Pop Punk Legends Sum 41 Bring Farewell Tour to The Ryman Tonight, May 14

Formed in 1996 in Ontario, Canada, seminal rockers Sum 41 were a staple of the early ’00s pop punk explosion, breaking out with 2001 full-length debut All Killer No Filler, and becoming certifiable, worldwide stars by the following year’s followup, Does This Look Infected? At their heyday, Sum were as huge as other titans of the scene like Blink-182, Green Day, New Found Glory, and Good Charlotte, set apart by their particularly mischievous, defiant style and attitude, and tendency to incorporate more metal-leaning influence and guitar solos into their fast-paced sound (a metal vibe which has been a lot more prevalent in recent records).

While Sum 41 never broke up, going on to release another three well-received LPs between 2004 and 2011, and continuing to tour and take part in events like Warped Tour, their activity slowed at the start of the 2010s, with frontman Deryck Whibley’s health problems coming to a head by 2014. Soon after bouncing back, however, the band began work on new music, and the following year, original guitarist Dave Baksh returned to the group after nearly a decade absent. By 2016’s sixth album 13 Voices, Sum were once again in full swing, met enthusiastically with renewed interest, buzzworthy tours, and increased prominence as pop punk nostalgia hit a fever pitch.

After decades of rarely playing Nashville, the band hit Music City twice in 2019, the same year they dropped seventh album Order in Decline, and once more in 2022 on a co-headlining tour with Simple Plan. However, when they return again to town tonight, May 14, it’ll be both an extra special and also bittersweet performance. Special, because they’re headlining The Ryman Auditorium for the first time- a rarity still for punk bands- and bittersweet because it’s their last tour ever. In conjunction with a farewell album, the recent Heaven :x: Hell, a double LP with one side a throwback to the pop punk sound of their earlier days and the other more emblematic of the heavy metal of more recent years, this extended run takes the band all over the world one last time, and is set to end with a final performance in January in their native Canada.

If you want to see Sum 41 one last time in Nashville (and we really suggest you do if you have any affinity for 2000s pop punk; they still absolutely rip live), you can still get tickets right here! And be sure to show up early, as the openers are ska punk revivalists The Interrupters and viral, Beastie Boys-esque alt rap duo Joey Valence & Brae.

Sum 41, The Interrupters, and Joey Valence & Brae will perform tonight, May 14 at The Ryman Auditorium. The show is all ages, begins at 7:15pm (doors at 6:30pm), and tickets are available for $55-125.