Ryan Adams has issued a grovelling apology after fans slammed his chaotic Melbourne concert – and took a pointed swipe at his ex-wife Mandy Moore in the process.
The US singer-songwriter abruptly ended his show at Hamer Hall on Sunday night after a string of bizarre rants, aborted songs and angry exchanges with the crowd and venue staff.
Audience members took to Reddit to describe the performance as ‘an absolute bust’, claiming Adams stormed off stage midway through the gig and repeatedly complained about bright camera flashes from the audience.
One fan wrote: ‘Was good at the start of the show, but slowly began ranting, rambling and being bitter at Mandy.’
Another added: ‘Melbourne was an absolute bust… berated ushers for not doing their jobs on controlling the seizure-causing flashes. Left the stage telling us he’d be back when we could do our job. Came back out for set two telling us he would play us the best ever set two to make up for his outburst. Lay on the stage. Rambled about Lasseter’s Reef.’
Taking to social media on Monday night, Adams addressed the backlash – admitting he was ‘wildly embarrassed’ by his behaviour and blaming the on-stage meltdowns on light-triggered seizures.
Ryan Adams (pictured) has issued a grovelling apology after fans slammed his chaotic Melbourne concert – and took a pointed swipe at his ex-wife Mandy Moore in the process
The US singer-songwriter abruptly ended his show at Hamer Hall on Sunday night after a string of bizarre rants, aborted songs and angry exchanges with the crowd and venue staff. (Pictured with Mandy Moore in 2012)
‘I am so wildly embarrassed and disappointed about last night,’ Adams wrote.
‘The LED camera flash on iPhones and Androids going off in what to me from stage is a pitch black environment… I have no way to expect the flash.Â
‘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.’
He continued: ‘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… which breaks my heart. Because I was crushing that show.’
He continued: ‘I love you all and I’m so sorry. 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’ remarks about his ex-wife Mandy Moore – which several fans described as ‘bitter’ and ‘rambling’ – added fuel to the fire, with concertgoers saying his comments derailed what began as a strong performance.
His outburst sparked renewed discussion about the pair’s tumultuous relationship, which ended in a highly publicised divorce in 2016 after seven years of marriage.
A spokesperson for Arts Centre Melbourne later confirmed that the concert was presented by promoter TEG MJR, and that all customer complaints had been forwarded to them.
‘Arts Centre Melbourne takes all feedback seriously and has provided the promoter with customer complaints from Sunday night and advised audience members requesting refunds to contact the presenter directly,’ the statement read.
Adams is currently touring Australia and New Zealand to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his debut solo album Heartbreaker.
