Retired Surfer Joel Parkinson Traveled to Las Vegas to Meet His Inspiration, Adele, Only to Have His Dreams Crushed

Former World Surfing League legend Joel Parkinson has always been tow-to-toe with great surfing names like Kelly Slater and Josh Kerr. Now retired from professional competition, the 11X elite ASP World Title Events winner lives a southern Gold Coast life with his wife and children.

Recently, he headlined for ceasing some TikTokers from sliding down a muddy hill in his hometown. Though this incident has left the world in splits and garnered trolls, the legacy he left behind always gets accoladed. In a recent podcast episode, another side of the 42-year-old unfolded. Let’s see what it is.

Joel Parkinson: The biggest fan of Adele faced a musical misfortune

In a recent podcast episode named “What have I gotten myself into?” by The Matty Johns Podcast, Trisha Jones appeared as the special guest. Moving on with her life stories, she shed light on a brief encounter with Joel and Monica Parkinson. Las Vegas, the most populous hub in the US, known for fine dining, gambling, shopping, and nightlife experience, welcomed the surfing icon for Adele’s show. “He had been, he’d purchased tickets to Adele a year ago and she canceled”, said Trisha while talking about the die-hard fan of the chanteuse. However heartbreaking it was, the story that followed moved her more. “It was all to see Adele. ’cause he loves. Before he used to go on Surf heats, he would listen to Adele”. 

The unlikely coupling between the Adele and World Champion surfer made way to A-class performances by the latter. Adele’s contribution to the music domain is huge, especially how comforted she makes her listeners feel the emotional depth of her lyrics. How touched is Parkinson by Adele’s music was especially relevant in August 2023.

Parkinson owned the waves in the Maldives

At the Surfing Champions Trophy by the Four Seasons Maldives, the 42-year-old made a mark in all three events (single-fin, twin-fin, and thruster). Though the competition pool was small, the contenders who pitched up were strong alongside the retired surfer. “It’s harder to do turns on a single-fin but you can hide in the tube. Whereas twin-fins are shaped so well now that you can surf them more like a modern board”, said the retired surfer after edging out his Brazilian rival.

Maker of the biography video “Free As A Dog”, the 42-year-old likes to go fishing when he’s not facing the tides. Moreover, he also likes to engage in high-energy football matches. As part of the 2022 Australian Surfing Awards, Joel Parkinson was also a part of the Australian Hall of Fame as the 44th Inductee.

READ MORE: Kelly Slater Teases Retirement Again: Inside His Five Dramatic Farewells