A Week of June-ness- When Adele Came To Wembley

Hello all!

Firstly I want to apologise about the delay in posting this final installment from 'A Week of June-ness'. I had intended to keep the blogging going whilst being busy at Matthew's however, we ended up being busier than I thought and I lost track of time. I hope you all had a lovely weekend in the sunshine, and most importantly, that you can forgive me! I'm back now and today's final installment is a tale called 'When Adele Came to Wembley', I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed being there.

My mum had booked the tickets a long time before, I'm not sure on exactly when now, but mum went about her hectic job as usual whilst simultaneously being in a metaphorical queue for Adele tickets. As you can imagine, this was quite a long queue and one that mum couldn't afford to lose her place in. Thankfully she got her tickets after a long wait and celebrated proudly at work boasting to her fellow colleagues who were understandably quite envious. We were going to witness for ourselves one of the most successful solo singers in the business and arguably, the world and to be honest it didn't really hit me until I was there standing in the pits of Wembley waiting for her.

I'd been to London quite a lot over the past few weeks and admittedly I was started to get a bit jaded. However I sucked it up and remembered the reason why I was going in the first place. We planned to go to London early, see a museum and have some lunch before heading over to Wembley to make the most of the day (and the train fare). We decided to visit the Docklands museum by Canary Wharf, but before then, we stopped off at Leicester Square to have some lunch and to look around the Lego shop. I had told and shown mum pictures of the shop from when I last went and she was intrigued. My mum is a very keen photographer and takes her camera out at every occasion. Whether it's a meal out or a day trip in London, you can guarantee that she'll take pictures of it from every conceivable angle you can imagine so we were in the Lego shop for a little while. When we left to find some lunch, she spotted that there were Lego models of the Queen and Robin Hood on the outer side of the tube carriage in the window.

We stayed around Leicester Square for our lunch and went to TGI Fridays. As I'd had ribs a couple of weeks before, I still had that craving so went for another full rack smothered in BBQ sauce while mum went for a simple burger and chips. I was however a little disappointed that they weren't as good as the ribs I had at the Hard Rock Cafe, maybe I was expecting too much?

After we filled up in TGI's we headed over to Canary Wharf and the Docklands museum. I didn't even know there was a museum around Canary Wharf! I suppose I still held the stereotypical view that Canary Wharf was just full of banks and business men in suits. How wrong I was. From seeing the river boat view of Canary Wharf a week before, actually walking around there was a different experience and one that I wouldn't have expected for such an affluent area. Me and mum had been around there before from when we went to see the Top Gear tour at the O2 so it was familiar to a certain extent and even then I remarked on how quiet and empty it was. It doesn't even feel like
you're in London, more like you're in a parallel universe. A bit far fetched but especially down by the docks, it doesn't feel like you're in a City at all. On the way to the museum we were offered free mini cans of Coke Zero which came at a good time as I was feeling a little thirsty. After drinking these we headed inside the museum. It was very interesting to read about the history of London's docks and the East India Trading Company that had hundreds of men squabbling and competing for even just one day's work. It seems like quite a departure to think of London, and in fact the affluent area now known as Canary Wharf, as being a huge docking area home to hundreds of ships and a hub for trading activity considering that now it's more of a tourist trap. It was also shocking to read about the devastating slave trade that separated families and belittled whole communities purely based on the colour of their skin in an institution that based itself on a racist agenda. The shame here is that racism still exists. The only difference is we're not as outright and as frank about it as we were those hundreds of years ago, it's often hidden beneath another guise.


By the time we had finished exploring the museum, it was time to head over to Wembley. We'd brought snacks with us to eat before the concert and sat down to eat these as we watched thousands of other fans flock into the stadium grounds. 98,000 people were here for her first night and the excitement was palpable in the crowds. Snacking over, we too headed over to our entrance to begin queuing. We weren't sure we'd got there in time to grab a spot at the front, however we said we would try and get as close as we could. When we finally got into the pits, we discovered that the stage was round so that no matter where you stood you could see. Mum had also read beforehand that Adele didn't have a support act which I was glad about. Many times I've gone to gigs where the support act wasn't up to much good and you spend an hour wishing that the artist you'd paid an arm and a leg to see would just start already. The stage was set up with a digital screen down over it with a picture reminiscent of her '25' album cover on it, only her eyes were closed. If you follow me on Instagram you'd have seen the photo of the screen and the pun I paired with it. We'd got a reasonable spot, not near the front, but about midway from the stage so you could still see quite clearly and all that was left to do was wait. Many times they teased us by fading out the background music to make us think the show was about to start, with a collective sigh when an advert came on and everyone realised they'd be tricked. Only the advert was Adele herself talking about the tragic incident of the Grenfell Tower fire two weeks before and her work with the victims and their families in order to aid them through their hardships. She'd paired up with the charity 'Unite' and asked everyone to donate some money if they could.

After about an hour, the music died down again but this time the show was really beginning! The screen came up, the eyes on the screen opened as the piano track from 'Hello' started. For a moment no-one could spot her and it turned out she in fact wasn't on stage, but coming to the stage from another direction- which was hilariously ironic now I think about it- "hello from the other side"...? Ok maybe just me. Once her musical introduction was done, she walked around the stage and greeted the crowds on all sides of the stage in her own unique way- by swearing like a trooper, telling us how she'd tricked us all at the start of the gig, and letting out her trademark cackle. She seemed genuinely blown away by the sheer numbers that had come to see her as she walked about the stage in a beautiful purple sparkly gown and even though we weren't at the front you could still see her so clearly among the crowd. She looked stunning and so relaxed for someone who said they were "shitting themselves". She then settled on the central stage and sipped a cup of honey and lemon as she took in the sight of 98,000 people.
  She then sang 'Hometown Glory' with a video showing scenes of London on the big digital screen. After another two songs, 'One and Only' and 'I'll be Waiting', it was time for one of my favourites, 'Rumour Has It.' Before she started she told us the meaning of the song and just who it was meant for. Most of her songs are of a slower pace and are more reflective but 'Rumour Has It' has a strong beat of defiance in it and it's a song you can really get your teeth into.

  While some critics may say her songs are depressing, there is no arguing that her songs are one's you can really belt out at the top of your lungs and one's that you find yourself miming along to even if you try to fight it. 'Skyfall' is a prime example of this. She first introduced this song by telling us a bit about the video for the song. She told the audience that she felt like a real life mermaid while making this video and she'd tell us the full story after the song was finished but she did say she recorded this song while still pregnant with her now 5 year old son and that with this her voice deepened which made the lower notes easier. She also brought out her all-male choir who stood in their places around the outer edges of the stage and after some more banter with the choir and the audience, the song began with the epic orchestral sound. It was incredible to hear this song live and despite her worrying that she wouldn't quite get the lower notes, you could hardly tell as the song was pitch perfect. After the song had ended, she told us how the video was shot underwater with her being shut in a small box and told to try to look glamorous. She really had to suffer for her art.

The tour was  called 'Finale' and the concert as a whole had a very final feel to it. She talked about her son, the difficulties she had with touring with a young family and how she couldn't wait to just be a mum to her little boy and get back to being a family again. She also told us all how she remembered coming to see the likes of the Spice Girls and George Michael at venues like Wembley and that playing there herself was a dream come true. Unlike many other musicians that simply yell "We love you Wembley" a few times during their set, you got the feeling that to her, this was truly the peak of her career and a real iconic "made it" moment. Carrying on with the family theme, she sung a song from her album '25' that she said was written for her son. "Sweetest Devotion" was played with lovely heartwarming pictures of Adele in her childhood with friends and family. She looked so happy and you could tell she was always a fun, bubbly girl that grew up into a strong and independent woman. As this lovely song finished, a picture of Adele with her baby bump came on the screen making the last notes of the song even more poignant.

Between her set which included old and new songs along with a touching cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" over pictures of Grenfell Tower, she had fun with her fans and interacted with them laughing and joking and being her bubbly self. Mid way through the set she came to each side of the stage and launched signed T-Shirts with £20 tucked inside from a T-Shirt gun! This was great fun as two of the shots she fired landed in empty seats leading to a chorus of laughter led by the singer herself. At one point she had a hilarious mix up with the lighting guys who nearly blinded her as she looked out at where the T-Shirt's had landed. At another part of the set she revealed that she had left a handwritten note under one of the chairs for whoever was to sit there- something that I'm sure the lucky girl would've framed by now. And after a few more older Adele classics came the 'Kiss Cam' which we all watched with delight and laughter while couple's and even some complete strangers, looked bewildered and shocked that the camera had found them, before hastily sharing a kiss.

She completed her set just as she started it- laughing and smiling. After she sung her last song, 'Someone Like You' with remains of ticket tape still floating in the air, she said goodbye and got in the back of a London cab that drove her out of the stadium with the tune still playing. This gig on the whole really was a finale and boy did she go out with a bang; she sung beautifully, had fun with her fans and included us at every point telling us some more personal stories as well as some cheeky backstage gossip, but best of all you felt that you really saw Adele. With Adele, you don't just get a set list, you get the personality and a wickedly good time too.

After the main throngs on people left the stadium, we stayed behind to grab some more ticket tape and a few last photos. A few others had stayed to do the same and me and mum had a photo each of us throwing the ticket tape in the air. Soon after, we left for the train home and I overheard so many people say how incredible their night was. While it's sad to see her taking leave from the music industry, I also feel glad that she had the confidence and commitment to her family to do so. She's given her fans so much in the form of her music, we now have to let go and be with her family.

Sadly, Adele had to cancel her last two gigs under her doctor's advice as she'd developed some throat issues after her gig on the 29th June. While I sympathise with the hundreds of thousands that did feel disappointed, I feel incredibly lucky I got to see her when I did. If you are one of those who missed out, I doubt my words could ever really do it justice but I hope the photo's can help in some small way.

So, that's the end of 'When Adele Came to Wembley' and with the end of that tale, comes the end of 'A Week of June-ness'. June was an incredible month for me and I spent it with some great people. Now 10 days into July, I can say that it's going to be a lot quieter this month! I also wanted to let you know that I will be changing the frequency of my blogging. I will now only blog twice a week on Monday's and Wednesday's. This is purely due to the fact that I don't want to let my readers down (all 5 ish of you!) by delaying blogs all the time. I think I will spend Mondays still talking about the weekend before and any current affairs and spend Wednesday's alternating between other topics.

I hope you've enjoyed 'A Week of June-ness' and I'll see you all again on Wednesday!