19/10/2025

Ryan Adams – Bruce Mason Centre: October 18, 2025 (13th Floor Concert Review)

Few artists come with as much baggage as Ryan Adams. Despite being “cancelled” after a New York Times exposè in 2019, the acclaimed singer/songwriter stumbles on…his recent blow-up at a concert in Melbourne setting the stage for this, the last show of a tour that may be his last ever…internationally.

I’ll get to that in a moment, but with Ryan, there’s a lot to unpack…so some context…

Adams began as a member of alt-Country band Whiskeytown in the late 90s and went solo at the beginning of the 2000’s. His debut album, Heartbreaker was being featured on this tour, along with various other fan favourites, covers and whatever else popped into Adams’ head.

No question about it, Heartbreaker is a beautiful album and Ryan Adams is an extremely talented artist. But 7 women….including ex-wife Mandy Moore and ex-fiancée Megan Butterworth along with Phoebe Bridgers…have accused him of controlling and abusive behavior…which Adams has apologised for…but only just.

I bring this up, not to rake mud, but because these are still very real issues that were relevant throughout last night’s show.

And its not just women who have a problem with him. He even had a public spat with Neil Finn…and I have had my own, minor personal, unpleasant interaction with the man.

So, its no secret…Ryan Adams has issues.

He also has a legacy of wonderful songs that mean a lot to a lot of people.

So, what happened at the Bruce Mason Centre?

Well, to start with, Ryan announced that, “This is the last show I’ll ever play overseas”.

Why? “Cause I’m sick”.

Adams mentioned suffering from a seizure during the show in Melbourne that fell apart a on October 12th, later posting:

‘I am so wildly embarrassed and disappointed about last night…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.’

Which explains the signs around Bruce Mason urging patrons not to use flashes when photographing, and possible the two huge security guards sitting in the shadows behind him during the first set…but it doesn’t explain the veiled digs at ex-wife Mandy Moore, then, or the shots he fired at Jason Isbell, Neil Finn and a few audience members last night.

My impression…and I’m certainly no expert…is that Ryan Adams has trouble taking responsibility for his actions.

That became glaringly obvious near the end of the second set when, introducing a new song, Outsiders, Adams suddenly blurted out…”I can’t get my shit together because I don’t wanna get my shit together…it’s not my job!”

Yes, Ryan, it is. Its what we call “growing up”.

This rant came directly after he told us that the song he was about to sing was about his ex-fiancée.

”I’m really talking about Megan…I fucked that up, I did”.

Yes, you did…but that was years ago…let’s move on.

So, enough “context”…let’s get to the music.

The show consisted of two solo sets…the first based around Heartbreaker.

25 years after its release, and with its composer now 50 years old, these songs are as powerful and as poignant as they ever were.

And Ryan Adams sounds fantastic singing them (along with being a very impressive guitarist) .

The main problem during the first set, was the long, rambling, often inaudible or incoherent mutterings that came out of Adams’ mouth.

But among the false starts and random trips down rabbit holes came times when he really opened up and made us understand who he is and what brought him to this place.

For me, the most memorable was his tribute to his late, older brother Chris, about whom he said, “ I miss him like a hole in my heart every day.” And why, he said, he was in therapy and on “so much medication”.

In fact, the medication came out later in the show, with a roadie bringing pills to Adams and Ryan popping a handful before talking about Ozzy Osbourne and singing a Smiths cover.

If there was going to be a moment when it all came undone, it would have been halfway through the second set when a woman in the audience shouted something after the Lorde cover, Current Affairs (which was lovely)…demanding that Adams get on with it.

“Do you have somewhere to be?’ asked Ryan, who then broke into a spontaneous song and seemingly diffused the situation, only to pick at the scab by insisting that the woman tell him her name. When she refused, he was unstoppable…asking her over and over again.

It felt like we were witnessing the Ryan Adams who has been called “controlling and abusive”.

And it almost got a lot worse as Adams jumped off the stage and into the crowd to confront the woman face to face. Finally “Jilly” relented and Ryan broke into another extemporaneous song called “Here Comes Jilly”.

But wait, there was one last moment of drama just as Adams was coming to the close of the final song of the evening…another beauty that is so far unreleased called Outsiders.

Adams was at the piano, back to the audience, pouring his heart out when…a phone rang!

I could feel the tension in the house…but Ryan carried on until…it rang again!!!

Who could be so stupid? And what will Ryan Adams’ reaction be?

Fortunately, he took it as a cue to change the lyrics adding something about a ringtone and breaking the tension.

Proving that, when he wants to, Ryan Adams can be a professional entertainer instead of a narcissistic toddler.

I’m guessing this will be the last time we see Ryan Adams performing in this part of the world for a very long time. I, myself have experience him at his worst and his best several times over the past 25 years and can honestly say that this show was the most satisfying, and most revealing of who the real Ryan Adams is and why, despite his obvious flaws, he remains an artist worth caring about.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk: