Ryan Adams Says He's Done With International Touring Following Australia And New Zealand Gigs

If you missed out on seeing Ryan Adams’ latest Australian tour, it appears you won’t be seeing him on our shores ever again. That is, if his latest social media post is to be believed.

Having announced his most recent trek close to a year ago, Adams launched his Heartbreaker ‘25 tour on local turf earlier this month, playing dates in support of the 25th anniversary of his breakthrough solo album, Heartbreaker.

However, the tour was not without controversy of some variety. Wrapping up his visit on October 12th with a show at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, fans had been promised three-hour shows of their favourite songs from the American singer, though fans on Reddit went so far as to label the gig a “train wreck.”

As noted by attendees who shared the setlist on setlist.fm, Adams walked off stage before the show’s end, having prematurely ended Oh, My Sweet Carolina after complaining of “camera flashes that might kill him,” while later reportedly stating that his performance of When The Stars Go Blue “sucked” and terminated the concert.

Despite the Australian hiccups, Adams continued his run of shows with a trio of New Zealand dates, culminating in a performance in Auckland on Saturday night.

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Taking to social media after the fact, Adams shared a setlist of the final New Zealand date, adding as a caption, “My very last show overseas. What a dream. God bless you #auckland.”

“I might not see you again but I’ll keep making these records and books because I love it…. And I love you,” he continued. “Farewell.”

Prior to the show, Adams had indicated it might be his last overseas jaunt, sharing a picture in which he explained he was having a “quick nap before the last show over seas ever. I’ve managed to offend the entire world.”

On Saturday, Adams also shared an image of his setlist from Friday night’s Wellington concert, offering an acidic rebuke to Australian audiences that had come out to see him throughout the month.

“I get so much done with the audience takes the no flash/ health hazard phone flash thing seriously,” he wrote. “Still can’t see out of my left eye. Thanks AUS. See you never.”

According to screenshots shared by fans on Reddit, Adams had also previously posted additional, since-deleted messages on social media ahead of his Melbourne and Sydney shows, describing Australia as the “worst country ever, every time to play.”

“Thank fuck never again,” he reportedly added. “You are the worst people and you know it and the best you can go is copy Americans and UK culture.”

Despite his claims he had found himself able to “offend the entire world,” Adams had also taken to social media to apologise for his behaviour at his Melbourne and Sydney performances.

While his Sydney apology still remains online, his apology for Melbourne has since been deleted, wherein Adams admitted he was “wildly embarrassed and disappointed” for his behaviour, which he noted was caused by an ocular seizure brought on by camera flashes.

“I love you all and I’m so sorry,” he concluded in the post. “You did nothing wrong. It’s normal to take photos and it’s normal to use a flash. I’ve had this my whole life and it’s been a real struggle because I love playing music for you live and I just can’t play with my eyes closed all night.”

Adams’ tour was his first in Australia since allegations of sexual misconduct against him surfaced in 2019.

The New York Times reported that “seven women and more than a dozen associates described a pattern of manipulative behavior [sic] in which Adams dangled career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex”.

Some of the people who came forward with allegations were musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Courtney Jaye, as well as Adams’ ex-wife, actress and musician Mandy Moore.

Adams issued a lengthy statement and apology via Daily Mail in response.