Adele's George Michael Tribute's A Powerful Lesson

Nervous about how her two 2017 Grammys performances would go after last year's technical difficulties, Album of the Year nominee Adele didn't take any chances on an "off performance" this year. So when things felt off, Adele started her George Michael tribute over again.

Adele was pretty open about feeling shaken following her rough performance last year. A few bars into song at the 2016 Grammy Awards, a mic fell out of its stand and onto the keys of the piano behind her. The accompanist didn't miss a beat and neither did Adele, but the sound cut out momentarily while the fallen mic got switched out by a crew member. Adele obviously heard the sound go out, and she never really recovered after the stumble. She later confessed during an interview on Ellen that she "cried pretty much all day" after that. She also made clear that if it ever happened again, she'd do exactly what she did at the 2017 Grammys. Said Adele:

"Next time I have any sound issues, I am going to start over. [I will tell them,] 'Sorry, that's not working for me.' Otherwise… bye! In fairness, I would have cried if it went really well. If it was a standout performance, I would have cried as well. I always cry. I was so embarrassed...It can't get much worse than the Grammys."

While the sound never cut out during her tribute to George Michael's "Fastlove," she did sound uncertain about her pitch for the first minute of the song, which may have meant she was having trouble hearing herself. Instead of stumbling through it like last year, however, Adele confidently cut off the band and followed through on her promise from last year. She apologized for interrupting live TV (the sound did briefly cut out when she cursed) and asked to start again, saying, "I'm sorry, I can't mess this up for him," referring to Michael.

It was a bold move, but she was instantly supported and uplifted by the audience who roared with cheers while she rallied the band for a do-over. The second time was much stronger and she got a standing ovation at the end of her performance. Unfortunately, she looked super defeated as the camera pulled in on close-ups of her. (Maybe give her some space, guys?) She mouthed "thank you" to the audience but didn't head off-stage looking particularly confident. Hopefully, she picks up a couple of big awards tonight to cheer her back up again.