Verified answer

I'd have to say Adele is a better performer. Adele is going to be closer to her music than Beyonce because Adele is a songwriter. And as a rule, the person who writes the songs is more emotionally invested in them than people who simply choose to perform them. When the songwriter happens to have a brilliant voice, that translates into riveting live performances.

Beyonce takes songwriting credits for many of her songs, but making up words isn't the same thing as songwriting. Her credits are always shared with professional songwriters, who are the ones doing the actual crafting of the music. When pop singers who don't play instruments are given songwriting credits, that's usually an attempt to establish musical credibility. They might (and often do not) contribute a few words here or there, but writing a words and phrases isn't the same thing as writing songs. (If writing words about feelings were the same thing as songwriting, every little girl with a diary would have musical credibility.) Musicians, for the most part, don't have a lot of respect for singers who can't be bothered to learn anything about music or take time to write songs. There are simply too many brilliant musicians who are also great singers and songwriters, so singers who've shown no real commitment to the music-making process are perceived as fame seekers -- people who can't be bothered with the hard work, but who love the attention that comes from standing in the spotlight. If you've ever watched shows like "American Idol" or "The Voice" on which wannabe singers try to win fame on TV, you'll see that people who aren't connected to the music tend to overpower songs so they can show off their vocal ranges. Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Beyonce, etc. are all singers who aren't exactly great at tailoring their singing to the emotions of songs. In other words, they're showcasing themselves, whereas good singers showcase the songs.

In musical circles, Adele is overwhelming regarded as a once-in-a-generation talent, whereas there are several Beyonces in every generation. Anyone with a decent voice can deliver workaday performances of other people's songs (which is what Beyonce's songs are, since even though she's often credited as a songwriter, she's always credited alongside a professional songwriter) and that's largely what pop music is. But Adele crafts songs and delivers them with a voice that's densely emotional -- and with the emotion that inspired the songs in the first place. Every musician I know would love to work with Adele because she's a fellow musician. Beyonce...not so much.

That all depends on what someone feels is a good performance.

For a refined vocal performance, then Adele is better.

If you think that a singer dancing around like a stripper with a bunch of other strippers gyrating and thrusting their pelvises around is good entertainment, then Beyonce is better.

Personally, I'd say Adele is better. But, then again, I'm a real musician and believe that if you are a good musician or singer, you don't need a bunch of dancing morons around to make your show good.

If you need to dress like a prostitute and dance like a whore, you aren't all that talented in my eyes.

That goes for all the female pop singers these days.(a lot of the guys, too)

Adele.

Beyonce