Ryan Adams has apologised to fans in Australia after calling it the “worst country ever to play”.
The singer-songwriter abandoned one of his shows at Melbourne’s Hamer earlier this month and then another in Sydney after being “harassed” by a “troll”.
Following both shows he issued an apology writing over the latter on Instagram: “I overreacted to a troll who repeatedly harassed myself and others in Sydney. It was a beautiful show. It was wrong. I should have just showed the standing ovation.”
Of the former, Adams said in a now deleted post he was “wildly embarrassed and disappointed” after the show but pointed out that camera flashes can cause him to have an ocular seizure.
He added (via The Courier Mail): “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. 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. Because I was crushing that show.”
Despite the apologies, in a since recently deleted Instagram post, he wrote (via 7NEWS): “Worst country ever, every time to play, Thank fuck never again. You are the worst people and you know it and the best you can go is copy Americans and UK culture. Stew in your own juices.”
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Following his final show in Auckland in New Zealand over the weekend, he wrote another post saying: “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. Farewell.”
Since then he has now issued a statement on Instagram and an apology clarifying his position.
He began: “Here’s some clarity. My shows say NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY. Why ? Because they can cause me to have a SEIZURE, or worse. Ian from Joy Division had this disorder. Several musicians recently have had to quit because audiences in certain places don’t seem to care despite signs, announcements and it being on your actual ticket.
“I regret saying anything after and I regret making it seem like I was addressing an entire country. I wasn’t.”
Adams continued: “In Melbourne , which I was so excited to play, the flash cameras would not stop. I’m not “blaming my illness” you can certainly. This click bait is a far worse example of your supposed lovely nature than my enduring my degenerative disease.
“Musicians. All the accountability when something goes wrong and never the glory. I’m glad I stayed myself and stayed rock and roll and didn’t do predictable set lists and I’m glad I’m exiting with my soul intact. Travel your paths with peace.”
It comes after Adams stormed off the stage during his set in Belfast Waterfront Hall earlier this year for similar reasons.
“Stop fucking flashing. I warned you. You could kill me. I have epilepsy and Meniere’s disease. Fuck you, I’m not coming back until you stop flashing,” he said at the time, before throwing down his microphone and walking off.
There had been signs put up throughout the venue to warn fans against the use of flash photography due to Adams’ condition, but it appeared that some in attendance did not follow the guidelines, despite additional requests from the artist.
Adams returned to the stage nearly half an hour later, telling the 1400-strong audience that he had suffered an “epileptic seizure” backstage.
His latest tour was his first in Australia since he was accused by multiple women, including ex-wife Mandy Moore and Phoebe Bridgers, of emotional abuse and manipulative behaviour, with further allegations of sexual misconduct in 2019.
An FBI investigation concluded without any charges being filed and Adams later issued a lengthy apology for his “harmful behaviour”, pleading for a “second chance” in music.
Moore said she found it “curious” that his public apology was not accompanied by a private apology. “I am speaking for myself, but I have not heard from him, and I’m not looking for an apology necessarily, but I do find it curious that someone would do an interview about it without actually making amends privately,” she added.
Adams later told Los Angeles Magazine that he felt his accusers “were asking me to die”, adding: “So I’m losing my life’s work, and my dream of who I am, my ability to provide for myself. And I now don’t have the emotional support to help fix this. The door has slammed and what am I going to do?”
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