( Rolling Stone ) -- When Adele finished a soaring rendition of `` Hometown Glory '' to open her set at Washington D.C. 's 9:30 Club last night -- the kickoff gig for her North American tour -- she did a mini-curtsy and took a long swig from a teacup . `` I 'm really , really , really nervous , '' she told the mostly female sell-out crowd . `` The last time I was here , the guy who inspired '21 ' was with me . '' The assembled roared in solidarity . It was the beginning of a non-stop monologue that continued between the set 's 16 songs , drawn mostly from `` 21 , '' the deeply personal break-up album that has sold 1.5 million copies this year . It seemed that if she stopped talking , even for a moment , the emotions that clearly simmered just below the surface might explode . Her fans could easily have filled a venue much larger than the 1,200-capacity club -- as , clearly , could her voice . But Adele 's nerves might not be ready for anything less intimate . Choose the cover of Rolling Stone : Vote now ! Wearing a high-belted black dress and standing mostly still on a set seemingly designed to look like a retro London flat , with Persian rugs and two dozen vintage lampshades dangling at various heights , Adele belted out her heartache in song after earnest song . The material might have turned grating or repetitive in the hands of a lesser talent , but the 23-year-old Brit 's reservoir is so deep and the passion so palpable that it 's hard to take your eyes off her . `` I do n't know why I get so hot -- it 's not like I 'm dancing like Beyoncé , '' she quipped after the particularly melancholic `` Do n't You Remember '' before releasing a signature laugh-honk and moving on to gabbing about the royal wedding . `` I liked the kissing bit best , '' she said . `` They just seemed like any boyfriend and girlfriend . '' `` Turning Tables , '' one of the angrier tracks on 21 , was given a smart , spare arrangement that highlighted the power of Adele 's voice , which carried effortlessly into the high rafters , pulling goosebumps from hundreds of arms -- and more than a few tears . Read excerpts from Rolling Stone 's cover story on Adele . One of the night 's biggest ovations came when the singer introduced her cover of `` If It Had n't Been for Love , '' by bluegrass band the Steeldrivers . `` It 's about shooting your wife , '' she said . `` I 'm not condoning it , but I want to shoot a few f***ing men in my life . '' When she played the re-imagined cover of the Cure 's `` Lovesong '' from 21 , she mentioned that the arrangement was originally written for Barbra Streisand , who passed on it . She went on to list her `` favorites '' as Streisand , Bette Midler , Etta James , and June Carter -- a list that accurately reflects Adele 's own potent mix of soul and schmaltz . Rolling Stone : Before Adele -- a history of British soul divas . As the set wound down , it was clear the weight was lifting off her shoulders . `` I ca n't believe I 've managed to wear my high heels throughout the whole show ! '' she blurted before launching into `` Someone Like You , '' perhaps the most devastating song on 21 , in which she confronts her former lover 's marriage . `` Nevermind , I 'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you too , '' she sang with shaking hands . `` Do n't forget me , I beg . '' Returning for a triumphant encore -- `` The shoes are off ! '' she declared -- Adele did n't so much deliver her propulsive , bitter signature hit `` Rolling in the Deep '' as introduce it . This time , her booming voice was just the loudest in a sing-along in which her thousand-plus tribe shared the cathartic joy of acceptance and resilience . Adele , in all her pop-culture referencing , quippy glory , delivers that as well as anyone . Copyright © 2010 Rolling Stone .
Adele gave a non - stop performance that continued between her album 's two songs . It seemed emotions that clearly simmered just below the surface might change . Material might have been grating or repetitive in the hands of a lesser talent .