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During singer-songwriter Ryan Adams' performance in Belfast on Saturday night, the artist stormed off stage mid-set. He owed this to health concerns that were reportedly triggered by flash photography in the crowd.
The gig was held at the city's Waterfront Hall to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ryan Adams' beloved solo album Heartbreaker. However, the event did not go as well as planned. Many fans were left dismayed.
Adams has been touring the UK and Ireland as part of his Heartbreaker anniversary shows. Reports suggest that it is one of the most acclaimed albums of his career.
It was originally released in 2000 and was a significant shift from his earlier work with Whiskeytown in alternative country and rock music. The Belfast show was his third at the Waterfront Hall. He played there previously in 2002 and 2012.
Why did Ryan Adams abruptly stop his performance?
Belfast Telegraph reports that before storming off the show, Ryan Adams said:
"Stop f**king flashing. I warned you. You could kill me. I have epilepsy and Meniere's disease. F**k you, I am not coming back until you stop flashing."
NME reports that halfway through the set, the artist walked off stage after angrily addressing audience members for using flash photography.
Despite signs reportedly posted around the venue asking fans not to use flash, some attendees appeared to ignore the warnings. It resulted in the above-mentioned response from the singer, who suffers from neurological conditions that make him sensitive to light.
About 25 minutes later, Adams returned to the stage and told the audience he had suffered an epileptic seizure backstage. Though he attempted to continue the set, the rest of the performance was riddled with awkward exchanges, reports suggest.
During the second part of his performance, he gave a signed copy of his upcoming novel to a fan and publicly read and responded to a birthday email request.
Fans react to Ryan Adams' Belfast gig
Some fans left early from the show. Multiple people took to social media platforms to describe the night. Below are what some of them stated:
"Went to the worst 'concert' I have ever been to tonight in the Waterfront Hall. Ryan Adams forgot the bit about giving the audience a good performance in return for their hard earned cash! By performance, I do not mean throwing a tantrum dressed up as Oscar Wilde!!", shared a netizen.
"The stories from Ryan Adams in Belfast are nearly funny. A car crash of a gig by the sounds of it. Abusive narcissistic asshole lets the mask slip the 100th time. Just stop giving this man money and stop feeling sorry for him. He’ll probably be 'amazing' in vicar st. Still a prick.", penned another.
"Perhaps the saddest part of tonight's Ryan Adams concert in Belfast, near the end of the night, a group in front of me actively tried to use flash photography to cause another seizure.", expressed a third.
Reports suggest that Adams has a history of health and personal struggles, many of which have played out publicly over the years.
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