Adele takes a dig at Channel 7 and sticks up for Justin Bieber during first Sydney concert

ADELE took a dig at Channel 7 and stuck up for troubled pop star Justin Bieber during her first ever Sydney show.

WITH a massive sold-out crowd of more than 90,000 in attendance, Adele’s first-ever Sydney concert was never going to be an intimate affair — and yet, the insanely popular singer-songwriter managed to make it feel like she was singing in your living room.

Adele, traditionally wary of playing arenas let alone stadiums, embraced the oversized setting, delivering a show that managed to juggle songwriting intimacy with showy bombast.

“I started doing bars, then theatres, then they convinced me to do arenas ... Stadiums were just bewildering but I had to come, because I’m so blessed that so many of you wanted to see me,” she told the adoring crowd.

Adele: Bar room banter and stately ballads. Picture: Getty

The singer’s debut Australian tour has been a mammoth affair, with intense media interest, and she had a sly dig at Channel 7 during the show, noting that she was forced to do her soundcheck under the stage because of “keen” hovering Seven News helicopters.

The songs were gold-plated throughout, from stunning early hits Hometown Glory and Chasing Pavements to her latest single, the brilliant pop of Water Under The Bridge.

But as great as the hits are, 90,000 people were also here to spend an evening with one of the funniest, most charismatic people in the music business: A woman who could start a career in stand-up tomorrow if she got sick of singing.

“I don’t look like this in real life — there’s a lot of makeup, a lot of contour and a lot of contrast to get me look like this,” she told the crowd, explaining that the Australian climate had forced her to add industrial fans to her stage.

A massive crowd for Adele’s first Sydney show. Picture: Getty

“I’d go on stage and after three songs my face would be down on my dress,” she cackled.

During another of her frequent between-show chats, she introduced the country-soul of Don’t You Remember with a warning: “Beware, there is a key change — and sometimes, I burp.”

She even got feisty with the crowd, chiding them when her question about whether any of those in attendance were also going to Justin Bieber’s tour was met with boos.

“He’s only a kid, f**king hell. I can’t say you’d do much better if you were famous at 12 years old, shut up. I don’t know him, I just feel bad for him most of the time, because everyone boos him.”

Yes, some parts of Adele’s show were cheesy — she broke up two similarly lovelorn ballads by repeatedly firing a T-shirt cannon into the crowd. The ubiquitous pre-show Mexican wave and kiss-cam added to the sports ground feel.

It’d be hard for any Adele fan present to deny how great it would’ve been to see her five, seven, 10 years ago, when she would’ve been playing those intimate pubs and theatres she reminisced about on stage tonight. But she’s the biggest star in the world with the songs to match — and she’s absolutely owning the spotlight.

Info: Adele has the following dates still to go on her Australian / New Zealand tour. Limited tickets available from livenation.com.au

ANZ Stadium, Sydney — March 11

Adelaide Oval, Adelaide — March 13

Etihad Stadium, Melbourne — March 18, March 19

Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland — March 23, March 25, March 26.

Originally published as Adele takes a dig at Channel 7 and sticks up for Justin Bieber during first Sydney concert