In her native England, they call Adele the queen of pop. It's a nation that likes their queens. Look, if you had the No. 4 bestselling U.K. album of all-time (behind Queen — of course — plus Abba and the Beatles), you'd be treated like a queen, too.
Put that cellphone down: The dos and don'ts of attending an Adele concert
Adele is very fussy about her audience, so be sure to follow these dos and don'ts in St. Paul.
July 5, 2016 at 5:22PM
Her Majesty's latest album, "25," sold 17.4 million copies worldwide last year alone, making it 2015's biggest seller — outdistancing the sales of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran combined.
The Brits embrace her so much that the Adele World Tour 2016 had to start in her queendom — actually Northern Ireland, then England and the rest of Europe — before she could take on North America, beginning this week in St. Paul.
Reports from across the pond indicate that Adele, 28, is very much in the moment in concert. She might blurt out anything that's on her mind, whether commenting on events in the world or scolding a fan fixated on a cellphone.
If you don't want to become the subject of a viral video (or if you do), follow these do's and don'ts at Adele's concerts Tuesday and Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center.
DO:
• Bring your mom to the concert because she probably likes Adele, too. The singer's multigenerational appeal helps explain why her "21" album from 2011 has sold 31 million copies worldwide.
• Ask Adele about Brexit. Because you probably don't understand it beyond your 401(k) and other investments taking a dive.
• Wear your Pride colors. She's a big LGBT supporter.
• Ask her to help you make a proposal to your loved one at the concert. She's done it before. For instance, at one of her London shows in March, she spotted a proposal in the crowd during her performance "Make You Feel My Love" and called the lucky couple onstage midsong.
• Let her photo bomb your selfie if you're standing in front of the stage. She's a great sport. A fan in Manchester got a big surprise when Adele stopped the show to pose in the photo.
• Bring something cool — and highly visible — to give her, because she might invite you onstage. A fan in England offered a Smirnoff Ice, and she graciously accepted it but passed it to her manager because she's just not drinking while on tour.
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• Have a hankie. Or two. It's Adele, for real. You'll laugh (her chatter is unfiltered), you'll cry and cry (you know about her melancholy music). Even you dutiful husbands taking your wives to the hottest ticket of the year, hankie up.
DON'T
• Try to watch the concert through your cellphone. She'll tell you so if she catches you as a full-time camera operator. That's what happened in Italy when a fan set up a camera on a tripod. "Stop," Adele said. "Because I'm really here in real life, you can enjoy it in real life, rather than through your camera."
• Be surprised if she drops an F-bomb or other words we won't print in this newspaper. At the massive Glastonbury festival in England last weekend, she swore 33 times in 90 minutes — and it was broadcast live on BBC Two television.
• Shout a request for a Prince song or "Free Bird." This is not that kind of a concert.
• Insult her. In a recent interview, Tony Visconti, best known as David Bowie's producer/manager, suggested that her voice was manipulated with technology for radio. Ms. Ten-Time Grammy Winner ripped him a good one — and he apologized.
• Brag that you saw Adele before anyone else in the Twin Cities. She performed for small audiences in 2008 at the Theatre de la Jeune Lune and Dakota Jazz Club (she even autographed the inside of the club's grand piano).
• Buy a souvenir unless you can't leave the arena without it. Adele is reportedly about to sign a $130 million record contract with Sony Music. She's rolling in the dough.
Twitter: @JonBream • 612-673-1719
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