Adele was NZ Herald's "hardest" concert to cover

I've broken my nose covering a Shihad concert. I've caught a bottle to the face during a Slipknot show. I've very nearly had a panic attack during a rammed Band of Horses gig.

I once attended a New Year's festival in the Coromandel which had so few toilets punters urinated off the side of a cliff, the drunkest falling and floundering around in the wee-soaked ravine.

And, perhaps most memorably, I've watched someone vomit in the middle of a Black Eyed Peas gig, then laughed at those slipping over in it while Where is the Love? soundtracked their horrific slip 'n' slide.

Let's face it, that's pretty much what you deserve if you're a post-Fergie fan of the Black Eyed Peas.

I've covered some great concerts, I've also been to some terrible ones. That's part of the job. But as good as she was, and she was stunningly, achingly, good, Adele's final show at Mt Smart Stadium last Sunday is hands-down the hardest concert I've ever covered.

Now that it's a week on and we've recovered enough to be able to, you know, talk about it, my workmates agree with me.

I know, I know - poor us. We got to go to Adele for free.

But this was no easy ride. At her final Sunday night show, the rain started well before she she was due on stage, starting with steamy mist that turned into torrential rain that didn't let up.

Adele likes a good cry, and Auckland bawled its eyes out for her that night. Halfway into the show, I was soaked to the bone. Jacket. T-shirt. Jeans. Socks. Arms. Face. Hat. Hair. Wallet. Everything.

At one point, I pulled off a shoe to tip out the water. It was a waste of time. They just filled up again. Those shoes are in the bin now.

Eventually, I started shaking uncontrollably from the cold. Trying to file live updates, including text, quotes and photos, under those conditions makes you seem like a drunk sailor ranting in a storm.

Here's proof: these are excerpts of updates filed to news editors enjoying our technical issues from the dry, warm confines of the Herald office.

"Rain continued to pelt Mt Smart Stadium as Adele delivere a not perfect version kf skyfall, hr james bind theme s ong cokplete with an all male quior." (sic)

Also: "She expressed concern about the weather her stage setup. "Eho wants too make a bet with me I'll fall over st some stage .. or get electocuted by my microphone." (sic)

Try putting "cokplete" through a spellcheck and see what happens.

But it got worse. At a couple of points, Adele walked right past me. My soaked hands screwed everything up, but I did manage to take one amazingly blurry snap that perfectly sums up the night:

By the time Adele's encore came around, I was shaking uncontrollably. My concert buddy dragged me up to the food trucks for a cheeseburger.

Pumping my arteries full of grease and sugar worked wonders. Standing under cover, watching confetti tar feather the front rows as Adele closed out her show with Someone Like You was my favourite moment of the night.

I don't think I've had a tastier burger. From now on, caramelised onions on everything please.

Afterwards, after squelching my way back to the car and heading home, I spent 20 minutes in the shower until feeling returned to my fingers.

The next day, my phone - a "waterproof" model - wouldn't charge. Now, I just have to remember to put it in the hot water cupboard at night and it seems to be okay.

My workmate wasn't so lucky: her phone drowned in Adele's tears, and she's currently dealing with IT to secure a new phone.

And almost all of us have had colds to deal with since attending the show.

It makes you wonder: maybe a bit of vomit at a Black Eyed Peas concert isn't such a bad thing after all.

What's a few hurled chunks to deal with when there's a roof over our heads?

• This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.