Adele says the “brutal” backlash to her decision to postpone her Las Vegas shows made her a “shell in person” for months.
The singer was supposed to perform a series of concerts from January to April this year at Caesars Palace, but they were canceled just 24 hours before opening night.
The 34 year old shared a tearful video message apologizing on social media at the time, saying his team had been “absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID”.
But some fans have complained that they spent thousands of dollars traveling to Las Vegas for the shows – and the new dates for Adele’s residency have yet to be confirmed.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Adele she said she “surely felt everyone’s disappointment” following her decision and was “devastated”.
He told host Lauren Laverne, “I was afraid to let them down and thought I could put it together and make it work, but I couldn’t.
“I remain true to this decision. I don’t think any other artist would have done what I did, and I think that’s why it was such a massive and impressive story.
“I’m not going to do a show just because I have to or because people are going to be disappointed or because we’re going to lose a lot of money. I say, ‘The show isn’t good enough.'”
He added: “But it was horrible and the reaction was brutal. I was a shell in person for a couple of months.”
Asked how he dealt with the fallout from the announcement, Adele said, “I just had to wait and grieve him. Grieve only for the shows and get over the guilt. But it was brutal.”
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“I spent $ 4k to see Adele in Vegas, then she canceled”
Adele appeared on Desert Island Discs the same weekend she played two sold-out concerts as part of the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park.
She dealt with her relationship with her alcoholic father, Mark Evans, whom she distanced herself from but reconciled with shortly before her death from cancer in 2021.
She said: “When I found out he was sick a few years ago, I got the call and went straight there. It was tough but it was definitely one of the greatest moments of my life in a good way, when I went to see him. .
“I made peace with him when I found out he was sick. And we got along really well, which was great, but also sad because he was really damn funny.
“It’s really funny and I don’t remember it when I was little. But it was really good. We laughed, gossiped and cried. It was great for both of us.”
The singer, who has a son Angelo with ex-husband Simon Konecki, said she wanted more children with her boyfriend, American sports agent Rich Paul.
She said, “I would definitely like a couple more kids. It would be wonderful if we could. If not, I have Angelo. I just want to be happy.”
Adele’s musical choices on Desert Island Discs included Gabrielle’s Dreams, Nina Simone’s He Needs Me, and Destiny’s Child’s Bills, Bills, Bills.
