Ryan Adams fans voice concern over erratic New Zealand shows

Some Ryan Adams fans have described his behaviour at his New Zealand shows as "weird" and "concerning". Photo / Jason LaVeris, FilmMagic

Kiwi fans of musician Ryan Adams have expressed their concerns for the singer after two “weird” performances in this country and some concertgoers across the Tasman demanding refunds.

Adams, a controversial figure in the music world after accusations he had abused and harassed several women surfaced in 2019, is on three-show tour of New Zealand, with the final concert at the Bruce Mason Centre in Auckland’s Takapuna scheduled for tonight.

A concert-goer at last night’s performance at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre complained on social media platform Reddit that the artist seemed unsettled during the show.

“The music was great but his drunken rants showed he is obviously very unwell and needs help. I’ve never seen a performer behave like that before and I hope someone keeps him safe tonight,” the person said.

Another Reddit user claimed crew members at the show “were also appalled by his behaviour”.

In a review of his performance at Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal on Wednesday night, writer David Thorpe said he left the venue “feeling concerned” for Adam’s wellbeing, mentioning the songwriter’s repeated “long rambling tangents”.

Promoter TEG MJR has been approached for comment about both shows.

Adams was married to actress Mandy Moore for six years before the pair split in 2015. Photo / Kevin Mazur, WireImage

Adams is in Aotearoa for his Heartbreaker ’25 World Tour, commemorating the 25th anniversary of his debut solo album with shows in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

He previously performed five shows in Australia, including a bizarre performance on October 12 in Melbourne that spurred some fans to demand refunds.

According to news.com.au, Adams reportedly ranted about his ex-wife Mandy Moore before becoming increasingly agitated, and struggled to finish any of the songs on the second half of the set-list.

Complaints about the performance prompted Adams to apologise on Instagram, where he wrote he was “wildly embarrassed and disappointed about last night”.

The 50-year-old claimed to have experienced an ocular seizure caused by the flashing lights.

“The saying ‘fight or flight’ applies here...You want to run, you want to make yourself not have a seizure. Last night I unfortunately had to go through that several times in front of 2,500 people...”

After deleting the apology, the Come Pick Me Up singer then posted that Australia was the “worst country ever, every time to play”.

“You are the worst people and you know it and the best you can go is copy Americans and UK culture”, he wrote on October 17.

The artist has been at the centre of controversy since he was accused of abusing and harassing several women, according to a 2019 New York Times investigation.

Moore was one of the seven women who spoke out against Adams, alleging he had emotionally abused her during their six-year marriage.

According to the BBC, Adams apologised the following year and said he was getting sober in an “effort to be a better man”.