Ryan Adams has hinted to his Kiwi fans that he isn’t coming back, after concerns of his erratic behaviour in shows clouded the final leg of his year-long tour.
After completing the final stop at Auckland’s Bruce Mason Centre on Saturday night, Adams coined it his “very last show overseas” in a post on Instagram, indicating he may no longer play shows outside of the United States.
“I might not see you again but I’ll keep making these records and books because I love it ... and I love you. Farewell,” he wrote.
Over the weekend, the Herald reported that some fans were left appalled by Adams’ behaviour during the first two of his three shows in Aotearoa.
An attendee at the final show in Auckland recalled a calmer scene on social media platform Reddit, applauding the singer for what they said may have been him saving the best performance for last.
“There was a lot of banter. Some of it was genuinely funny, some was a bit nonsensical and some slightly uncomfortable,” they said.
“The atmosphere felt like we were on eggshells and added an edge to the show.”
The suggestion he would no longer tour beyond the US though came after the string of “weird” performances, which have put a spotlight on the Come Pick Me Up singer’s Australia and New Zealand leg.
A Wellington concert-goer earlier told Adams’ fans on Reddit that the artist appeared unsettled amidst his performance.
“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 last Wednesday, writer David Thorpe said he left the venue “feeling concerned” for Adam’s wellbeing, mentioning the songwriter’s repeated “long rambling tangents”.
And at his Auckland show, reviewer Faith Hamblyn wrote in Libel Music that Adams’ “stories were so abstract, it became worrying”.
While Hamblyn marvelled at several tunes, she said the concert “turned into a rambling stand-up set” over the night and finished by observing that “he seemed to be struggling with his health”.
Yet the musician, who has gained some notoriety over accusations he had abused and harassed several women including ex-wife Mandy Moore and singer Phoebe Bridgers, was already facing criticism before landing here from across the ditch too.
Adams made digs at his Australian audiences on Saturday for ignoring his pleas to avoid flash photography, saying he still couldn’t see out of his left eye due to “ocular seizures” that were triggered by sudden light flashes.
“Thanks AUS. See you never,” he wrote.
A day earlier, he described Australia as 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 in a post on Friday.
The online rants began surfacing after Adams’ controversial performance at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on October 12, in which fans said he grew increasingly uncomfortable and scattered over the night.
Adams eventually cut off the show and abruptly left the stage as fans began leaving. He addressed their complaints in a since-deleted post, saying he was “so wildly embarrassed and disappointed” about the night.
“The LED camera flash on I phones [sic] and Androids going off in what to me from stage is a pitch black environment. I have no way to expect the flash,” he wrote.
“And what happens over time when there are so many, is I have an ocular seizure and I don’t know where I am, I don’t know what my guitar is and I panic and become disoriented.
“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 2500 people ... Which breaks my heart.”
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
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