Don McLean is angry he was plunged into a supposed feud with Adele.
It was reported in March he had “slammed” the ‘Chasing Pavements’ singer for axing her Las Vegas residency at the last minute.
But the ‘American Pie’ singer told BANG Showbiz in an interview from his home in Palm Springs, California: “I did an interview and I was talking about artists that don’t respect their audience. And somehow it got conflated with a remark I made, which was not a critical remark, about Adele cancelling her show in Vegas.
“And the thing came out: ‘Don McLean Slams Adele’. I didn’t slam Adele. I know she didn’t want to cancel, I know she’s a serious performer – I don’t even know the circumstances even of what happened there.
“That was something a person did to get a headline… I don’t do that. I don’t go around saying things about other people like that.”
Adele’s fans were left disappointed in January after they had forked out small fortunes on tickets and booked flights and hotels to attend one of her ‘Weekends with Adele’ concerts in Sin City, only to be told the shows were delayed the day before the run was due to kick off at Caesar’s Palace’s Colosseum in January.
Don, 76, appeared on the ‘Greatest Music of All Time’ podcast and spoke about how modern musicians didn’t have enough respect for their audiences, comments that were interpreted to be about Adele, 34.
Speaking on the platform, he said: “They are all very rich and very spoiled and they don’t really care about the audience. They think the audience should kiss their ass and that is the opposite to how I feel.
“I feel honoured to play for people. I know they are spending money and taking time out of their lives. But I come from a different time.
“Guys like The Beach Boys worked really hard and so does Paul McCartney.”
Adele has made numerous changes to her Vegas show and has confirmed that the 32-date residency will kick off at Caesars Palace from November 18, 2022 and to to March 25, 2023.
Speaking about the scrapped show and new format for the concerts, she said: “There was just no soul in it. The stage set-up wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy.
“And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.
“I want to tell the story of the beginning of my career to now. I’m not gonna give too much away about it, but the show grows.
“It’s all about the music, and it’s really, really nostalgic. It’s gonna be so beautiful.”
Don’s ’50 Years of American Pie’ tour is running throughout September and October in the UK.
Go to https://donmclean.com for tickets and more information.