VARIETY: ADELE'S VEGAS RESIDENCY OFF?

Variety is reporting that, in the wake of Adele’s abrupt cancellation of her Vegas residency, her sets have been moved out and Keith Urban is now slated to play several of the weekends that were to have been part of her run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Urban had previously planned to begin his series of shows after Adele’s scheduled wrap.

“Lest anyone imagine that Adele might reschedule at least part of her residency for weekends sometime in the next few months,” writes the trade’s Chris Willman, “that appears unlikelier than ever” in light of the load-out. The story cites various reports that Adele was unhappy with the sets and other elements by top designer Esmeralda Devlin. The show, the story notes, was allegedly supposed to kick off with the star's singing James Bond theme “Skyfall” on a 10,000-gallon onstage “lake,” accompanied by a giant choir.

Her team is said to have spent five weeks in Fresno building the production for the Vegas show. Adele's tearful social-media post on the eve of the residency’s planned kickoff blamed COVID and supply-chain issues for the cancellation.

24 shows at the venue, which seats more than 4k, had gone on sale on 12/8 for the run through 4/16, with another 36 contracted for this year (for a total of 60), according to a source at the megastar’s agency, WME. The initial presale ticket range was $85-$685, with the resale market subsequently ballooning well into the thousands (and, briefly, into the five-figure range) on the high end. According to published reports, the singer was earning $2.2m per show. For now, Variety informs, no refunds are being offered.

The story says Adele’s July 1-2 Hyde Park performances are still on, and that the earliest she could resume her Vegas residency would be July, given that Sting’s run at Caesars is slated to go through 6/23.

Adele's agent of record, Kirk Sommer, and his team are busy attempting to reassure major promoters that all is well in Adele Land, and that she’ll be back soon. If Variety’s report is accurate, however, it’s hard to see how.

Insiders say that when the real story comes out, it could be more than interesting. Apparently, some things that happen in Vegas don’t stay in Vegas.