Adele stops Las Vegas show to defend standing fan Juan Pablo

Published

10 months ago

August 29, 2023

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Adele has halted one of her shows mid-song to defend a standing fan she thought was being “bothered” by security guards.

The British singer, 35, who is part way through her Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, stopped singing Water Under The Bridge to speak directly to a male fan after he was approached by fellow concert-goers and two security guards.

The fan, Juan Pablo, who was filming himself on a selfie stick during the show, later shared a short video on TikTok of the moments before and after Adele defended his right “to have fun”.

In the video, a one female audience member can be seen approaching the fan, who is standing and singing along with the songs, and appears to ask him to sit down.

The fan does sit down, but a short while later – as Adele leads into her next song saying “you can stand up now darling” – he jumps up from his seat, at which point two other security guards approach him.

One guard says: “Look behind you, everybody’s upset,” to which the fan responds, “I’ll stay calm”.

His friend, sitting next to him, asks: “We can sing though, right?”

It’s at this point, Adele stops singing and intervenes, saying: “What is going on with that young fan there who’s being bothered so much since I’ve been on for standing up?

“Can you leave him alone, please?

“They won’t bother you anymore, darling. You enjoy the show.

“He’s here to have fun, all of you are here to have fun.”

At that point, the third security guard to approach the situation, appearing to respond to Adele’s request, tells the fan: “You don’t have to sit down, you’re fine, stay here,” telling the other two security guards: “It’s all done” and signalling for them to move away.

‘I’m sorry I didn’t respond’

Posting two videos of the incident on TikTok – of the same moment captured from different angles – the fan also gave a message to the singer, writing: “Adele thank you so much for this breath-taking night and for standing up for me, so that I could live your concert as it should be.

“I’m also sorry that I didn’t respond back to anything you asked me. you started talking to me and I literally stopped breathing.”

He went on to say he had been planning his attendance at the concert for over a year, and hit out at “the haters” who tried to make him sit down.

He went on: “I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that I was in the same room as Adele, sang every song with her, and she even stopped the show to defend me.

“I did not expect everyone in my section to be mad at me for having the time of my life and wanting to stand up and sing with her but I honestly did not care at all about what anyone was saying to me I just was in awe with the master piece I was watching with my own eyes. I did not have time for them haters.”

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Are badly behaved audience members on the rise?

He has since told US entertainment website TMZ he has no regrets about standing up, and that people behind him who were blocked should just have stood up too.

He also said he later had a selfie taken with one of the security guards.

Earlier this year, in a similar fashion, Taylor Swift halted mid-chorus during Bad Blood during a Philadelphia performance of her Eras tour to reprimand a security guard for their interaction with a female fan.

It comes amid a host of incidents during concerts, film screenings and play performances, with singers hit by objects thrown from the crowd, and audience members ejected from theatres due to loud and disruptive behaviour.

Entertainment

Sir Rod Stewart defends support for Ukraine after being ‘booed’ by German crowd

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2024

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Sir Rod Stewart defends support for Ukraine after being 'booed' by German crowd

Sir Rod Stewart has defended his support for Ukraine after he appeared to be booed as photos of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were shown at a concert in Germany.

The 79-year-old was met with loud boos, shouts and whistles from the crowd in Leipzig’s Quarterback Immobilien Arena on Friday, before performing his 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart – which he calls a war song and has dedicated to Kyiv in recent shows.

Sir Rod then saluted the Ukrainian leader, while images of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian flag were projected on screen.

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Reacting to the jeers from the crowd on Monday, Sir Rob said he has supported the Ukrainian people since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.

“From arranging for members of my family to take supplies to the country, to renting a house in the UK for a Ukrainian family, as well as employing two Ukrainians as part of my touring crew,” he said.

“So yes, I do support Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine, and I will continue to do so.

“Putin must be stopped.”

The singer ended the statement by saying he is having “the time of my life playing for German audiences, sharing some special memories” and is looking forward to playing his remaining dates there.

Sir Rod has regularly condemned Russia, and recently called Vladimir Putin an “arsehole” during an interview with Sky News.

He is due to return to Germany for a show at Hamburg’s Barclays Arena later this week, before performing in Cologne on 25 June and Munich on 28 June.

Entertainment

First wins for Daniel Radcliffe and Angelina Jolie at Tony Awards

Published

6 hours ago

June 17, 2024

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First wins for Daniel Radcliffe and Angelina Jolie at Tony Awards

Daniel Radcliffe has won his first Tony Award and admitted it was “one of the best experiences” of his life at a ceremony in New York which saw big wins for The Outsiders and Stereophonic.

The 34-year-old star of the Harry Potter movies picked up the award at the 77th annual event, which recognises excellence in Broadway theatre, for his role in the revival of Merrily We Roll Along.

After performing with the cast of the show on stage at the Lincoln Centre’s David H Koch Theatre, Radcliffe appeared shocked to win the award for best actor in a featured role in a musical.

“This has been one of the best experiences of my life,” Radcliffe said.

He thanked the late George Furth and Stephen Sondheim “for writing this unbelievable show” in 1981, the songs of which he described as “a gift to get to sing every night”.

He also said it was an “honour” to share the stage with co-stars Lindsay Mendez and Jonathan Groff in the musical, which charts the turbulent relationship between three lifelong friends.

The Outsiders, based on the SE Hinton book about rival gangs in 1960s Oklahoma, won three awards including best new musical – and landed producer Angelina Jolie her first Tony.

Stereophonic, the play about a Fleetwood Mac-like band recording an album over a turbulent year, won best new play and scooped the night’s most total awards with five.

The star-studded ceremony also saw Nick Jonas, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel, and Cynthia Erivo among the attendees, while there was a surprise performance from Alicia Keys and Jay-Z.

Radcliffe’s Merrily We Roll Along co-star Groff won best actor in a musical – while British director Maria Friedman collected the gong for best revival of a musical alongside her producer sister Sonia.

The ceremony kicked off with a first-time win for Succession’s Jeremy Strong, who triumphed in the best actor in a play category for An Enemy Of The People.

Sarah Paulson won best actress in a play for her role in Appropriate, a dark family drama-turned-comedy from playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Theatre veteran Kecia Lewis picked up her first Tony for best featured actress in musical Hell’s Kitchen.

In an emotional speech, Lewis recalled how she “walked into the Imperial Theatre to begin my Broadway career at 18 years old”.

She added: “This moment is the one I dreamed for most of those 40 years, so I say to everyone who can hear my voice – don’t give up.”

To win a Tony – short for Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre – means a winner is a quarter of the way towards becoming among the few to gain an EGOT, the so-called “grand slam” of American show business, achieved by those who also win an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy.

The West End of London’s equivalent awards are the Olivier Awards, which were presented this year in April.

Entertainment

Sir Rod Stewart ‘booed’ by German crowd while making show of support for Ukraine

Published

15 hours ago

June 17, 2024

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Sir Rod Stewart 'booed' by German crowd while making show of support for Ukraine

Sir Rod Stewart appeared to be booed as photos of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were shown at a concert in Germany.

The 79-year-old singer, who has spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was playing at Leipzig’s Quarterback Immobilien Arena on Friday.

Before performing his 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart – which he calls a war song and has dedicated to Kyiv in recent shows – the Ukrainian flag was projected on screen behind Sir Rod.

Images of Mr Zelenskyy were then shown, prompting loud boos, shouts, and whistles from the crowd.

Videos from social media show the crowd appearing to jeer as Sir Rod salutes the Ukrainian president.

The singer has regularly condemned Russia since 2022, and recently called Vladimir Putin an “arsehole” during an interview with Sky News.

He told Sky News’s Friday Night With Niall Patterson in February: “We have to support Ukraine right to the end.”

In October 2022, Sir Rod also revealed had rented and furnished a home for a family of seven Ukrainian refugees.

“Words couldn’t describe what we were watching,” he told the Daily Mirror at the time. “The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and playgrounds.

“Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don’t wish that on anyone. This is evil, pure evil.”