EVEN the pouring rain in Munich couldn’t dampen the spirits of the 80,000 strong crowd who turned out to watch Adele kick off the first night of her residency.
As she belted out her first song, 2015 classic Hello, Adele welled up as she looked out at her fans, shouting: “I’m f***ing s******g myself!”
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The heavens opened again and Adele, despite her nerves, handled the drenching like a total pro and quickly changed up her scheduling for an impromptu costume change.
Pointing down at the huge train of her black, Dior gown, she said: “I have got to take this train off because it is wet and heavy.
“They said it wouldn’t be raining at the top of the show.”
As her stylists ran on to help, Adele said with a grin: “I look like a right fanny,” before launching into I Drink Wine.
Taking a moment to take in the audience, which I admit took my breath away when I first walked into the Munich Messe, Adele added: “Munich is so f***ing beautiful, we are so lucky to be here.”
Despite the staggering size of the show, Adele made sure the concert was as intimate as her Las Vegas residency – which seats just 2,500.
And less than 20 minutes into the show, Adele had her first proposal of the night.
Spotting a couple in the crowd after singing Water Under The Bridge, she ordered for the spotlights to be put onto a nervous bloke – who looked as giddy as Adele as he asked his partner to marry him.
“How long have you guys been together?” Adele asked. “17 years? F**k me. He’s an emotional wreck. I love that.
“Congratulations. I would sing Make You Feel My Love but I’m actually signing that later.”
Although her dates are in Europe, fans had travelled from across the globe, including the US and Mexico, and Adele took her time to thank everyone for coming.
Performing Easy On Me, Adele called on her fans to help and visibly emotional told them: “I am just a random girl from London.
“Being given the opportunity to play this many shows in Munich, I am just blown away.”
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Key numbers
- 80,000-strong crowd smashes Taylor’s previous 74,000 record
- Gig site is the size of 60 football pitches
- Stage is 4,000 sqft
- Biggest ever concert screen is 120x30m
- Shows will boost economy by £560million
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Queen rains in Germany
SHE is the queen of the heartbreak ballad, so it was apt that thick black clouds rolled in and started bucketing on the audience just before Adele made her long-awaited return to the stage in Germany.
But the torrential rain certainly didn’t dampen any spirits despite the fans – who had travelled from around the world to see her – being completely soaked through.
Suddenly, the clouds miraculously cleared and Adele rose from the stage singing Hello.
She emerged with a big grin which screamed absolute sheer terror and was paired with her taking some very deep breaths.
Playing such a big venue again, after a year in an intimate Las Vegas club, was clearly daunting.
But she soon settled into it and by fourth track, Water Under The Bridge, she was in full flow with her superstar charisma, talent and warmth shining through.
Adele has the hits, the stage presence, the personality and, here, a fabulous setting as inspiring as she is.
Not many artists are big enough to have an entire stadium built for them to perform just ten shows – in fact, it’s never happened before.
As she mixed her comedy patter with heart-wrenching ballads such as Easy On Me, she showed her vulnerable side, which is rare in an age where our pop queens are all about projecting a formidable image of no cracks or insecurities.
Concerts can feel run-of- the-mill when our biggest artists are on huge tours.
But if there’s one thing about an Adele show, it’s that she makes it feel like it’s even more special for her than it is for the thousands in the audience.
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HER residency will run for five consecutive weekends, but she won’t be jetting home to Los Angeles between gigs.
During her last European tour in 2016, she went fishing in Norway and got up to all sorts of fun stuff – and I’m told she wants to do the same again.
In fact Adele – who is selling her merch out a BUS in Munich – plans to escape the city completely with her son.
A source said: “Germany is beautiful, especially at this time of year, so Adele wants to get out and about when she’s not on stage.
“She is hoping to get out into the countryside and give Angelo a summer he won’t forget.”
What a lucky boy!
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ADELE sure knows how to live it lager.
She posted this picture of herself with a couple of beers, wearing a traditional German outfit on her Instagram before her opening night.
The superstar is clean living when she is performing though and quit booze in October.
But just like us, Adele isn’t exactly the biggest fan of going sober, admitting: “It’s boring.”
Steins all round we say.
POP royalty Adele is staying in accommodation fit for a queen during her time in Munich.
Her hotel suite is so smart it even has a private butler for her every need.
She has been staying at the best living quarters the Rosewood Hotel has to offer and it’s a whopping 452 square metres in size.
It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, TV room and two terraces.
It also has a fireplace, although I doubt that will be of much use during the city’s sweltering summer.
All that space should mean her son Angelo and sports agent fiancé Rich Paul can keep out of her hair.