Ryan Adams is Returning to Australia 5 Years After Sexual Abuse Allegations

Content: This article describes allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct

Ryan Adams has not performed live in Australia since May 2017. On that occasion, the North Carolina alt-country musician played in arena venues around the country, including Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion and Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena. Then, in February 2019, Adams was accused of abuse by more than half a dozen women, including ex-wife Mandy Moore, ex-girlfriend Phoebe Bridgers, and an underage fan.

Journalists Joe Coscarelli and Melena Ryzik detailed the allegations in a piece for the New York Times. Adams didn’t respond until five months later, at which point he opted to deny the allegations. “All the beauty in a life cannot be reduced to rubble for lies. This madness. My work was a map for the lost. Not a billboard,” he wrote in a tweet in July 2019.

It took a further 12 months before Adams showed any public contrition, which he did in a letter published in the lowbrow tabloid the Daily Mail. “All I can say is that I’m sorry. It’s that simple,” Adams wrote. “This period of isolation and reflection made me realize that I needed to make significant changes in my life.”

Adams insisted his apology was genuine, and not just an attempt to cast off negative press coverage. “To a lot of people this will just seem like the same empty bull***t apology that I’ve always used when I was called out, and all I can say is, this time it is different,” he said. “Having truly realized the harm that I’ve caused, it wrecked me, and I’m still reeling from the ripples of devastating effects that my actions triggered.

“There is no way to convince people that this time is truly different, but this is the albatross that I deserve to carry with me as a result of my actions.”

Moore – who was married to Adams from 2009 to 2016 – expressed bemusement at the public nature of the apology. “I find it curious that someone would make a public apology but not do it privately,” she said in an interview with TODAY. Karen Elson, another of Adams’ accusers, also confirmed Adams had not reached out to apologise.

Nevertheless, Adams soon rebooted his music career. He has released several albums since late 2020, including full-album redos of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks and Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. He resumed playing live in June 2021 and has conducted multiple tours of North America and Europe over the past 24 months.

He’ll return to Australia in January 2024, and the tour’s promoters, MJR Presents, seem confident Adams’ fanbase remains intact – the venues are similar in size to those on Adams’ previous visit, and MJR have booked shows in all mainland state capitals.

So, has the public forgiven Adams? And, more saliently, has Adams done enough to warrant a continued career in the public spotlight?