One things for sure – Ryan Adams still knows how to make headlines
Ryan Adams fans expecting a heartfelt night of nostalgia at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall got a whole lot more than they bargained for on Saturday night (April 5), when the Heartbreaker singer abruptly stormed off stage mid-set – and chaos kind of ensued.
The show, marking the 25th anniversary of Adams’ iconic solo debut, was already shaping up to be an emotionally charged evening.
But things spiraled about halfway through when Adams suddenly stopped the music and, visibly distressed, shouted at the crowd: “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 then threw his microphone down and walked off stage, leaving over 1,400 fans stunned and murmuring in confusion.
While signs had reportedly been posted throughout the venue requesting no flash photography due to Adams’ medical conditions – he lives with epilepsy and Meniere’s disease – it seems a few rogue flashes were enough to derail the night. Additional verbal warnings from the artist himself also went unheeded.
Adams eventually returned nearly 30 minutes later, telling the crowd that he’d suffered an epileptic seizure backstage.
But that wasn’t the only unexpected moment in a set that’s now being described by attendees as “chaotic.” During the performance, Adams hand-delivered a copy of his upcoming novel The Greatest Movie Ever Made to a fan in the audience, and in another strange twist, asked for a disruptive punter to be moved to the front row so he could “keep an eye on him.”
It was a night that veered from tender to tense, and back again. Some fans left disappointed, others bemused, but nobody left without a story. Whether this Belfast show goes down as a blip or a defining moment of his current tour, one thing’s for certain – Ryan Adams still knows how to make headlines.
And maybe next time, just turn the flash off.
