Adele begins 32-concert residency in Las Vegas: 'I've never been more nervous before a show'

LAS VEGAS – This time, things should go as planned and Adele will say "Hello" to fans again.

Ten months after the British songbird's abrupt residency cancellation, the Grammy-nominated singer will begin her string of Weekends with Adele shows in Las Vegas on Friday.

The 32 concerts at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace – Fridays and Saturdays through March 25 – are sold out according to Ticketmaster, the official ticketing site for the shows. The least expensive tickets on secondary sale sites hover around $700 before fees; some of the best seats for opening night are $10,000 and higher.

On the night before her residency debut, Adele posted a photo on Instagram from final rehearsals and shared her jumble of feelings.

"I’m highly emotional, incredibly nervous but can’t sit still because I’m so excited," she wrote. "Maybe it’s because I didn’t start when I was supposed to. Maybe it’s because it’s opening night, maybe it’s because Hyde Park went so great, maybe its because I love the show I don’t know. But it’s safe to say I’ve never been more nervous before a show in my career..."

Adele left fans – many of whom traveled from other countries and didn't learn of the cancelation until arriving in Las Vegas – angry and disappointed after the last-minute cancelation of her residency in January. She apologized with a tearful video on social media.

"I'm so sorry, but my show ain't ready. We’ve tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID – half my crew are down with COVID, they still are – and it’s been impossible to finish the show…I can’t give you what I have right now."

Adele isn't a pop star because she's hip. It's because she's sincere

Last July, Adele told BBC Radio 4 in England that she understood why fans were upset with the delay, but she doesn’t regret her decision to retool the show.

The “Easy on Me” singer acknowledged as much in her latest statement, saying, “For some of you it was a horrible decision on my part, and I will always be sorry for that, but I promise you it was the right one. To be with you in such an intimate space every week has been what I’ve most been looking forward to and I’m going to give you the absolute best of me.”

Interest in seeing the singer perform hits such as "Rolling in the Deep," "Easy on Me" and "Someone Like You" live increased in urgency given Adele's recent comments that she intends to take a break from music after her residency wraps.

At an event last month, Adele said: “after Vegas, I really want to get a degree in English literature.”

“It’s something that, if I hadn’t made it in my singing, I think I would definitely be a teacher. I think I would be an English lit teacher,” she said, telling fans that she wishes she had attended college and it’s her plan for “2025 vibes.”

But don’t expect to see the “Someone Like You” singer taking notes inside a classroom. She clarified that she could receive her degree online and with a tutor.

Contributing: Marina Pitofsky, USA Today

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adele Las Vegas concert residency begins at Caesars Palace