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Ryan Adams is attempting a mini-touring comeback, testing whether he’ll be able to pick up his career where he left it following sexual misconduct allegations.
The eight-city tour begins on October 14 in Atlanta, GA, and ends in Ames, IA, on October 22. In-between dates include shows at the Chicago Theatre, Minneapolis’ State Theatre, Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater, The Factory in St. Louis, The Palace in Louisville, and Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Adams also booked one additional performance, scheduled at the Orpheum in Los Angeles on July 22.
The announcement of a short tour gauges interest in the artist making a comeback after three years of laying low in the music industry. Following The New York Times‘ 2019 article in which seven women accused him of sexual misconduct, including Adams’ ex-wife, singer Mandy Moore, Adams’ career took a nosedive.
These upcoming shows — along with the five he completed recently on the east coast — are Adams’ attempt to prove that he still has a sizable audience despite the 2019 allegations.
Tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 am PT. Like his east coast performances, these shows will be solo performances, likely running around two and a half hours in length.
Richard Jones, Adams’ manager who is organizing the shows alongside Adams’ ICM agent Mike Hayes, says, “The word of mouth from the first leg of the tour was so good that promoters came to us. Ryan hasn’t toured since 2019 and there seems to be a voracious appetite to see him perform live.”
Ryan Adams lost his distribution deal with Blue Note Records following the 2019 allegations, but that hasn’t stopped the label’s president, Don Was, from working with him. Was recorded Adams’ sold-out May performance in Carnegie Hall for a live album expected to release later this year.
Jones explains there had been reluctance on the part of venues to book Adams but that the success of the Carnegie Hall show has encouraged promoters to reach out.
“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,” Jones says.
Ryan Adams 2022 Tour
July
- 22 | Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
October
- 14 | Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA
- 15 | Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville, NC
- 16 | The Louisville Palace in Louisville, KY
- 17 | The Factory in Chesterfield, MO
- 19 | Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, WI
- 20 | The Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL
- 21 | State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN
- 22 | Stephens Auditorium in Ames, IA