made me a bit dizzy. I decided to concentrate on watching Adele herself, after all she wasn’t standing that far away.
The start of the show was quite high gear. After that Adele took the temperature down a notch. She spoke to the audience and before announcing: “Let’s get this show started”, she revealed that she intended to pause the show to play the Olympic Women’s 100M Final live on the screens later on.
Every few songs, Adele stopped to talk with the audience and to take a sip from her custom made Munich mug, demonstrating that she is a very witty and charismatic character able to puncture her own pomp. At one point, she brought a 11-year-old kid up onstage, talked to her and gave her a goody bag. Later she also read out a seat number where there was a gift taped to the underside. She also used a “T-shirt gun” to fire souvenirs into the crowd.
About halfway through the show, Adele scaled down to perform with only her pianist, Eric Wortham II. They first played the Dylan cover Make You Feel My Love and then it was almost time for the 100m final, so Adele threw in a bonus song, Turning Tables, as a bridge before we all bizarrely found ourselves watching the Olympics during an Adele show.
The section that followed the short break was probably the highest in energy. Adele moved to stage B again and performed Skyfall and, as she sang, columns of smoke were repeatedly ejected around the platforms surrounding the arena. She then launched straight into Set Fire Into the Rain, and the columns of smoke turned into flames of fire, the heat reminiscent of a Rammstein concert.
What other song than Rolling In the Deep could end the show? Adele’s signature track became a massive hit worldwide in 2010 and is to date her most known song. The night culminated with confetti and fireworks.
To sum this up: Adele and her music is normally not my cup of tea. However, I’m glad to have enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime experience. There was no doubt that the focal point of this show was Adele, and Adele only- and rightly so. Her voice was sensational and singing sultry ballads is clearly her forte. The setting was spectacular and clever. Adele World wasn’t just entertainment. It also served to stagger the crowd flow, so it didn’t overwhelm the public transportation system after the show.
Setlist:
- 📼 Strangers By Nature (Intro)
- Hello
- Rumour Has It
- I Drink Wine
- Water Under the Bridge
- Easy On Me
- One And Only
- I’ll Be Waiting
- Oh My God
- Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
- Hometown Glory
- Love In the Dark
- Make You Feel My Love (Dylan cover)
- Turning Tables (bonus song)
- Chasing Pavements
- All I Ask
- Skyfall
- Set Fire To the Rain
- 📼 All Night Parking (interlude)
- Hold On
- When We Were Young
- Someone Like You
- Rolling In the Deep
All Munich dates:
- Friday, 2. August
- Saturday, 3. August
- Friday, 9. August
- Saturday, 10. August
- Wednesday, 14. August
- Friday, 16. August
- Friday, 23. August
- Saturday, 24. August
- Friday, 30. August
- Saturday, 31. August
Stray Bullet 
I saw Adele in her Las Vegas residency, and it was in my top 5 concerts of all time, as I have had heartbreak in love also, so I feel her lyrics. I am so glad u got to see her, even if admittedly, it isn’t your cup of tea. Her tickets in the USA r notoriously difficult to get, so I was ecstatic to have been successful, even once. It was on August 1, 2023 we went. Keep grooving to the beat, Anna!
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Thanks for sharing! And for reading 😊
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