Anticipation was within the air as we awaited Adele’s lengthy return to the Bay Space final night time at Berkeley’s Greek theater. That’s no understatement. We’d already withstood venue modifications, tour cancellations, a late begin, an (admittedly highly effective) opening act, and a drawn-out, dramatic entrance. And fortuitously, Adele was well worth the wait. She confirmed up and confirmed out.

Recognized for her now-ubiquitous single, “Rolling within the Deep,” the British soul singer launched her set with a lyric from “Hometown Glory,” successful off her 2008 album, 19. I’ve been strolling in the identical method as I did, she sang, sending the group right into a roar of pleasure. The curtains went up, the bass and snare thrummed. Her set veered from traditional soul to new wave, with some songs bolstered by ad-libbed confessionals: “I want he was right here to see all of this,” she admitted, earlier than going right into a heartfelt romantic tune about her ex.

“Oh properly, f*** him.” The gang laughed.

Little moments like that made the reigning pop queen appear, properly, personable, and helped put together us for extra extravagant shows of emotion — like her near-weepy efficiency of “Somebody Like You.”

Oft in comparison with the late Amy Winehouse (to whom she paid a lovely tribute), the younger soul singer clearly lacked her predecessor’s tartness. She did, nevertheless, put on a vibrant hair coloration and black costume that flaunted her curves. She described her nails as “ghetto,” and stated she’d reasonably be a “Miranda” than a “Carrie” any day.

Adele was removed from a traditional diva, staying grounded with the variety of soiled jokes and tales. She’d clearly matured so much between 19 and her present album, 21, and she’s additionally cultivated a extra ardent fanbase — at this live performance, individuals threw stuffed animals and cell telephones on the stage.
Thanks, Adele. Come once more quickly.

First printed within the East Bay Categorical.