Adele fan bagged VIP tickets at Hyde Park concert - by letting singer borrow his £8 Pride flag on stage

Dean Barber, 32, was left shock when he was asked if Adele could borrow his Pride flag on stage to use as part of her performance.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

An Adele fan bagged VIP seats at her concert by letting the singer borrow his £8 Pride flag to take on stage.

Dean Barber, 32, managed to get tickets for Adele’s British Summer TimeHyde Park concert on Saturday, and took a Pride flag to the event.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And the primary school teacher was then left shock when he was asked if Adele could borrow the flag on stage to use as part of her performance.

In return for the favour, Adele invited Dean and his pal to go and enjoy the concert from the comfort of the VIP area - the best view in the house.

 Dean Barber with Charlotte Crosby in the VIP section of Adele’s Hyde Park gig. Credit: Dean Barber / SWNS Dean Barber with Charlotte Crosby in the VIP section of Adele’s Hyde Park gig. Credit: Dean Barber / SWNS
Dean Barber with Charlotte Crosby in the VIP section of Adele’s Hyde Park gig. Credit: Dean Barber / SWNS

Dean has hailed her a a “true LGBT ally” for her support of the community at the sold-out venue with a capacity of 65,000.

Dean, from Hornchurch, Havering, said: “When we were asked if Adele could borrow a flag for the stage, we couldn’t believe it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We gave her the spare and were escorted to VIP - I kept thinking ‘is this real?’. I couldn’t believe it.

“After a couple of songs, she called to ask for Jack and Dean - my friend and I - and pulled us right to the front.

Adele with Dean’s £8 Pride flag. Credit: Dean BarberAdele with Dean’s £8 Pride flag. Credit: Dean Barber
Adele with Dean’s £8 Pride flag. Credit: Dean Barber

“When she called us over she said ‘I needed the flag, you’ll find out why later’ - and later on she came out wearing the flag.

“It was just so mindblowing and crazy - I’m still processing it because you don’t ever expect that to happen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“To have someone on that level be so outwardly an ally is huge.”

Dean picked up two flags from Holborn station for £8 each shortly before arriving at the concert, as it was also London Pride that weekend.

He said moments after arriving, he and pal Jack were whisked aside by someone from Adele’s team, asking to borrow one of their flags for Adele to use during her performance.

Dean Barber with his Pride flag at the Adele concert. Credit: Dean Barber / SWNSDean Barber with his Pride flag at the Adele concert. Credit: Dean Barber / SWNS
Dean Barber with his Pride flag at the Adele concert. Credit: Dean Barber / SWNS

During the performance, she had the rainbow flag draped over her shoulders before later waving it around in support of the LGBT community.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

All of this occurred while Dean watched from the very front row in the VIP area - courtesy of Adele herself.

Looking back on the once-in-a-lifetime experience, Dean said her action is more than just doing something nice for an excited fan.

He said: “It was a huge moment to have an artist using their platform like this to support the queer community.

“When it’s been a hard time for the community in so many places, it’s incredible for someone on that level to show support.

“When it went viral on social media, I expected some homophobia but everyone has just been so lovely.

“I guess that’s just the power of Adele - she is a true ally.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.