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Home / Entertainment

'Help me': Adele's emotional stage return at London's Hyde Park

By Bronte Coy
news.com.au·
4 Jul, 2022 07:45 PM3 mins to read

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Adele gave a fan VIP access to her concert, in exchange for borrowing their Pride flag. Video / AP

Adele has returned to the stage for her first public concerts in five years, belting out her powerhouse ballads in two shows at London's Hyde Park to huge crowds over the weekend.

Adele has made a jaw-dropping return to the stage in front of thousands of fans. Photo / Getty Images
Adele has made a jaw-dropping return to the stage in front of thousands of fans. Photo / Getty Images

On Saturday, the singer, 34, looked sensational in a black floor-length, off-the-shoulder, sequined gown, with her hair parted on the side and in loose waves as she performed to the crowd of 65,000 people at the British Summer Time festival.

Adele accessorised with massive circular statement earrings.

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Adele has not played a public live show since she headlined two concerts at Wembley Stadium in 2017, having postponed her Las Vegas residency in January.

One day earlier, she made an emotional return to the stage on Friday, telling the crowd, "Help me," as she launched into her hit song Hello.

She briefly stopped singing to tell the audience that she was "so happy to be here".

She then urged the audience, which included actor Tom Cruise, to help her sing the ballad.

Adele performs in London's Hyde Park. Photo / Getty Images
Adele performs in London's Hyde Park. Photo / Getty Images

After the first song, she admitted: "I'm f***ing s**tting myself."

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Having sung the first three tracks, she added: "My God, I'm back at home."

Performing under a stage adorned with tassels, Adele wore a black halter neck dress with a gold waistband.

Despite releasing her fourth album 30 last year, she only performed five songs from it, including second track I Drink Wine.

Her two-show concert return comes after she opened up about being savaged by a "brutal" backlash after postponing her Las Vegas shows.

The singer admitted she was frightened to call them off earlier this year and said she was "a shell of a person" for months afterwards.

However, Adele stood by the last-minute decision, explaining to the BBC's Desert Island Discs: "You can't buy me ... you can't buy me for nothing. I'm not going to do a show because I have to.

Adele asked fans for help as she launched into her hit song Hello. Photo / Getty Images
Adele asked fans for help as she launched into her hit song Hello. Photo / Getty Images

"Did I make the right decision? I don't know. I definitely felt everyone's disappointment, and I was devastated. I was frightened about letting them down," she said.

"I don't think any other artist would have done what I did. I think that's why it was such a massive, story, it was like [saying] I don't care, and stuff like that."

Adele also confessed to feeling "terrible" after her dramatic 44kg weight loss left young fans with confidence issues, but defended herself against claims she'd betrayed them, hitting back: "They ain't there at 4am when I'm crying my heart out with anxiety and needing a distraction."

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