Adele’s Most Memorable Live Performances Will Make You Feel Her Love

Adele’s powerhouse vocals have captivated listeners worldwide since her 2008 debut — and she has 12 Grammys, nine Brits, an Oscar, and two Diamond albums to prove it. After a multi-year break, she’s back with a new song, “Easy On Me,” and her third album, 30, is due Nov. 19.

To celebrate the release, Adele will return to the stage after a near-half-decade performing hiatus for Adele One Night Only, a CBS and Paramount+ concert special airing on Nov. 14. Ahead of the program, look back on 10 of Adele’s most memorable live performances.

Adele’s unmatched vocal talents shine with little-to-no stage production, as shown in her 2009 live cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” on the Late Show With David Letterman, which sees her belt the tear-jerking ballad while seated in an understated black ensemble.

To promote 21, Adele staged an intimate performance of “Someone Like You” in her living room. Accompanied only by a pianist, the stripped-back setting highlights the song’s ultra-personal lyrics: “Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.”

Filmed during a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall alongside a full orchestral band, this 2011 performance of “Set Fire To The Rain” sees Adele’s vocal talents amplified by the energy of a live crowd of fans excited to see the singer, who tours sparingly due to stage anxiety.

During the 21 album cycle, Adele transitioned from a respected musician to a global icon, as seen in her 2012 Brit Awards performance of “Rolling in the Deep,” her two-time Grammy-winning breakthrough hit and first track to ever top the Billboard Hot 100.

Crafting a James Bond theme is no easy task for an artist, but Adele succeeded on all fronts with 2013’s “Skyfall.” The chilling track earned the singer a Grammy and even her first Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, where she delivered a show-stopping performance of the song.

After taking a few years off to craft 25, Adele took the world by storm with 2015’s “Hello,” which topped charts globally and received a powerful live performance at the NRJ Awards the same year. It’s since amassed nearly 100 million views on YouTube.

Adele promoted 25 with many other performances, including a moving rendition of the nostalgic “When We Were Young” at North London’s Church Studios that has over 600 million views — likely thanks to the setting's impeccable acoustics, which send her voice directly to your soul.

Adele's take on “All I Ask” at the 2016 Grammys featured a microphone mishap, which led her piano to go out of tune. Especially memorable as most of her performances are near-perfect, re-watching it is a reminder of her ability to sound incredible under tough circumstances.

One year after the “All I Ask” flub, Adele performed “Fastlove” at the 2017 Grammys in tribute to George Michael, who passed away in late 2016. After a minor vocal slip-up, she apologized and re-started the song in order to honor his artistry and avoid another performance issue.

Following the 2017 Grammys, Adele again retreated from the public eye, only to return in late 2020 to host Saturday Night Live. While she didn’t perform new music, she sang a medley of her hits from 21 and 25 during an instantly viral Bachelor-themed sketch.