If You Don’t Like Summer Slaughter Lineup, Ash Avildsen Will Personally Refund Your Ticket

There’s been a lot to say about the rollout and lineup featured in this year’s Summer Slaughter Tour. We garnered a lot of pushback from the tour’s founder and Sumerian Records owner Ash Avildsen after we (rightfully) said this year’s show wasn’t anywhere near the “most extreme tour of the year” claim that was being made. Now, weeks after that initial kerfuffle, he’s revealed that the lineup was originally way different and that he’s so confident in the current headliners that he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is.

These details from Avildsen were brought to light during his interview with The Punk Rock MBA (as transcribed by ThePRP). In the discussion, the outspoken anti-vaxxer addressed the negative reaction to this year’s lineup, admitting that maybe using past tour posters to drum up excitement might have given fans the wrong idea of what was coming. (Oh and thanks for the shout out right at the top, Ash.)

“I think — total transparency — I think what happened with the announce, was for anyone that’s seen Game Of Thrones. The last episode got a lot of backlash because the second to last episode was so impressive, and climactic and powerful. ‘Dracarys’, and all of the action, and carnage, and drama. So [then] people assumed that the finale was gonna eclipse the second to last episode, and naturally that didn’t happen.

“Had it all been one episode it probably would have landed differently with all the fans. I think because the way we teased the comeback of the tour, and showed all the old posters, and all the lore around the tour, and these old lineups; I think a lot of fans assumed because we were returning and everything’s gotta be bigger and better post-COVID… I think kinda everyone had it in their minds there was gonna be some kind of massive lineup with all these big legacy bands. And it’s just not realistic to do tours like that in clubs anymore, unfortunately, because of how expensive it is to tour.”Had it all been one episode it probably would have landed differently with all the fans. I think because the way we teased the comeback of the tour, and showed all the old posters, and all the lore around the tour, and these old lineups; I think a lot of fans assumed because we were returning and everything’s gotta be bigger and better post-COVID… I think kinda everyone had it in their minds there was gonna be some kind of massive lineup with all these big legacy bands. And it’s just not realistic to do tours like that in clubs anymore, unfortunately, because of how expensive it is to tour.

“But outside of that, I think everyone was just expecting it’s gonna be so larger than life. And I think I underestimated what the perception of the brand actually meant to people. Because to me, starting the tour was always about, ya know, still having older acts on it. But it was all about elevating the future and helping current younger bands get bigger.”

According to Avildsen, there had initially been an attempt to make the lineup a little more like the lineups of old, stating that there was an initial attempt to get Suicidal Tendencies, Dying Fetus, and Biohazard on the bill as a “triple co-headline.” Unfortunately, Avildsen said it wasn’t in the cards due to the bands’ commitments abroad.

“It’s tough to take a tour like that in 20-30 cities in a row for a myriad of reasons. All 3 are iconic, timeless bands in their own right. And it got to the point, where we’re trying to see if it was even possible — some bands couldn’t do all the dates. Everyone’s got plans in Europe in the summer. And I just kinda had a heart to heart with everyone involved in the tour. And we’re like ‘dude, we created this tour to help move forward a new era of bands’. Even if we still had Cannibal Corpse and certain older acts headline the tour. I was like, let’s focus on something that is going to do that, and bands that we think have earned the right to be on the top of it.”

Throughout the interview, Avildsen kept mentioning that the tour was always meant to give growing bands a chance to thrive and eventually grow to that headliner spot. Past lineups would suggest it was legacy acts that regularly got the top spot, but I’m not gonna get into that. If that’s what he envisioned Summer Slaughter being, then that’s what he imagined it being.

Addressing the fan reaction, which was negative to say the least, Avildsen suggested that Veil of Maya, Brand of Sacrifice and the other bands on the list “have earned it.”

“I stand by all these bands. If all you ‘Summer Slaughter‘ ledge jumpers aren’t really sure, if you think it’s not worth your time. I stand by these bands we put at the top. If you go to the show and you’re like ‘Veil Of Maya, Brand Of Sacrifice & Gideon didn’t make me feel like I got my money’s worth, email me dude, I’ll PayPal you the money back. These bands are going to deliver man. It’s their time.”

For the record, we never once said anything negative about any of the bands on that lineup. We’ve always stood by the idea of “hey man, you get your bag!” because artists deserve to get paid and land on big tours like a Summer Slaughter. Our critique was only about the lineup in comparison to previous years, which got Ash’s underroos in a bunch.

Still, if you go to one of the dates below (and buy your ticket through our link), you can get your money back directly from Ash Avildsen. You can easily find him on social media, so it shouldn’t be hard. Just bring up COVID or vaccines or something — you’ll get his attention.

SUMMER SLAUGHTER 2024

7/12 • Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Monarch [Tickets]
7/13 • Pittsburgh, PA @ Mountain View Amphitheatre + *** [Tickets]
7/14 • TBA on May 20 [Tickets]
7/15 • Norfolk, VA @ The Norva [Tickets]
7/17 • Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works [Tickets]
7/20 • Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall ** [Tickets]
7/22 • Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s [Tickets]
7/23 • Sauget, IL @ Pops *** [Tickets]
7/25 • Houston, TX @ Warehouse live [Tickets]
7/26 • Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall [Tickets]
7/27 • Austin, TX @ The Far Out Lounge [Tickets]
7/28 • San Antonio @ TX @ Aztec Theater [Tickets]
7/30 • Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee [Tickets]
7/31 • Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern [Tickets]
8/01 • Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium *** [Tickets]
8/03 • Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall *** [Tickets]
8/05 • Chicago, IL @ House of Blues [Tickets]
8/06 • Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Complex [Tickets]
8/08 • TBA on May 20 [Tickets]
8/09 • Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom [Tickets]
8/10 • Reading, PA @ Reverb [Tickets]

+ no Veil of Maya
** no Veil of Maya / Brand of Sacrifice / GIDEON
*** no BRAT