Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates dismisses album anniversary tours

Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates has indicated the band isn’t interested in following the trend of playing full albums on anniversary tours. Speaking to Rolling Stone India about the potential celebration of “City of Evil’s” 20th anniversary in 2025, Gates expressed the band’s preference for innovation over nostalgia.

Gates did reference a recent intimate performance at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, where the band treated Deathbats Club members to songs from their early albums “Waking The Fallen” (2003) and “City of Evil” (2005). The Deathbats Club, as Gates explained, is the band’s blockchain-based fan club that emerged from the NFT market decline, offering direct rewards to fans.

“Some bands are making an entire cycle out of that [anniversary performances]. It’s cool, but it doesn’t really interest us. We’re just kind of constantly trying to pound the pavement, in hopes of finding new, unique, fresh ways of presenting and creating music.”

The guitarist described the Santa Ana show as a playful throwback where the band “dressed up like half-wits” and had “a lot of fun,” but emphasized that such performances would remain special occasions rather than full touring concepts.

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