Adele Delivers Determined ‘All I Ask’ Amid Sound Problems at Grammys
Adele unleashed an unwavering rendition of her piano ballad “All I Ask” at the 2016 Grammy Awards, though struggled with audio issues throughout.
The 25 singer fought against a steely, stringent acoustic guitar towards the beginning and later fell flat as she strove towards some of the song’s most towering notes. Despite the issues, Adele delivered the track with quintessential vigor, bathed in a shimmering spotlight. The performance marked her first at the Grammys since 2012.
“That was all an issue on our behalf,” Recording Academy president Neil Portnow told Variety of the audio issues. “[Grammys producer] Kenny [Ehrlich] asked that we make that really clear to everybody.”
Adele herself explained the mishap on Twitter, writing, “The piano mics fell on to the piano strings; that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. Shit happens. Because of it though… I’m treating myself to an In n Out [burger]. So maybe it was worth it.”
Although 25 demolished decades-old sales records (including 3.38 million copies sold in its first week), neither the LP nor its massive lead single “Hello” received any Grammy nominations since they were released after the nomination eligibility cut-off. Adele has previously received 10 Grammys (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Rolling in the Deep”) out of 13 total nominations.
On Friday, February 12th, the singer performed an intimate pre-Grammy set at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theatre, delivering the live debut of “I Miss You” and the second-ever performances of “All I Ask” and “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).”
Following the November release of 25, Adele issued the NBC concert special Adele Live in New York City. She also announced a 56-date North American tour kicking off July 5th in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Watch the highlights and lowlights of the 2016 Grammys, including Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Adele, the Weeknd and more.