Adele Says She Won’t Perform One Of Her Biggest Hits Ever Again

Adele has no plans to sing one of her earliest hits again. On Aug. 2, the singer began her 10-night residency in Munich, Germany at the purpose-built arena Messe München, where she performed fan-favorite songs such as “Hello,” “Easy on Me,” and “Set Fire to the Rain” for 75,000 adoring fans. There, she also brought out one of her oldest singles for a farewell.

On opening night, Adele sang “Chasing Pavements,” marking the first time she’s performed the 2008 ballad live since 2017. In a fan video filmed at the show, the Grammy winner explained why she hasn’t included the track on concert set lists for the past seven years, plus revealed that she doesn’t intend to sing it again after the residency.

“The reason I don’t sing this song very often, and I shan’t sing it again after this Munich residency, is because the way I pronounced the words in this song when I was 19 years old, I sound like I’m 19 years old,” Adele told the crowd.

At 36, she doesn’t welcome that particular blast from the past. “When I sing it now, I still sound 19 years old and it annoys me,” Adele said. “But I’m going to do it for you because I love you, and again the Germans have always been very, very loving to me. But I’m only going to do it if you do it with me.”

“Chasing Pavements” was released in January 2008 as the second single from Adele’s debut studio album, 19. The song reached No. 2 on the UK singles charts and its accompanying music video was nominated at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. It’s an important part of her past, even if it’s not part of her future.

Speaking at her Munich residency on Aug. 2, Adele also revisited the 21 album track “Someone Like You” and got emotional, telling fans that the song “changed my life.”

“I wrote it at a time in my life when I was at the lowest I’ve ever been,” she said in a fan video. “I wish someone would’ve told me that when I was 21, that people are going to sing this song someday.”

Adele’s European Residency

After wrapping up her Las Vegas Weekends with Adele residency, Adele announced in January that she would be performing 10 shows in Munich throughout the summer of 2024.

“I couldn’t think of a more wonderful way to spend my summer and end this beautiful phase of my life and career with shows closer to home during such an exciting summer,” she said in a statement. “Guten Tag babes.”