Before I visited, I never expected Vegas would be one of my favorite cities – it didn’t really seem like my vibe. However, I found myself willing to travel to any city to see Adele, so that was how I ended up in Sin City during the final weekend of January. After waiting for three months (way longer than that, really), I was finally getting my weekend with Adele.
Flashback to October: I was sitting in the Ticketmaster queue during the last twenty minutes of my Renaissance literature class, anxiously checking three different clocks (the one of my phone, the one on my laptop, and the one mounted on the wall) to see which one would strike 1pm first. The tickets went on sale at 10am pacific time, and I was on the east coast.
When Adele announced the last leg of her Vegas residency, I knew I had to go, regardless of how much the odds were stacked against me. Under the most normal circumstances, trying to get concert tickets nowadays can be a lost cause, and I was working under specific constraints. Adele’s final leg of her residency lasted from January to June 2024, and I was going to be out of the country studying abroad from February to July. As badly as I wanted to see her, flying from Europe to Las Vegas just for just one weekend was financially out of the question. That meant I had two chances, the first two weekends, to see her. If I didn’t get the links to those presales, I was out of luck.
By some divine act from the Ticketmaster gods, I got the presale code for the second weekend’s Friday show, the night of January 26th. I’d made it over the first hurdle and, once again, by the grace of the Ticketmaster gods, I made it over the second, much larger and seemingly impossible hurdle; I got a non-resell ticket for a grand total of $126 (with fees!!!).
I was going to be sitting in the second to last row in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, but I would be there, seeing Adele. And I accomplished it all while learning about Othello.
My history as an Adele fan is a long one. I remember downloading “Rolling in the Deep” on my iPod when I was nine, and ever since then I’ve been hooked. As I grew up, her lyrics of heartache of vulnerability gave me insight into what heartbreak may lay ahead of me in adulthood, and then those same lyrics comforted me when I experienced said heartbreak. Her album 25 was released on my 13th birthday, and her album 30 the day before I turned 19: the name of her first album. I’m not one to avidly endorse or participate in parasocial relationships, but the way her music spoke to me and the way the coincidences added up kept me connected to Adele. Even when different artists caught my eye and made it onto my “faves” list, Adele remained a constant.
I arrived in Las Vegas the night before the concert, and was leaving the Saturday morning after. I had about thirty-three hours in the city, so my trip pretty much revolved around the concert. I wasn’t there to see Vegas as much as I was to see Adele; my plan was to see Vegas in the meantime.
I spent my one full day in the city going to see all the “big” casinos. I was staying at the Flamingo, which made that destination easy to check off – I also got to see the flamingos at the Flamingo, which was very nice. After a very expensive breakfast (spoiler alert: Las Vegas is
not college student budget friendly) I walked through the Bellagio and Caesars Palace. The conservatory and botanical garden at the Bellagio was smaller than I was expecting, but it had nice decorations for Lunar New Year – the two animatronic dragons really made the place come alive.
As I’m sure you’re all dying to know, I did not play the slots nor did I gamble because I already felt that just visiting Vegas had taken enough of my money. I didn’t feel lucky enough to risk getting any more taken from my wallet.
After a trip on the High Roller, which I would recommend if you don’t mind heights and want to learn a lot of Vegas trivia, I returned to my hotel room to get ready for the concert. If you’re planning a trip to Vegas anytime soon, whether it’s to see Adele or not, I would recommend staying somewhere on the strip if you’re able to. Overall it makes things way more convenient.
The entrance to the Colosseum was located inside the casino at Ceasar’s Palace, something I didn’t realize at first. I tried to walk around the outside of Caesar’s Palace expecting a typical, outdoor concert entrance. Then, I encountered a sketchy outdoor loading area that looked the exact opposite of a concert entrance.
A little ways past the sports betting tables, I found where I was supposed to be. Doors were a little over an hour away from opening, so I had ample time to kill. It’s important to note that the merch set up for Adele’s concert is not like the typical merch tables and/or tents for concerts. I don’t know if this is the case for all Caesars’ Palace residencies, but Adele’s merch was in a little store located next to the venue entrance.
This was probably one of my favorite aspects of the show, even though it technically wasn’t part of the actual show. In addition to the merch, the store had several of Adele’s dresses on display, including the red gown she wore in the “Oh My God” music video. The merch was a little on the pricier side, with t-shirts retailing for about $45 and crewnecks for about $85. I opted to buy the concert poster for $30, which could only be purchased at the
checkout counter. The poster changes every week, having the dates for the specific weekend you attend printed on it. Deciding to worry about how to fit it into my carry-on later, I made that my merch purchase.
After dropping the poster off back at my hotel room, I arrived back at the Colosseum right as doors were opening. I got through security without any issue, bought a very overpriced bottle of water, and found my seat.
Like I mentioned, my seat was in the second to last row in the middle section, and after buying the ticket I was worried being back in the nosebleeds would lead to me being unable to see anything. Thankfully, this was not the case. Caesar’s Palace is a fairly intimate venue, so even from the very back I was able to get a clear view of the stage. Even though it wasn’t mandatory for the show, most of the audience members in my section sat, which made an unobstructed view of things easier to have. I was able to see everything without worrying about locking my knees by accident.
I knew that the show was going to be good, but I had no idea how much fun it would be. Considering Adele’s music, I was expecting to cry nonstop, but I found myself laughing more than I was crying. Adele’s charisma and wit shown through in every performance and interaction she had with the audience. Her jokes and commentary made the Colosseum seem even more intimate than it already was. Adele also included a lot of interactive elements, including her shooting the t-shirt cannon into the crowd and holding a seat raffle where two people from the nosebleeds got moved up to the floor. I did not win the raffle or catch a t-shirt, sadly, but that didn’t damper my experience in the slightest.
As far as the setlist, there was a diverse number of songs from all eras of Adele’s career, including her James Bond theme “Skyfall.” Though I would’ve liked to see more music from 19 (the only song played from that album was “Hometown Glory”), I recognize that may be my personal bias. A big chunk of my favorite album 21 did get played though, so I’m unable to complain that much. I was very pleased to see some underrated hits like “Don’t You Remember” and “Take it All.”
Of course I can’t talk about the show without mentioning the finale. Adele kicked off the ending with two of her smash hits, “Someone Like You” and “Rolling In The Deep. Her final song was “Love Is A Game,” from her most recent album, 30. The song concluded with clouds upon clouds of heart-shaped confetti raining down from the ceiling and Adele disappearing under a wash of pink glitter – I couldn’t think of a better way to end such a special experience for me. After waiting over a decade, I finally got to see one of my favorite artists in concert and it was everything I could’ve expected it to be and more.
If you were able to get tickets to the remaining dates of Adele’s residency, you have such a fun event to look forward to, and if you were unable to secure tickets, I would still recommend giving Vegas a visit – it has more charm than I originally gave it credit for. It is my wish that everyone will one day get to experience a weekend with Adele, or at least a weekend in Vegas.