Happy Hour with Adele

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October 25th 2022

“Hello, it’s me. I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet…”

It only seems fair to make my first blog post be about the greatest night of my existence (and if you think I’m exaggerating, I rarely leave the house voluntarily, so you better believe life doesn’t get better than this for an introverted fangirl). On October 25th, 2022, I took a last minute flight to LA to attend Adele’s music video premiere for “I Drink Wine.” Mind you, this was a private & secret event…so much so that none of the attendees knew the location until a few hours before doors opened.

The event came nine months after the postponed Weekends with Adele residency was intended to premiere, and just weeks before she finally said Hello onstage in Vegas. The “I Drink Wine” video was anticipated by “Daydreamers” (the unofficial official term for fans of Adele) for more than a year. Images from the set were leaked at the time of filming, and she referred to her “camp” video during a promotional interview for her most recent album, 30.

“I Drink Wine” is the third music video from Adele’s 2021 album. It followed the release of the album’s first video, Easy on Me, in October 2021, and Oh My God in January 2022 -days before the residency was set to premiere. In retrospect, I’d love to know the original timeline for the video premiere, as it obviously wasn’t in the plans to have a second opening weekend. Though we now know she extended her residency with more dates, so maybe the fall release was part of the plan all along. I guess we’ll never know… but if I can bribe anyone with an invite to the next premiere, I promise to inquire.

After months of little to no public appearance of Adele, fans questioned if the residency would be completely cancelled and the 30 era would end without live performances for fans, apart from two July shows at Hyde Park. The “I Drink Wine” music video premiere marked the end of a COVID-sabotaged chapter of the 30 era, and the beginning of the residency that would extend into 2023 & 2024. For that I will always be grateful.

***

Two questions I received more than any other was “How did you get picked?” and “What does she smell like?” We’ll return to the latter to build some sense-suspense. Fans received invites from Adele’s team through various social media platforms only a few days before the event the following Tuesday. This included YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and some directly through email:

Hi! We’re thrilled to invite you to an exclusive and special event in LA with Adele to celebrate the release of her new video for “I Drink Wine.”

In order to attend the event, all attendees must be over 21 years of age, agree to be on camera, agree to get a rapid Covid test on-site in order to enter venue. Location details will be disclosed the morning of the event, no later than 10am PT.

Chaos ensued for those who caught wind of a secret event taking place… myself included. People within the Daydreamer community posted mysterious tweets alluding to receiving a secret invite, with replies saying “congrats babes,” or “so happy for you!” …thus creating a frenzy within the fandom for those who either weren’t picked, or had no idea what was happening. I spent Friday and Saturday desperately, and foolishly, refreshing my junk folder to see if I had missed my coveted invite.

I won’t get into a long winded explanation of why I hoped or felt I deserved an invite, and want to be clear that every fan deserves the thrill of meeting their idol for whatever reason. There is no hierarchy of importance or reason one fan “deserves” it more than the next. I will simply share how I ended up with my name on the list.

It was 4 am on Sunday when I woke to the sound of my kittens in a tussle. I rolled over to check my phone for the time and saw a notification from a fan page I had followed for years, called AdeleDaily. The page had tens of thousands of followers, and just happened to follow me back sometime during the 30 era… I’m guessing because I was an early follower and interacted with their posts throughout the years. I knew the page was followed by Adele Access, the official fan page for Adele, but I also knew the owner of the account unfortunately lived far enough away that they weren’t able to travel for the upcoming shows. They messaged me a simple “hey babes” before letting me know they were invited but couldn’t go, and wanted me to represent them for their invite: “would you like to go, can you travel to LA?”

actual photo of me looking at my phone in disbelief at 4 am

I poked my husband awake, who just hours before had heard me ramble on about how much I wanted to receive an invite. I needed to see if he thought it sounded like a scam, or if I had just stumbled upon a winning lottery ticket. I wrote back that I could definitely be on a plane to LA in a few days, despite having no plan. I knew I would make it there if I had to start hiking that day.

The rest of the weekend was a blur of various emotions from disbelief, guilt, and an excitement like I’ve never felt. I had doubt that I’d be accepted into the event to represent a page in which I had no affiliation, doubt that everything would work out on such short notice. I felt guilt that this other fan who dedicated so much time to their account wouldn’t get to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience, and guilt that they decided to message me and I happened to roll over and respond in the middle of the night before they could find someone else. And excitement that felt like pressure in my chest and a tightness in my throat, only to be relieved through tears of joy.

When people say “How?” I reply with a practiced “invites were sent out through Adele’s official fan page” but the long answer is I was in the right place at the right time, with a connection to someone who was actually chosen by her team. It could have been anyone, but through the magic of online connections, the owner of the fan account knew I had been to Vegas for the cancelled opening weekend and selflessly decided to share their invite. While it was no consolation, I sent as many updates as possible for the account to share an insider’s perspective.

My perspective throughout the day leading up to the event was less than red carpet glamorous; I woke up for an early flight full of anxiety and uncertainty for what the day would bring. Did I pack the right clothing? Would we be able to bring our phones to the event so I could order a ride? Did I even pick the right airport? If not, would I be able to get to the right side of town and get dressed in time? What if I get there and my name wasn’t approved for the list? Or maybe I had COVID but wasn’t showing symptoms so I’d only get to say hello from the outside.

Full of nerves, I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream (but no cardigan). The information for time, location, and attire was sent out while I was in the air. We were instructed to meet at a cocktail lounge, The Fleur Room, on Sunset Blvd in “chic” attire. I hadn’t eaten all day and was too anxious to make a move in direction of the hotel, especially now that I knew it was an hour away. I purchased a bag of Chex Mix and blindly ate the entire shareable-size bag amidst being deep in thought. I changed my flight home for the next day to the Burbank airport, and contemplated how in the world I ended up in California. Everything was aligned: I was coincidentally off work on Tuesday and Wednesday, and had enough frequent flyer miles for a round trip flight booked only a little over 24 hours in advance. I thought about finding a sharpie and something for Adele to sign in case an opportunity presented itself for an autograph, but who knew if we’d get to meet her or even bring any belongings in to the event. I had a pen and thank you note packed from home, but couldn’t come up with the words to express my gratitude. After one or two hours, I opted to get to the hotel for maximum time to get ready.

My “plus one,” Victoria, and I had been messaging each other all day because she had to rush to LA on a flight from Vegas after a full day of work. She booked a Universal Studios hotel for us, and the rest of my last couple solo hours were a blur… Harry Potter themed elevator doors, confusing shower nozzle, hair wouldn’t curl, not enough sparkle in makeup, too much sparkle, excessive sweating. Victoria arrived in a panic since her flight had a delay and she still needed to get ready after work. Meanwhile people were already lining up on the street outside the venue. We ordered an uber that would get us there just in time, but it cancelled on us. In fight or flight mode, we shelled out the big bucks for an Uber Black as if we were making a 911 call to get to Adele in time. Though not originally intended, we arrived in style in a fancy black escalade, and slid across the leather seats to hop out onto the pavement in front of other Daydreamers queued for entry.

Since we pushed our entrance to the last minute, the Columbia Records team checked our vaccination cards instead of making us take a test… so at least one of my irrational fears of being denied entry was settled. A woman working for Adele’s label pulled our names out of a stack of cards and instructed us to write a question on the back of a second card that read “I Drink Wine,” so it may be read during the interview. This was the first time we had confirmation that Adele would actually be present and speaking to us. We stumbled inside, in a daze masked by a permanent toothy grin that immediately dropped to a gaping hole of surprise when we saw a photo booth to the right of entry. What’s the purpose of the photo booth? Who will be using it? Are we going to MEET and take a picture with ADELE?!

The rest of the night moved at a speed unknown to man; time didn’t exist and yet still managed to pass us by. It felt like being actively asleep, but you’re fully conscious that you’re dreaming instead of living in reality. The room was dark, only illuminated by shades of purple, pink, and blue lights, and full of Daydreamers who had already been snacking on hors d’oeuvres and mingling. I felt very out of place in this “chic” environment but as I was handed some wine, I clutched the glass and told myself I belonged. There weren’t many seats left, but we found enough space to sit together next to a large red screen with the song’s font and logo.

My friends and family were messaging from home as the evening was also a live-streamed event. The chirpy and confident interviewer came out… though I can’t remember all the details because this is when things get blurry, and he introduced theAdele. She strolled out of a side room and straight to an empty space next to the screen, only a few feet away from where we were seated. She said a few inaudible things… maybe I couldn’t comprehend through her accent, or maybe I was simply in shock as I sank into my seat with tears running down my face. She TURNED. TO. ME. in the middle of her introduction, “Are you alright babes? Look at you in your Ginger Spice top. Are you actually British?” In screen recordings from the livestream, you can hear me shout “NO” in a squeaky high-pitched tone, though I have no recollection of the noise actually coming from my mouth. Everyone laughed. I wasn’t sure what they were laughing at in the moment, but understand how goofy I sounded after I watched back videos.

Adele disappeared to a seat adjacent to the screen so she could watch the video with us. The song’s piano intro started and I remember not being able to focus on the screen, turning my head all around the room like a lost golden retriever. I had to soak in the moment; looking back to catch a glimpse of Adele watching her performance, and looking at her team with their note cards and giant live-streaming cameras. As the video came to completion with a dark screen, we all applauded before turning in her direction for the interview. Fans passed around a microphone to ask questions, and some were projected on the screen from fans’ videos around the world. During each conversation or question, Adele made a point of getting to know her fan by asking a question in return, or complimenting their outfit as they complimented hers. When the interviewer said we had come to the end of our time, she asked for a few more questions to extend the conversations.

An hour must have passed before we reached the next event of the night, and Adele darted to the side of the room where we had entered by the photo booth. A woman from her team, dressed in a casual School House Rock shirt, instructed that our names would be called to line up for a photo booth meet and greet opportunity with Adele.

I hadn’t expected our names to be called during the first group, so there wasn’t much time to process the magic that had just occurred in that room, but also that we were about to meet the actual queen of England. There must have been some correlation to us entering last, and our name cards ending up on top of the meet and greet stack of cards. While we waited for our turn, we were offered another drink and snacks. I shoved an entire lemon tart, roughly half the size of my palm, in my mouth without thinking about how close I was to needing a clear mouth to talk. I was sweating and fanning myself in a panic, and then panicking about sweating and having dry mouth from excessive smiling- all in front of one of Adele’s very sturdy body guards. I can’t imagine what her team must see on a day to day basis, but I hope they see fans with much more composure than I displayed in that moment.

Victoria and I neared the front of the line but then all of a sudden were walking towards Adele in this “I Drink Wine” themed photo booth with colorful plants and fake birds. I don’t remember much from the conversation apart from shouting “You’re Adele” when she asked my name, followed by immediatley asking after a hug if she was wearing Hypnotic Poison by Dior, per my experience in testing her “signature scent” at Sephora. Towards the end of the conversation, I sheepishly lowered my voice, enough to make her lean in to listen, and asked if she’d be willing to sign her name with a heart so I could get it as my first tattoo. I pulled out the thank you card envelope, and a purple pen that I had packed away in my pocket for a “just in case” moment as such. While visiting, we covered the topic of seeing her in Vegas and that it’s where Victoria is from. We took a couple pictures with her, she told Victoria she smelled like fresh laundry, and we said “see you soon.”

On our way out, I grabbed an extra “I Drink Wine” coaster as a souvenir from a stack by the door. The large security guy stared me down the whole time, making very uncomfortable eye contact as if I were Nicolas Cage contemplating stealing the Declaration of Independence. Someone else from the label’s staff handed us “I Drink Wine” hats on the way out. A paparazzi man was waiting outside and wanted to confirm Adele was still inside. I wonder how long he waited in the cold to get a picture because I know the meet and greet lasted well into the night.

In disbelief and utter excitement, we giggled our way down the street for pizza, before getting a very chatty Uber driver for the ride back to our hotel. I FaceTimed my husband and parents to show off my pictures and souvenirs. Before bed, we recounted everything that took place that night, frequently repeating “we met Adele tonight… we hugged Adele tonight.”

I Drink Wine memorabilia haul, w/ @adventuresofvictoria

Time moved a lot slower the next morning as I processed the whirlwind 24 hours. I flew back home, wishing everyone on the plane would ask me what I had done the day before. My husband picked me up at the airport and took me to lunch so I could tell him everything with a dry, crackled voice from a mouth that hadn’t stopped smiling.

***

The next month followed with a trip to Vegas to see the opening weekend of Weekends with Adele, wearing the same outfit I had worn to the music video premiere. I had secret hopes that she would recognize me as a friend from the back row of the floor (spoiler alert, she did not.) But I felt special nonetheless in my “are you actually British” shirt.

The following May, in time for Adele’s birthday, I got her autograph tattooed on my wrist. I see it every day and remember the kindness and generosity of everyone involved in making this once in a lifetime 24 hour trip possible.

photos taken with and by Victoria Harris: @adventuresofvictoria