REVIEW: Sum 41 w/ The Interrupters, Joey Valence & Brae | 5.14.24 @ The Ryman Auditorium [PHOTOS]

Sum 41
w/ The Interrupters, Joey Valence & Brae
The Ryman Auditorium; Nashville, TN
May 14, 20204

Review by Philip Obenschain. Photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship.

Sometimes, when bands announce a planned breakup or farewell tour, it’s met with a healthy dose of warranted skepticism, when all too often a reunion tour, comeback album, or change a mind seems to occur just a few years later (especially when all members are alive and well and relatively young). When Canadian pop punks Sum 41 announced their initiation to disband, however, it really had a feeling of finality, and their activity in the year since has only served to accentuate that point, with a lengthy final tour announcement (ending at home in Canada), and one last album, 2023 double LP Heaven :x: Hell, which felt like a deliberate sonic culmination of their entire discography. Between health issues, family obligations, and the fact that throughout their near-three-decade run, they’ve remained a seminal and beloved pop punk and metal act, but aren’t quite the arena-sized, festival headlining behemoth of peers like Blink-182 or Green Day, it does seem like the band has genuinely run its course and accomplished everything they set out to, and though we hope the door is open to someday change their mind, the group’s recent farewell stop in Nashville- their first time headlining The Ryman Auditorium– felt like a fitting and sentimental goodbye.

Kicking off the show were a duo that I- and I’m sure many people- first discovered through TikTok, Joey Valence & Brae. I’m a big fan of the Beastie Boys and old school hip hop, and the duo perfectly channel that punk-spirited approach, with a rap rock delivery, contemporary meme and cultural references, and clever lyricism. Though The Ryman had a pretty solid crowd as the show started, it did seem like a lot of older Sum 41 fans didn’t really know what to make of these openers, and despite their best efforts, they had a little trouble getting people to stand up and connect on their energy level. I loved it though, and I hope I can catch them again at a smaller spot like Exit/In, with a crowd who knows their songs. Next up were The Interrupters, an LA ska punk band who, though only formed in the early 2010s, sound like a callback to bands of the ’90s and ’00s like Rancid, Goldfinger, and Transplants. Though I haven’t listened to them a ton, I LOVE the scene that influenced them, and I first caught the group at Warped Tour years back and was really impressed. They sounded even better at this Ryman show, with singer Aimee Interrupter absolutely captivating the stage, and bothers Kevin, Justin, and Jesse Bivona providing tight backing. Hits like “She’s Kerosene” and their anthemic “Take Back the Power” (which would’ve been a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Soundtrack classic had they formed a decade earlier) were a blast, as well as an unexpected cover of Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” It seemed like the crowd was a little more into them, too, since they’re closer- but still pretty distinct from- Sum 41’s punk sound.

As a millennial, former emo kid in my mid-30s, Sum 41- like all of the classic pop punk bands of the early 2000s- mean a great deal to me. I still remember bootlegging tracks on Napster as a middle schooler, then eventually getting my hands on a real copy on their 2001 debut All Killer No Filler and listening on repeat. I remember watching their videos premiere on TRL, covering their songs with my teen bands, and obsessing over articles in Alternative Press. It was quite a few years later that I would see them live for the first time though, at a 2010 performance on Warped Tour, by which time they’d gone from scrappy skater punks to mainstream pop rockers, and were about to spend a decade reconnecting with their metal roots, while I had, at the time, grown tired of what the pop punk scene morphed into, and was honing in on the hipster-fueled indie rock boom of the era. I kind of checked out after that for a decade; never losing my love for those first few records, but not really paying attention to what they were up to after. That is, until 2019, when an intimate show at Nashville’s Basement East, in support of then-impending release Order in Decline, rekindled my love for the band, and absolutely floored me with how fantastic they’d remained nearly 20 years after I first got into them.

They’ve been back to Nashville a couple time since, but this Ryman show was my first time seeing Sum 41 in five years, and if it’s the last time I ever do- as is currently the plan- it was a lovely and fun and fitting farewell for a group who perhaps don’t always get as much due as they deserve. Mostly still rocking the lineup they’ve had since All Killer (extra guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Tom Thacker joined in ’09, during a stretch guitarist Dave Baksh quit the band, only to return in 2015), minus drummer Steve Jocz, who left over a decade ago and was replaced by current member Frank Zummo, the band are anchored by frontman Deryck Whibley and other constant, bassist Jason McCaslin, and still look and sound as fiery and vibrant and punk rock as ever, though with a sheen and showmanship forged from decades on the road. Hitting the stage a little late by Ryman standards, and boasting a dazzling stage with some of the best production I’ve ever seen in the venue, after being played on by AC/DC intro music, they launched into All Killer track “Motivation,” prompting immediate singalongs and setting the tone for an energetic, career-spanning celebration.

I’ve listened to all of Sum 41’s catalogue, and I think they’ve made some really interesting music over the last 15 years, but my nostalgia for their debut EP and first four albums will never be topped, and I was thrilled (if unsurprised) to find that essentially the entire setlist came from those records, with the rest just a couple of covers and a handful of cuts from their final album (which is my favorite thing they’ve done in years and a fitting epilogue). The crowd too- which seemed to skew my age or older- was absolutely going wild as they powered through hit after hit, energetically running around the stage, which was adorned with gigantic album art, laser lights, platforms and risers, adding to the group’s propulsive pace and immersive performance style. With two guitarists in the lineup now, Whibley mostly stuck to vocals, save for a few more ballad-y tunes, and as a result, his singing was the best I’ve ever heard, giving him the freedom both to move around more and to to really pour his all into perfectly hitting every note and intonation. And the band were as tight as I’ve ever heard them, particularly in the moments they got to shred for the metal-leaning tunes, and for a few solos (Zummo, especially, got time to shine in an extended drum solo). One thing that has always set Sum 41 apart from some pop punk peers is their musical chops, forged from a love of metal and riffs, and as a result, they’ve always boasted a really impressive live show amidst of a genre not always known for that.

It’s hard to pick standout moments within the show, since it was, for my money, a near-perfect and fittingly nostalgic setlist, hitting most every important song from all of their best albums. From cuts from my personal favorite LP Does This Look Infected?, like bombastic “The Hell Song,” a compilation of “My Direction,” “No Brains,” and “All Messed Up,” and enduring hit “Still Waiting,” to tunes from the underrated Chuck like ballad “Some Say” or crushing metal to pop punk banger “We’re All to Blame,” to poppier Underclass Hero songs like title track “Underclass Hero” and heartfelt ballad-y “With Me,” to- in a moment that absolutely left me giddy- one of their oldest tracks of all, the quintessentially pop punk “Makes No Difference,” from debut EP Half Hour of Power, the show was captivating and full of hits, and, of course, the album that put them on the map and remains a fan-favorite, All Killer No Filler, provided a fitting bookend, with aforementioned opener “Motivation,” as well as, at the end of the night, mega hits “Fat Lip” and “In Too Deep.” Also near the end, the band opted to tackle two covers, a punk interpretation of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” (which, though fine, I felt like took away a little of momentum of the originals, especially since Queen and Freddie Mercury are so iconic and hard to do justice) and, fitting for The Ryman, “Ring of Fire,” in the style of Social Distortion rather than Johnny Cash, and using a vintage guitar Whibley said was used on the band’s classic White Light, White Heat, White Trash (the latter cover was much more effective in my opinion).

Sum 41 don’t have to be this good at this point in their career; their fanbase from 20 years ago are passionate, and would show up regardless, especially for a farewell run. But the fact that they have not only continued to make music- and music that sounds uninhibited by any expectations of the past, and is instead exactly what they love to make- but also have continuously honed and one-upped their craft, remaining great and ascending to one of the greatest live acts in pop punk and beyond, is a truly impressive feat, and a testament to the sincerity and passion for their craft and for these decades of songs that still seem to resonate with the band as much as their fans. Headlining The Ryman is a badge of honor for any act, and also a showcase of genuine talent, as it’s a room with amazing sound, where every nuance of the show is on full display. Not only did Sum 41- one of just a handful of punk acts to play there- prove more that worthy of that stage, but also reminded why they’re one of the best and most enduring groups of their era. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to say goodbye, or a more nostalgic set, to close a chapter on a band I’ve loved for decades. Long live Sum 41!

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Setlist:

Motivation
The Hell Song
Over My Head (Better Off Dead)
No Reason
Underclass Hero
Some Say
Landmines
Dopamine
We’re All to Blame
Walking Disaster
With Me
Makes No Difference
My Direction / No Brains / All Messed Up
Preparasi a salire
Rise Up
We Will Rock You
Ring of Fire
Pieces
Fat Lip
Still Waiting

Summer
In Too Deep