Ryan Adam rants and storms off stage at UK gig

Ryan Adams rolled into Belfast midway through his tour, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his album, Heartbreaker. But the North Carolina-born artist took to the stage with an unsettling mix of sulkiness and self-pity.

However, his audience refused to indulge his childish antics. The gig’s atmosphere was tainted by Adams’ apparent annoyance at fans enjoying a drink during their evening out, despite the crowd being far from rowdy.

Early in the show, one attendee was singled out for an unknown reason, with Adams threatening he wouldn’t “play another note” unless the individual left his seat to watch the rest of the performance alone in the front row.

Responding to an early jeer to “wind your neck in”, Adams managed to fumble through a few songs before unwisely venturing into stand-up comedy. Clearly, cracking jokes isn’t one of his many talents.

He then prompted the crowd to “stop and think” about “the fact Madonna and Ice-T had sex”. One confused audience member responded: “why?”. Adams laughed, saying “Because it’s Madonna’s vagina,” He made several other controversial remarks that are perhaps best left unmentioned, reports Belfast Live.

Adams did eventually find his groove, offering a brief glimpse of the brilliant artistry that drew the crowd in the first place. His rendition of ‘Oh My Sweet Carolina’, a poignant tribute to his late brother, stood out as a beautifully haunting moment.

However, when another admirer declared their love for Adams, he was backing to mocking fans. This led someone from the back to point out that “there’s a difference between being an a*****e and being a bully, Ryan”.

Another awkward attempt at humor followed, reminiscent of an amateur actor imitating Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, with Adams labeling himself “an agent of chaos”. This at least led to some unintended laughter, though not to the singer’s liking.

Another frustrated fan dared him to “sing one of your songs”, to which Adams sharply said: “Who said that? What’s your name?” The voice answered: “I am Spartacus!” The joke sparked a wave of laughter among the audience.

The 50-year-old artist then quickly adopted a passive-aggressive demeanor with more ease than he switched between guitar and piano, only to come enraged when a flash went off in the audience.

Acknowledging a valid complaint, signs had been posted all around the venue warning fans not to use flash photography due to Adams’ epilepsy and Meniere’s disease. However, the whiney tone of Adams’ complaint took away from its legitimacy before he huffed off stage.

Adams did circle back after 30 minutes off stage, apologizing for his earlier behavior.

Yet, by this point, the mood had taken a nosedive, especially as Adams channeled his inner Van Morrison for what felt like never-ending guitar solos, which for some became unlistenable.

By end of the shows, seats had emptied out considerably. Adams’ comments about the city cast doubt on his return, but chances are, after such an bad performance, many attendees will not care whether he comes back.

• Source: NEWHD MEDIA