Adele's announcement that she is postponing her sold-out Las Vegas residency—just 24 hours before it was due to begin—has sparked a huge reaction among her fans on social media.
The British singer, 33, posted a tearful video on Twitter on Thursday, revealing that her series of shows at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino would be rescheduled because of COVID-19 issues.
Fighting back tears, the "Easy on Me" singer said she was "so sorry" to be pushing back the shows, explaining that the production wasn't ready because her team had been "absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID."
Adele Tearfully Postpones Sold-Out Vegas Shows, Citing COVID, Supply Chain.
Adele added: "Half my crew, half my team, are down with COVID, they still are, and it's been impossible to finish the show.
"I'm gutted, and I'm sorry it's so last minute. We've been awake for 30 hours now trying to figure it out and we've run out of time."
The 24-show residency, called Weekends With Adele, had been scheduled to kick off on Friday and continue through April 16. New dates have yet to be announced.
Caesars Palace, which is offering ticket refunds, acknowledged in a statement that "creating a show of this magnitude is incredibly complex" and added: "We fully support Adele and are confident the show she unveils at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace will be extraordinary."
The video prompted supportive comments from many fans—even those who had already flown into Sin City ahead of opening night.
Comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted, "Not your fault, Doll," adding a single red heart emoji.
Brandon Pope, an anchor for WCIU-TV in Chicago, posted on Twitter: "I respect that Adele only wants to give a show that is her best effort for the fans. And you can tell she is really pained by inconveniencing people.
"Wish more artists showed heart and empathy like this when canceling shows. Adele has nothing to be embarrassed about!"
TV personality Kalen Allen also expressed his support, saying Adele's fans weren't "going anywhere" as they waited for the dates.
"You did the absolute right thing!" Allen wrote. "There is nothing wrong with being an artist and being sensitive about your s***! The world isn't going anywhere!
"Everyone will still be right there ready to dance, sing, cry and laugh! There is nothing wrong with wanting to give your best!"
One fan who had already arrived in Las Vegas from Dublin replied to the singer's tweet, saying: "I had tickets to see u tomorrow and it's fine, health will always come first and especially in times like this, can't wait for all the shows to get rescheduled cuz I can't wait to have the best time of my life with you on stage, pls don't feel guilty, it breaks my heart, I LOVE YOU."
Other Adele fans, however, shared their frustration after making the journey to Nevada.
"This breaks my heart, for you and for me," wrote Amy Campbell. "I know how hard it is to put on a show, especially with a pandemic. But it's also hard to save enough money, to get time off work from a hospital, that is short-staffed, book a flight and hotel, fly in two days early and find out 30 hrs."
Another fan tweeted that they had already embarked on their trip to Vegas and likely wouldn't be able to attend the new dates.
"Hi, Adele! It's my bday and I am on an airplane rn using the last of my vacation time for a whole year to see you along with some non-refundable deposits and a week of babysitting," they wrote. "I guess we will miss your new dates. I'm sad you couldn't decide this until the last minute."
Another fan said they were "super bummed" at the postponement, adding: "I've already spent $1200 between airfare, hotel, and the concert tickets. Not to mention vacation time from work. Trying to decide now on either getting a refund or sitting tight for the new dates."
Hours after Adele's announcement, blogger Perez Hilton discussed the financial loss that many fans would incur on the U.K. TV show Good Morning Britain.
He said: "Everybody understands that we are still in the middle of a pandemic. However, it should be noted that Adele made this announcement the day before her residency was supposed to begin.
"And because it's opening weekend, people from all over the world were flying in and many are already there. They've already taken their flights and already booked into their hotel rooms, so they won't be able to get refunds on that money they spent for that."
He added: "I personally, as a big fan of Adele, think that this could have been handled in a much more professional manner."
Hilton—real name Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr.—also questioned why all 24 shows had been postponed.
"A lot of people are understandably frustrated," the blogger said, but he also conceded that the singer's decision was unlikely to damage her popularity.
"In the grand scheme of things, this will just be a blip, because Adele is so beloved and we saw her crying in the video making this announcement. People still like her very much."
Source: NewsWeek
