Her songs are about long-term romances, not one-night stands, so it seemed appropriate that Adele returned to Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday night to solidify what turned into an enduring love affair with the Twin Cities.
"These two shows have been such an amazing way to start off the tour, honestly," the British singer said near the end of another rapturously received two-hour set.
St. Paul was the first stop on her U.S. itinerary, so she spent a little extra time in town — four days total, which she told Tuesday's sold-out crowd already included visits to the Mall of America, Hi-Lo Diner and 112 Eatery. On Wednesday, she talked about making it out to one of Minnesota's most world-renowned institutions.
"The first thing I do when I get off a plane in America is head to a Target store," she said, to applause that overpowered her tributes to Bob Dylan and Prince in the show. And lest her Brit wit be mistaken, she added, "I'm not kidding. I've been there twice since I've been here."
Wednesday's 15,000 attendees could not have been thrifty shoppers when it came to the concert's tickets. After a storm brought scalping prices crashing down Tuesday, they were back up above the $200 range Wednesday. Even Adele herself joked about the demand when — during one of her many interactions with the crowd — she found one woman who came both nights.
"How'd you do that?!" the singer asked. "I can't even get tickets two nights in a row to my shows."
The between-song banter was the only thing different on Wednesday. Adele followed the same 18-song set list in order, starting with "Hello." She employed the same stage trickery, too, including a real water downpour in "Set Fire to the Rain" and a deluge of confetti with lyrics written on it for the finale "Rolling in the Deep."
She even wore the same dress: a blue/purple-sequined Burberry number, of which she reportedly had 10 versions made to last the tour's duration.
The only song that was different from Tuesday was the Prince video she picked to play during her encore break: "Raspberry Beret" this time, after which she offered another explanation for why she opted not to actually sing one of his songs herself.
"It's not like doing somebody mediocre," she said. "Everything he did was just the [bleepin'] best."
Once again, Adele's off-the-cuff moments were the best. Like when she pointed to a woman expecting a child and mentioned that another was sent to the delivery room after Tuesday's concert. "My show is so rocking it puts women in labor," she bragged.
The best unchanged trait between the two shows, of course, was how she once again truly marveled the crowd with her voice. "Don't You Remember" and the acoustic "Send My Love (to Your New Lover)," in particular, would have been worth the price of two admissions. It was only the second night, sure, but the only wear and tear Adele revealed on Wednesday was to her Target Red Card.
Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658
@ChrisRstrib
