CKY’s Chad Ginsburg has spoken out about the punch he threw at Alien Ant Farm’s Dryden Mitchell. Ginsburg claims he struck Mitchell in self-defence during a heated moment on their European tour.
Alien Ant Farm’s Mitchell accused Ginsburg of engaging in disruptive behaviour. He said attempts to resolve the issues had previously failed between the pair. But Ginsburg tells a very different story. He claims Mitchell charged at him, yelling and getting too close. “I felt a physical threat,” Ginsburg said. “If I hadn’t acted, I would have been assaulted.”
Before posting his statement, Ginsburg shared screenshots on Instagram that appeared to show offensive messages from Mitchell. The messages included homophobic and racist slurs. Ginsburg later deleted the post but left the screenshots on his Instagram Stories. It’s unclear if Mitchell ever posted the messages.
The fallout has led to uncertainty about CKY’s role in the upcoming Australian tour. Promoter AJ Maddah has since commented saying, “We are going to give them a day or two for tempers to cool and see if we can keep CKY. In the meanwhile, we will work on all other options.”
Should the 2025 tour go ahead, it will be Alien Ant Farm’s first visit to Australia in over 20 years. They last performed here in 2002 at the Big Day Out. They were also set to return in 2017 with Hoobastank, Wheatus, and Lit, but that tour was ultimately cancelled. CKY, meanwhile, hasn’t toured Australia since their 2012 appearance at the Soundwave Festival. That was the band’s first tour without original frontman Deron Miller. Ginsburg later took over as lead singer in 2015.
The two bands are scheduled to tour Australia in February 2025. The dates are as follows:
- Friday, 7th February – Princess Theatre, Brisbane
- Saturday, 8th February – Metro Theatre, Sydney
- Sunday, 9th February – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
- Tuesday, 11th February – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
- Wednesday, 12th February – Magnet House, Perth
It remains unclear whether CKY will stay on the tour, as talks continue and tempers cool. Fans are waiting to see what happens next. Stay tuned for more updates on the feuding bands.
Update: 19/11/2024 – CKY will not tour Australia on the upcoming tour, they have been replaced by Drowning Pool
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