What did Bassnectar do? Allegations and evidence explored as DJ's Asheville concert gets canceled amid backlash

It seems like Bassnectar’s comeback plans have been dented. The controversial musician was to perform at Asheville’s Harrah’s Cheokee Center on October 27 and 28. However, his concerts were immediately canceled after receiving intense online backlash. This comes amidst the performer’s civil litigation, which came into being after he was accused of s*xually abusing minors.

Bassnectar, whose real name is Lorin Ashton, recently released The Golden Rule. This comes after his lengthy three-year hiatus. In light of the same, he was scheduled to perform in North Carolina. However, the Asheville venue released a statement announcing that his performance was canceled. They said,

“The Bassnectar: FreakStyle event scheduled for October 28-28, 2023, has been canceled. As a publicly-owned entertainment venue, we cannot deny access to the venue’s rental spaces to event performers, groups, or conventions based solely on the content of the event and/ or performer. We value all the support of our community members and fans, and we will work diligently with our publicly-appointed venue commission to review our booking policies and procedures.”

In response to the same, Bassnectar took to his official Instagram account and shared an image which read, “We don’t cancel culture we create it.” His caption read, “Truth, Lies & Cancel Culture”.

“Our FREAKSTYLE event in Asheville has been postponed. The city of Asheville was targeted by a campaign of hostility, intimidation, and preposterous lies - in an effort to bring chaos and destruction to our event. We were welcomed by Asheville and promised a safe place for 6,000 bass heads to gather and thrive.”

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Allegations against Bassnectar explored

In 2020, Bassnectar was forced to step away from the public eye after facing allegations of s*x trafficking, child p*rnography, and s*xual abuse of minors.

An Instagram account, @evidenceagainstbassnectar, shared its first post on Sunday, 28 June, 2020. They alleged that the singer was s*xually abusive towards young female fans.

Reddit user u/systemstheorist revealed on the r/aves forum that the DJ admitted to spending time with a 17-year-old, but denied having any s*xual relations with them. He also reportedly confirmed that he was in possession of three inappropriate pictures of minor girls, however, he “destroyed them in good faith.”

Bassnectar's own statements on abuse allegations confirm most of the allegations by u/systemstheorist in aves

After the allegations surfaced online, Ashton released a statement announcing that he was going on a hiatus. Despite stating that he wanted to take accountability for his actions, he claimed that the accusations were “untrue.” He said:

“I feel intense compassion for anyone I may have hurt. I truly hope you allow me a chance to work together toward healing. The rumors you are hearing are untrue, but I realize some of my past actions have caused pain, and I am deeply sorry.”

In light of the recent event cancellation, the musician’s attorney, Stacey Ashby, released a statement, announcing:

“Our client is under no obligation to put his life and career on hold because of false allegations. This civil litigation has already been going on for two years and could continue well into 2024. It was filed by three disgruntled former romantic partners of Bassnectar and is meritless.”

The lawyer also claimed that they would be taking action against anyone who slanders the musician’s reputation or “interferes with the Bassnectar community’s right to thrive.”

A trial date for the DJ’s case had not been announced at the time of writing this article. Neither have any criminal charges been filed against him.

In response to the Asheville concert cancellation, the DJ claimed that the event was “postponed,” but his Wildstyle Daylight Beach Club's October 6 and 7 event will continue as planned.

It seems like the artist continues to face the internet’s wrath when attempting to re-enter the music industry.