Ryan Adams Books More Tour Dates in Post-Scandal Comeback Bid
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In a further test of whether he will be able to pick up his career somewhere in the vicinity of where it left off amid misconduct allegations three years ago, Ryan Adams has announced a tour of eight cities in the Midwest and South, following up on a run of five cities in the Northeast he completed in May.
The mini-tour of mid-sized halls begins Oct. 14 with a stop at Atlanta’s 2,600-seat Tabernacle and wraps up in the almost identically sized Stephens Auditorium in Ames, Iowa Oct. 22. Dates in-between include Chicago’s Chicago Theatre, Minneapolis’ State Theatre, Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater. St. Louis’ Factory, Louisville’s Palace and Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe.
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While an eight-city tour announcement might be a blip in most artists’ careers, it’s significant for Adams in that he has spent the last three years as pretty much persona non grata in the music industry, by his own admission, following a 2019 New York Times article that alleged sexual misconduct and emotional manipulation in his dealings with women, particularly among female artists he worked with.
These new bookings, along with the five shows he completed in the east and one he has coming up at Los Angeles’ Orpheum July 22, are his bid to prove that a sizable portion of his audience has stuck with him despite the allegations that left his career in limbo for three years.
These newly announced shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT. Like the other shows Adams has done this year, they will be solo performances, likely with a running time similar to the two hours and 40 minutes that Adams averaged in his east coast gigs.
“The word of mouth from the first leg of the tour was so good that promoters came to us,” Richard Jones, Adams’ manager, said in a statement. “Ryan hasn’t toured since 2019 and there seems to be a voracious appetite to see him perform live.” Jones is putting the shows together along with Adams’ ICM agent, Mike Hayes.
Although Adams lost his distribution deal with Blue Note Records in the wake of the 2019 allegations, that label’s president, Don Was, has continued to work with him and recorded Adams’ sold-out Carnegie Hall show in May for a live album expected to come out later this year.
In a story earlier this month titled “Can Ryan Adams Be a Rock Star Again? With a New Team and Return to Concerts, Singer Looks to Move Past Sexual Misconduct Allegations,” Variety talked with Jones and crisis PR specialist Howard Bragman about their efforts to put Adams back into the spotlight.
In that story, the singer’s new manager admitted there had been a reluctance by venues and promoters to book Adams, but said the Carnegie show broke the logjam. “I think the truth is, somebody had to do it first, and then people noticed and realized that it was successful, and he was obviously in an extremely good place personally and could deliver such a good, extensive show,” Jones said. “What’s happened, noticeably, since we’ve completed those shows is the amount of promoters across the world that have now contacted us and are offering dates in venues and wanting to book Ryan.”
Adams’ reps put the total gross for the five east coast shows at around $600,000.
Previously, in a Los Angeles magazine profile last year, Adams — who had five top 10 albums in the Billboard 200 between 2007-2017 — had said he was in danger of becoming destitute as a result of being ostracized by the music industry.
With the apparent success of the east coast shows, Adams looked to join a list of entertainers like Louis C.K. that have been able to resume their careers — with practical limitations — after becoming #MeToo emblems, with some former fans lost forever and others saying it’s time to extend forgiveness or contending that the performer was railroaded all along.
Adams’ itinerary can be found here. The new dates:
Oct. 14, 2022
Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
Oct. 15, 2022
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Asheville, NC
Oct. 16, 2022
The Louisville Palace
Louisville, KY
Oct. 17, 2022
The Factory
Chesterfield, MO
Oct. 19, 2022
Riverside Theatre
Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 20, 2022
The Chicago Theatre
Chicago, IL
Oct. 21, 2022
State Theatre
Minneapolis, MN
Oct. 22, 2022
Stephens Auditorium
Ames, IA
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