Some Kiwi fans had a funny exchange with pop star Adele.
Video / Supplied
For many, rolling in the deep at an Adele show crowd is enough - but one New Zealand mother-and-son duo took things a step further, resulting in an unforgettable hello from the singer.
The pop songstress is currently completing her Las Vegas residency, which has featured many wild mid-show moments- including telling fans she will “kill” them if they throw anything on stage. But her latest crowd interaction may be the most memorable yet as it featured an “incredible” exchange with Kiwis Kathryn and Ben Fitchett.
Speaking to the Herald from his home in Los Angeles, Ben recalls his experience at the concert, which left him so shocked he was unable to talk. “We got a crazy experience,” he says revealing not only did he and his mother get upgraded to third-row seats but that Adele also dedicated a song to one of their late family members.
The mother-and-son duo purchased tickets to the in-demand show way back in April, getting their hands on some nosebleed seats located up the back of the famed Caesars Palace Hotel. But once they were inside the venue, Ben says he was determined to have a good time regardless - he just didn’t realise how much of a good time they would have.
“At the start, I had said to her [Kathryn], ‘oh, you know, we’re sitting at the back, but it’ll still be fine and fun,” continuing, “To be upgraded to this, the third row where people would spend thousands and thousands was just absolutely out of this world.”
Adele performs onstage during the "Weekends with Adele" Residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Photo / Getty Images
But how did they get there, exactly? Ben reveals that midway through the show when the Easy on Me singer was interacting with the crowd, a spotlight was shone on the section he and his mum were sitting, so he did what any Adele fan wanting to get noticed would do. He began dancing.
“I jumped up out of my seat and started doing this cowboy, rodeo, like, dance move. I had a drink in one hand, and I was going ‘Woooo!’,” he says laughing, adding, “Being a little bit of an idiot.”
But it worked, they caught Adele’s attention and as a result, the following minutes saw the pair collected by security and reallocated to their newly upgraded seats, “My mum just lost it,” he chuckles.
What came next was a lengthy exchange between Ben and Adele, with the young Kiwi admitting it was such a surreal moment that at one point he was unable to talk. “She’s asking me questions, where am I from and what my name was and why I moved to LA. It was funny because I was giving her a great conversation, we were pulling jokes with her,” he says adding, “But then she asked me why I moved to LA and I kind of just like couldn’t respond.”
Confessing his starstruck moment led to the crowd erupting into laughter, he admits, “I just froze and didn’t know what to say.” thankfully, he didn’t need to say anything more because as any good performer knows, the show must go on and Adele quickly moved her attention to his mum.
Kiwi fans Kathryn and Ben Fitchett had a very "special" exchange with Adele at her Las Vegas show.
Revealing Kathryn had travelled all the way from New Zealand for the show, Adele asked her if she had ever been to Las Vegas before, which provoked an emotional confession. The New Zealand-based concert-goer told the singer how she last visited the Nevada city 18 years ago, shortly after her mother - Ben’s grandmother - passed away.
In true Adele fashion, she made a cheeky joke about the decision to travel to Sin City after a massive loss, but then she did something “life-changing”.
Adele announced, “I want to dedicate this song to you and your mum’,” Ben says adding that she broke into a touching rendition of Don’t You Remember.
“It starts with the words, ‘When will I see you again?’ And obviously, that just sent my mum off into waterworks.”
“It was just so special. She [Kathryn] was in tears, it was such a life-changing moment for her to come back to Vegas after her mum had died and have a song by Adele dedicated to her,” Ben admits, before laughing, “Her Facebook was going through the roof.”
But while the experience was unforgettable for two Kiwis, it seems the Kiwi experience was also unforgettable for Adele. Ben explains that during his chat with the Grammy winner, she revealed New Zealand has a place in her heart after her last show here in 2017.
“When I said she [Kathryn] travelled from New Zealand, she [Adele] turns around and is looking to the side of the stage and she goes, ‘Oh, you guys remember when we were in New Zealand, were you at the show, the final show in New Zealand? You know, it was pouring with rain and my ears weren’t working’, she goes, ‘God, I’ll never forget that show’.”
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
