“Live at the Royal Albert Hall” DVD reminds us why Adele is a superstar
Forget the antics, forget the fancy production! Adele keeps it straight and simple in her “Live at The Royal Albert Hall” DVD. The result is a triumphant show that reminds us all why Adele is 2011′s biggest pop superstar.
The show starts with “Hometown Glory”, an appropriate opening for a great show. For the next 90 minutes, Adele entertains the crowd with tracks from both her debut and sophomore albums. Highlights include “Rumour has it”, “Chasing Pavements” and “Don’t You Remember”.
The covers are also fantastic. Adele injects raw emotions to Bonnie Raitt’s “If I Can’t Make You Love Me”, elevating a song that’s usually overused in many reality TV shows. Adele walks into country territory with her cover of The Steeldrivers “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” and pulls it off quite nicely.
Truth be told, Adele’s vocal performance here is not at its best. You can hear some obvious strains in her voice, and she had to drink lots of water with honey throughout the show because her mouth was so dry. If you’ve seen many of Adele’s past performances on YouTube, you know that she can do better.
But that really doesn’t matter. Adele at her worst is probably still better than 90% of what many pop stars can do today. What elevates the show is not just the vocals (which turn out okay) or the emotions (which are plenty) — it is the personality. Adele jokes, flirts, and laughs in between songs, creating an intimate experience between her and the audience.
The experience is enhanced by Adele’s stories, which all feel genuine and heartfelt. She talks about stories behind her songs as if you’re a friend, keeping it casual and even upbeat. When discussing the story behind “My Same”, for instance, she asks her best friend Laura to stand up before telling everyone how they met, got through a falling out, and eventually re-connected. Adele’s smile really makes you feel as if you’re simply having some tea and biscuits with her. (On a side note, Beyoncé should really take note — her stories feel contrived in her DVD. )
The climax of the show happens during the encore. After a very brief break from the stage, in which she takes the time to remove her shoes, Adele performs the monster hit “Someone Like You”. The emotional performance moves both the crowd and Adele, who can’t help but shedding a few tears.
She closes with a resounding rendition of “Rolling in the Deep”. The performance involves the audience, who happily helps the international superstar sing some parts of the song as confetti rains down the hall. This closing is nothing short of epic.
It has been awhile since we’ve had a big album from an authentic, charismatic, and talented vocalist. “Live at the Royal Albert Hall” is Adele’s gift to her fans. It’s a wonderful celebration of an album that has helped many music enthusiasts believe in pop music again.
