Adele: Live at the Royal Albert Hall

Out of the many wonderful gifts I received this Christmas, one of my most favorites was the Blu-Ray version of Adele's Live at the Royal Albert Hall concert.  I have been wanting to see Adele live in person since the first time I listened to her album '21', but with her vocal cord injuries and various sicknesses the chance just hasn't arisen.  Adele is a vocal goddess and every time I hear her perform I am entranced.  The only thing missing from my "love affair" with her was her personality.  I haven't seen many interviews with her so I wasn't too sure what to expect.  Let me tell you: after watching the concert her personality is almost as infectious as her voice.

The Royal Albert Hall is one of the most prestigious music venues in the world, and from the moment the show started I knew "the night" was going to be special.  Adele doesn't rely on a huge, over-the-top production like Britney, Madonna or GaGa because her voice is the production.  She brought quite a large orchestra along with her as well to add a nice grandiose feeling to the concert.  Adele really has not looked more beautiful and, as she lets you know, she just went to the salon earlier in the day and "went blonde."  Even though the only moving around she does comprises of sitting down in a chair and standing behind the mic stand, that's all she needs to do because she captives the entire venue with her voice.  There's no need for theatrics; it's just Adele.

The most striking piece of the show, as I've alluded to earlier, is her personality.  Even though she's morose and bitter and down right sad in her music, her personality is the exact opposite.  She is hilarious! There's no doubt she could be a stand-up comedienne.  Throughout the whole show she tells you the background behind most of her songs, and offers you little anecdotes that contribute to an incredible atmosphere.  In all this, her laughs have to be the best part.  It's one most people would find annoying, but it suits her and makes you laugh along with her.  After watching this concert, I have gotten to know Adele like never before and thus I have so much more respect for her as an artist and a human being than ever before.

Now let's get to the music.  Adele offers a few tracks from her debut album '19' that take you back to the old slightly-famous Adele, and then most of the setlist is made up of tracks from her world renowned album '21'.  The tracks flow seamlessly together and create a cohesive and entertaining show.  Everything just seemed to work in harmony, and when she began the encore I couldn't believe that the show was almost over.  The time just flew by.  The first big highlight of the show for me was 'Set Fire to the Rain' simply because it's my favorite song of hers.  But it was also the first time that the crowd livened-up and brought energy to the show.  A very poignant moment was when she performed 'Make You Feel My Love' as the "finale."  She dedicates it to the late Amy Winehouse without whom she would have never had the successful career she has now.  It was simply beautiful.  The encore however was simply spectacular.  She comes back on and gives a long speech in order to introduce the gut-wrenching 'Someone Like You'.  I had goosbumps running up and down my entire body during the song, but when she did a crowd sing the tears started to flow.  Seeing the emotion the crowd evoked and how it affected not only Adele but myself as well broke down a wall that only a handful of songs can do.  It was a beautiful moment.  And then she ends the show with her smash-hit 'Rolling In the Deep' which livened the audience and ended a perfect show in the most perfect way.

If you are wondering what to spend your Christmas money on it should now be a no-brainer.  This is a concert that should be sitting on every music lover's shelf.  I whole-heartedly award it five stars.