Ryan Adams books Carnegie Hall for first major show since 2019 misconduct allegations

Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams announced plans to perform at Carnegie Hall in May in his first major public engagement since the 2019 publication of a New York Times exposé in which multiple women accused him of emotional abuse, manipulation and harassment.

The show, presented by Metropolitan Entertainment, is set to take place on May 14 in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. A spokesperson for Carnegie Hall confirmed that Metropolitan Entertainment had rented the venue for this event.

"As you know, Ryan has been off the radar for a couple of years," said Ian Noble, senior producer at Metropolitan Entertainment. "Based on a huge demand by his fans, it was felt by Ryan and his team that this was the right time to come back. His team put this concert together and, looking at the overwhelming fan response, we’d say they were right."

He noted that the promoter does not have any sort of deal with Carnegie to present a certain number of shows per year.

"If we feel a show is suitable for the venue, we approach them on a show-by-show basis," Noble said. "Carnegie Hall may have a quality-control policy, but it has never been an issue for us with the shows we’ve brought there." (Adams previously released the live album Live at Carnegie Hall in 2015.)

As for the "huge demand," Noble said there had been a "steady drumbeat" from a large social media fanbase.

"We are comfortable presenting this concert knowing that the consumer has the ultimate power to make an informed decision and to support an artist," Noble added.

This sentiment was echoed by Howard Bragman, CEO of La Brea Media, a crisis communications firm that has been working with Adams.

"I can tell you that Ryan has been really happy at home writing and working on music and other projects, and along the way he spends a lot of time talking to his fans on social media," Bragman said in an email. "They were quite aggressive/insistent in their desire for him to perform again and Ryan and his team felt like the time was right too. It was very much an intuitive decision, and based on the fact that he sold out the allotted tickets within hours, it was seemingly the right decision. He’s very excited, humbled and grateful at the response and the love and excitement that’s being shown out there."

Adams has posting new songs and notes about sobriety on Instagram. As of last week, he wrote that he is five months sober. He has also been teasing the concert on Instagram, writing last weekend, "So next week I’ll have something VERY special to share. Oh man…" Fans responded to the post in large numbers with praise and excitement.

In addition, he is selling "Carnegie Hall" T-shirts promoting the gig with a faux-New Yorker cover.

In February 2019, the Times reported that seven women, including ex-wife Mandy Moore, ex-fiancée Megan Butterworth and indie musician Phoebe Bridgers, alleged that Adams had manipulated them over several years, dangling "career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex." They said this led to emotional and verbal abuse, sexual misconduct, and harassment over social media and other mediums. One woman, who was not identified by name in the story, said she was underage when she began exchanging sexually explicit messages with Adams.

As a result of the article, Adams was dropped by his label, Capitol Records. A planned United Kingdom tour was also scrapped and a new album was cancelled amidst an FBI investigation, which ultimately cleared Adams of accused misconduct with the underage individual.

In subsequent years, Adams has apologized for his behavior, while also denying some of the details of the original report and accusations.

"I am not a perfect man and I have made many mistakes. To anyone I have ever hurt, however unintentionally, I apologize deeply and unreservedly," he tweeted at the time. "But the picture that this article paints is upsettingly inaccurate. Some of its details are misrepresented; some are exaggerated; some are outright false. I would never have inappropriate interactions with someone I thought was underage. Period."

Adams wrote an essay for the Daily Mail in 2020 about seeking professional help for his behavior, writing, "No amount of growth will ever take away the suffering I had caused." But he mostly stayed out of the spotlight until last summer, when he began posting on Instagram about seeking forgiveness and asking record labels for “a second chance to make some music."

Adams gave his first interview since the exposé to Los Angeles Magazine, lamenting the state of his life and career.

“I’m an emotional human being," he said. "Why can’t I communicate to people who are my fans and listen to my music?”