Inside Adele’s epic Munich residency with quirky merch, Spice Girls tribute and jaw dropping staging
ADELE pulled out all the stops for the opening night of her historic Munich residency last night, as she prepares to take time off from her record-breaking 18-year music career.
The pop icon performed her first show on the Continent in eight years, as it was revealed that her concert series is projected to boost the Bavarian capital’s economy by £560million.
An 80,000-seat amphi-theatre has been specially built at the Munich Messe exhibition centre for the London-born star’s ten dates throughout August.
As well as belting out her biggest hits last night, Adele lit up the city with flamethrowers, fireworks and confetti featuring her face and song lyrics.
The extravaganza was one of her fans’ last chances to see Adele, who has told pals she intends to put her music career on ice at the end of this year.
A source close to the star said: “She has had a busy few years since releasing her album 30 in 2021, and it has surpassed her expectations.
“Adele has had incredible opportunities and it’s been a dream come true. No other artist has ever done anything like this residency and she feels like it is a real moment of crowning glory.
“She has a few more dates in Las Vegas later this year, which were rearranged due to illness a few months back, but after that, she will be walking away from music for an extended break.
“It’s time to focus on her family and enjoying her life away from the spotlight again.”
The Rolling In The Deep singer has spent the last month in Europe overseeing the construction of the mammoth stadium and has been rehearsing daily at the venue this week.
It sits alongside an area dubbed “Adele World”, which includes a complex of food and drink stands as well as providing photo opportunities for fans.
A pub there is based on the Duke of Wellington — the West London boozer where she signed her first record deal — and has a Queen Victoria statue taking pride of place.
Another bar is called I Drink Wine after her 2021 song of the same name.
The London theme continues with a traditional red telephone box and a mini stage where tribute act The Spice Girls Experience entertained punters before last night’s gig — following Adele’s revelation the Nineties girl band is one of her favourite groups.
Thrill-seekers were treated to fairground rides, while an Aperol Spritz bar renamed in the star’s honour served drinks, and entertainers performed on stilts.
Mock-up tabloid newspapers were even being handed out — clearly modelled on The Sun — called The Saturn Times.
Adele has a tattoo of the planet on her arm due to its significance in astrological cycles.
The entire, incredible site for the shows is the size of 60 football pitches.
And Adele has recorded messages for Munich’s Underground system, directing fans to the venue.
In preparation for her residency, she has shot new videos for several songs, which were shown on the biggest screen ever constructed for a concert.
The state-of-the-art monitor measures around 400ft by 100ft and cost £34million.
It sits behind a 43,000-square-foot stage, which includes a 300ft catwalk that she walked down while singing Hello, and a semi-circular performance space in the middle of the crowd. In previous performances, she has used a special gun to fire souvenir T-shirts into the crowd.
But this was souped up for Munich, blasting multiple goodies out in one go, much to fans’ joy.
Key numbers
- 80,000-strong crowd smashes Taylor’s previous 74,000 record
- Gig site is the size of 60 football pitches
- Stage is 4,000 sqft
- Biggest ever concert screen is 120x30m
- Shows will boost economy by £560million
Last month, The Sun told how Adele had been studying German to help audiences warm to her.
When she announced the concert series in January, she said: “I couldn’t think of a more wonderful way to spend my summer and end this beautiful phase of my life and career with shows closer to home during such an exciting summer.”
Her 80,000-strong audience broke the record for the highest attendance at a gig by a female star in Munich — smashing the
74,000 figure which Taylor Swift set only last weekend when she performed in the city.
Adele also unveiled a new range of merchandise for her residency, including personalised bags of Haribo sweets.
In a reflection of the city’s Oktoberfest tradition, fans could buy Adele-branded beer steins, as well as jackets with patches including the Tottenham Hale Tube station sign, a nod to the North London area where she was raised.
Two hours before she went on stage, a picture of Adele, with curlers in her hair was projected onto screens, which showed her holding a sign reading: “See you soon. I’m bloody sg myself!”
The singer, who hasn’t toured since 2016, has been vocal in the past about her stage fright.
She said in 2011: “I puke quite a lot before going on stage, though never actually on the stage.
“But then I s**t myself before everything. The bigger the freak-out, the more I enjoy the show.”
Ahead of opening night, her manager Jonathan Dickins said: “She is always nervous for shows, but she’s super-excited.
“Generally nerves create great shows. She really wants to give her best.”
HER residency will run for five consecutive weekends, but she won’t be jetting home to Los Angeles between gigs.
During her last European tour in 2016, she went fishing in Norway and got up to all sorts of fun stuff – and I’m told she wants to do the same again.
In fact Adele – who is selling her merch out a BUS in Munich – plans to escape the city completely with her son.
A source said: “Germany is beautiful, especially at this time of year, so Adele wants to get out and about when she’s not on stage.
“She is hoping to get out into the countryside and give Angelo a summer he won’t forget.”
What a lucky boy!
ADELE sure knows how to live it lager.
She posted this picture of herself with a couple of beers, wearing a traditional German outfit on her Instagram before her opening night.
The superstar is clean living when she is performing though and quit booze in October.
But just like us, Adele isn’t exactly the biggest fan of going sober, admitting: “It’s boring.”
Steins all round we say.
POP royalty Adele is staying in accommodation fit for a queen during her time in Munich.
Her hotel suite is so smart it even has a private butler for her every need.
She has been staying at the best living quarters the Rosewood Hotel has to offer and it’s a whopping 452 square metres in size.
It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, TV room and two terraces.
It also has a fireplace, although I doubt that will be of much use during the city’s sweltering summer.
All that space should mean her son Angelo and sports agent fiancé Rich Paul can keep out of her hair.