Adele’s canceled Las Vegas residency could result in the loss of millions of dollars for host Caesars Palace.
The pop singer was scheduled to perform a series of shows beginning Jan. 21, but she postponed her residency the day before opening night.
Adele announced the decision in a tearful Instagram video, saying much of her support staff was out with COVID-19.
Caesars Palace is doing everything it can to reschedule the shows, as it will be on the hook for the expenses whether Adele performs or not.
Insiders told The Sun that, due to Caesars’ tight schedule, there are two options for rescheduling this year — late February to early May or mid-June to mid-September. Otherwise, Adele’s residency may not take place until 2023.
Country music star Keith Urban will replace Adele on the weekends of March 25 and April 1, but a replacement for the other dates has not been named.
While Adele claims to have postponed the shows due to COVID and issues with the set design, reports have surfaced that the postponements could be related to her relationship with sports agent Rich Paul.
The Daily Mail reported that Mr. Paul and Adele were fighting and that she was “crying through rehearsals and interrupting them to take calls from Paul.”
Adele is facing plenty of backlash from fans who came from near and far to see her perform in Las Vegas. The venue is offering refunds, but fans who booked flights and hotels for the shows may not be able to afford to do so again if the shows are rebooked.
She tried to reach out to fans personally via FaceTime, but that did little to repair the damage done by the postponement. The backlash has prompted her to pull out of her scheduled performance at the BRIT Awards on Feb. 8.
Adele isn’t the first artist to bail on a Vegas residency at the last minute: Glam rock band Kiss postponed their residency at the Zappos Theater that was scheduled to begin last month and run through February.
Kiss bass player Gene Simmons told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there was plenty of competition also performing in Vegas at that time.
“[The] original plan was to come in just before New Year’s, but it was just too busy. When I came into town and joined my friend Dave Grohl on stage, that same night you could see George Strait at T-Mobile Area, literally across the street,” Mr. Simmons said. “I mean, it’s packed. There are more artists per square inch in a city that never sleeps than anyplace on the planet.”
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.