by John Downey '23 on February 18, 2022
A&E Co-Editor

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Arts & Entertainment

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Adele Cancels Las Vegas Residency

A Look at the Artist’s Controversial Decision

Grace O’Connor ’22

Adele’s fans were shocked when, 30 hours before her first show in Las Vegas was scheduled to take place, the beloved British singer announced that she was postponing her residency. After their initial shock subsided, fans felt a wide range of emotions from irritation to confusion. Caesar’s Palace, the location set to play host to the residency, was also caught off guard and confused why Adele waited until the last minute to cancel her shows. 

Knowing that she owed her supporters an explanation, Adele took to social media to express the reasoning behind her last-minute decision to cancel her Vegas performances for the time being. According to Cosmopolitan, she explained in a set of Instagram stories that “the show was not ready for the stage and that her team has been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and Covid.” This message offered the singer’s fans the answers they were looking for and demonstrated how distraught she is over the unfortunate situation. At one point in the post, she was visibly upset as she explained to viewers that “half my team, half my crew are down with Covid, they still are, and it’s been impossible to finish the show.” The singer added that she is “gutted” about canceling her shows and apologized profusely for disappointing her fans last-minute. 

While Adele’s social media speech demonstrates her distress and suggests that the artist has a valid reason for wanting to postpone her Las Vegas residency, many are speculating that there is more to the story.

TMZ, for instance, has claimed that Adele was “unhappy with various set pieces, a choir, the sound system, and other items associated with the show,” and felt that multiple elements of the show “were not good enough” despite it costing millions of dollars in total. Similarly, according to The Sun, “there was no real clarity around what Adele wanted for the show because of the endless changes being made to the production. It seemed that while she has always preferred a stripped-back performance, she was under some pressure to come up with a huge extravaganza.” If these accusations are true, they paint Adele’s heartfelt speech in a superficial light, and the possibility that Adele actually postponed her residency for those reasons has angered some fans, especially those initially upset by her decision to do so. 

These fans feel that Adele’s desire to create an ideal, perfect show is a selfish reason for canceling, as it has left many scrambling for refunds. For many, their loyalty to and respect for the artist has diminished, given that she did not seem to take into account the inconvenience and financial burden that her canceling would cause them, let alone how much it would disappoint them. 

Hopefully, Adele will find a way to make it up to her fans, lest she risk further alienating them.

by The Cowl Editor on October 1, 2020

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Campus

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by Hannah Langley ’21

News Co-Editor

For many college students, traveling abroad for a semester or two is an exciting and memorable opportunity. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, study abroad programs across the country had to be canceled or postponed.

On Sept. 18, Providence College’s global education department announced their executive decision to suspend study abroad programs for spring 2021. The decision was made by a task force composed of PC students, faculty, and administrators.

Christian Wilwohl, dean of global education, said multiple factors went into the decision to suspend the programs so far in advance. These factors included the high level of uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to Department of State and CDC guidelines, delays in passport and visa processing, and potential host country conditions and restrictions affecting the studying experience.

Another consideration was the fact that students would have to make non-refundable payments for necessities such as flights, passports, program deposits, and more.

Grace Cleary, assistant dean of global education, stated that while these were all large factors in making this decision, “Our decision was rooted in our obligation to look out for student health and safety.” Overall, issues involving students and different CDC regulations in every country could create potential problems.

“If a student were to experience a medical issue abroad,” said Cleary, “new hospital regulations could prevent local support staff from accompanying him or her to assist with translation and insurance paperwork and provide pastoral support. Students arriving in-country would face quarantines and in some cases, lock-down conditions.”
Although students are upset about their semester abroad being canceled, many also understand the necessity for this decision. Cassie Mirasolo ’22, an economics major with a Spanish minor, was planning on doing an international business and culture program in Seville, Spain this upcoming spring. “Honestly, I’m not surprised it was canceled considering the current circumstances, but I’m very sad about it,” said Mirasolo. “I was looking forward to practicing my Spanish and experiencing a Spanish lifestyle.”

She continued, saying that although she feels like she is missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she knows we are living in unprecedented times. “I know a lot of people talk about their time abroad as one of the best times of their lives, which makes it all that harder. It’s something I was lucky to get the opportunity to sign up for through PC, but I guess we have to make the best of these crazy times!”

While abroad this spring is no longer an option, Cleary is still hopeful for abroad programs in the future.
“Study abroad has become such an important part of the PC experience and the Center for Global Education staff is ready to assist students who are planning for fall 2021 and beyond.”

For those interested in studying abroad in the future, the study abroad fair will be held virtually on Oct. 5. All freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who want to go abroad in fall 2021 are encouraged to attend for more information.