I was one of the 60,000 people who attended Adele’s first Brisbane concert on Saturday night as part of the Adele Live 2017 tour, and what an experience it was!  It was an incredible night of fun as well as turning out to be a night of facing fears, for both Adele and I. 

Fun

We drove to a nearby bus station, met up with some friends, and caught the bus into Woolloongabba.  We had allowed heaps of time as advised in the media so decided to go for a drink at the Australian National Hotel, just across the road from The Gabba (Brisbane Cricket Ground).  The hotel even arranged an Adele pre-party for us!  We thought it might have been a private party but no, it was open to all, so up the stairs we went!

Soon we made our way over to The Gabba, grabbed some food to eat and then went through Gate 7 and found our seats.  What a fabulous view we had (see top image)!

Just before 8pm Adele arrived and the crowd roared with excitement.  Her first song was of course ‘Hello’.  I filmed some snippets of the concert on my trusty phone.  Some I’ll share in this post.  You can see more on my Instagram or Facebook page.

She sang all the favourite songs.  There were big black and white balloons bouncing around at times.  There was smoke and fireworks and confetti with her handwriting on it.  Her voice is incredibly powerful and moving.  Equally engaging is her banter between songs.  She truly does make you feel like one of her mates she’s chatting away to.  She’s down to earth, very real and authentic, so funny, not in the slightest bit pretentious, and that laugh!!

The most theatrical song was ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ with plumes of smoke coming up from the stage and fireworks shooting out of the top of the stage set up.  The prettiest song was ‘Make You Feel My Love’ with the twinkling lights of all the audience mobile phones around the stadium creating a beautiful vision and atmosphere.  To be honest, I enjoyed EVERY song – each had something special about it.  The final song was ‘Someone Like You’.  By 10pm it was all over and I couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed.  I’d just seen one of the world’s most famous female singers of our time perform live in my home town.  I nearly had to pinch myself!

If you’d like to see more video’s from the night head on over to my Instagram or Facebook page.

Facing Fears

Me

There’s no point denying the fact that as excited as I was about seeing Adele live, I was suffering with anxiety on the day of the concert.  I’d read all the articles in the media about the expected chaos, the traffic bedlam, the lack of adequate public transport, the crowds, the predicted thunderstorm and rain etc. 

I don’t like crowds.  I don’t like feeling trapped.  I don’t like chaos.  I don’t like not being in control.  I was anxious, very anxious.  However, I didn’t want my anxiety to ruin this fabulous opportunity for me, so I went anyway.  I faced the fear head on and thankfully it turned out not to be anywhere near as bad as I had built it up to be in my head.  We got on a bus to the concert easily and straight into Woolloongabba with no problems at all.  Getting out of the stadium at the end of the concert and home took longer but we were home before midnight and without any drama.  Anxiety has a tendency to create worse case scenario’s and possibilities in your mind that most likely will never eventuate.  My anxiety was exacerbated by reading too many news articles.  I have learnt that I need to NOT read the melodramatic writings of news columnists when it is on a subject likely to trigger anxiety within me! 

As a side note, I’ve got to say well done to The Gabba, the Brisbane City Council, Translink and everyone else involved in the organisation of the Adele concerts at The Gabba.  It may have been the largest crowd ever accommodated at The Gabba, and there may have been no nearby train station to relieve the pressure on the Woolloongabba busway station but hey – it all worked out pretty darn good!  Job very well done!

Adele

Adele too had to face a fear on this night.  She openly admitted she was very nervous.  She endeared herself to everyone with her honesty.  “I talk a lot when I’m nervous” she said.  What courage it must take to stand there on that stage with the focus of 60,000+ people on her.  Talented or not, famous or not, no matter how many times you did it, it would be a confronting thing to do! 

Not only that but I admire how she is so authentically herself.  Many people faced with the possibility of judgement on the scale that she is might put up a bit of a pretence, pretending to be something other than their true selves, someone who they think would be more liked by the masses.  Adele doesn’t do that.  She’s down to earth, genuine, and unashamedly her real self.  She swears freely.  She screams when a bug scares her.  She tells us how she is missing her man.  She says what’s on her mind, like “I think they should shut up with their bloody moaning” her now famous dig at the Brisbane City Council and all the melodrama in the media about the venue for her concert being unsuitable.  She does make you feel like you’re a mate she’s chatting to.  It is because she ‘felt her fears but did it anyway’ by choosing to stand on stage in enormous stadiums and share her talent with her fans, and to be her authentic self, that she has endeared herself to so many.  She’s a real person.  She’s a real person with the gift of a magnificent and powerful voice. 

We all know I love a good quote so on this occasion the following quote came to mind.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear ~ Nelson Mandela

An Update:  In my post last week I wrote of my excitement of seeing Adele perform live and the opportunity of a life time for her to meet me and have one of her dreams come true.  It may shock you, but it didn’t happen.  It was too public I believe.  I’m expecting her people to contact my people (still got to get some yet) any day to make arrangements to fly me to Sydney for a private meeting with her.  I am writing my ‘what to pack’ list as we speak.  Actually I don’t mind waiting till she is in Melbourne because I haven’t been there since 2012!

Oh, before I forget … huge thank you to my three “kidults” for the tickets for Christmas!!

Did you go to either of the Brisbane Adele concerts?  Did you love it like I did?  Did you go to the Perth concert?  I heard it was fabulous too!  Going to the Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide concerts?  Are you excited?  You will love it!

Ciao for now,

P.S.  If you think there’s any truth to the ‘an update’ paragraph let me assure you that apart from writing a post last week about my excitement at seeing Adele perform live being true, the rest is not.  I’m just a bit of a fruitcake at times!  Life can sometimes be too serious!  Being a fruitcake and being a bit silly is one way of having a bit of fun and #lovinlife

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