In
a world where bigger is better, it's easy to give over -the- top performances
praise for capturing the audience's attention or shocking the critic. Whether
it’s Garth Brooks bringing larger than life stadium concerts to country, or
Lady Gaga giving a disturbing end to her performance at an award show, artists have
constantly tried new techniques from pyrotechnics to extreme costumes with
hopes of making their performance “the best”. However, ever since one artist
sky-rocketed to stardom she's captivated audiences with simply her voice and
soulful lyrics, not only making her a sensation but setting her apart from the
rest. Adele consistently proves less is more. Her musical performance of
"Someone Like You" at Royal Albert Hall demonstrates how Adele embodies
the audience with her simple presence and creates a liveness unlike any other.
Much
like her performance style, the set for Adele’s concert at Royal Albert Hall is
simple. The only background is a wall of lamp shades which light up or dim
depending on the song. For "Someone Like You,” the lights are dimmed, and
a spot light is shown on her and the pianist. The simple spotlight sets the
mood for the song, creating this feeling of isolation and loneliness with the
audience. It exemplifies her presence as a powerhouse singer but also
establishes a certain relationship with the audience by creating this feeling
that it’s only her and them.
Although
the staging can play a major role in a successful performance, how the song is
performed is even more important. The simplicity of the song from her album, 21, makes it unique because there’s no
need to change the arrangement for a live performance. It’s her writing that’s
captured her fans. Although, Adele relies on her voice to get her message
across while a gentle piano accompaniment plays the same chords over and over,
it’s the way she performs the song that accentuates her words.
Adele
may sound the same both live and on her album, but seeing her perform “Someone
Like You” at Royal Albert Hall brings the song to life. It’s her relationship
with the song that makes it so enticing to viewers and listeners. Having
written the song for a man who had moved on while she stayed in love, the
emotion in her voice and small gestures she composes while singing make the
performance enrapturing. The audience is drawn to her as she asks them to sing
part of the song, creating a relationship, a liveness, a shared moment between
everyone in the room who’s ever had a broken heart.
It’s Adele’s unpretentious presence that
enables the audience’s embodiment as well. She doesn’t make any grand gestures.
When the camera zooms in on her, it’s clear she’s not just going through the
motions of singing a rehearsed song, but singing to someone. It’s more than a
performance, it’s personal. There’s a tacit understanding between her and the
audience as the camera shows people swaying, and singing along with her, some crying,
and some simply savoring the moment. It’s the understanding that we’re all
united by shared emotions. The worst feeling in the world is a broken heart,
and she captures that with simplicity. When it comes to love, she knows people
only need one thing, to know they’re not alone. She strips that concept down to
a basic level that everyone can relate. At the end of the song her voice breaks
a little, and she starts to cry, causing a standing ovation from the crowd. It’s
then that the audience realizes, when she sings “Someone Like You” she’s not a
super star, she’s every person who’s ever been hurt by someone, she’s you and
she’s me.
Some may argue that Adele lacks creativity
with her performance, but her simplicity is what gives her song “Someone Like
You” a greater meaning, and what also establishes her eloquence as an artist.
She’s made it clear with numerous interviews that she’s never wanted to be
famous. She simply writes what she feels and somehow speaks to everyone with
her soulful music which revisits meaningful experiences. By performing any
other way, she wouldn’t be Adele. It’s her lyrics and classic elegance that
sets her apart from other artists by being able to give a powerful performance
in a minimalist fashion.
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