MOON TOWNSHIP – Rock band Sum 41 rocked the UPMC Event Center for the 31st stop on their “Tour of the Setting Sum: The Farewell Tour” on September 17th.
The recently-formed metal band Many Eyes, hailing from New York City, kicked off the events of the evening with a mix of pounding kick drums from the drummer, psychedelic guitar riffs, and raw, visceral screaming lyrics from frontman and lead singer Keith Buckley. Buckley, who rose to prominence as the lead singer of metalcore group Every Time I Die, stated several times throughout the energetic set how grateful they were to be able to perform with Sum 41 and the next opener: The Interrupters.
The Interrupters are a melting pot of several musical influences formed in Los Angeles, CA. Their quick guitar and bass riffs along with speedy drums from bothers Kevin (guitar), Justin (bass), and Jesse Bivona (drums), and vocals from frontwoman Aimee Allen are reminiscent of classic punk rock, but that’s not the entirety of their discography. Some of their songs, such as their most popular one “She’s Kerosene”, have elements of ska music of old.
The Interrupters have a commanding stage presence with both Kevin Bivona and Aimee Allen constantly calling out to the crowd for them to sing along to songs, and in some very heartwarming moments, Allen talking to and giving hugs to some kids in the front row of the concert floor.
This show was one of the stops on The Interrupter’s “In the Wild Tour,” which celebrated the release of their album of the same name back in April. Kevin Bivona and Aimee Allen ended the night by thanking the crowd and Sum 41 for all of the love and support, and then, around 9 PM, Sum 41 took the stage.
The legendary Canadian pop-punk group – who innovated the alt-rock scene with albums such as All Killer No Filler and Does This Look Infected? – announced in May of 2023 that they would be releasing one more album (2024’s Heaven :x: Hell) and going on one more tour before disbanding.
On this final tour, the band’s lineup consists of original members Deryck Whibley (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Jason McCaslin (bass and backup vocals), and Dave Baksh (lead guitar and backup vocals), as well as musicians who joined along the band’s 27-year history: Tom Thacker (backup vocals and lead/rhythm guitar), and Frank Zummo (drums).
Whibley’s contagious energy permeated the arena during Sum 41’s 25-song setlist, including songs from every era of the band’s discography. Confetti, pyrotechnics, lasers, and fog machines helped set the atmosphere in the UPMC Event Center as a celebration of the past three decades of pop-punk and metal fusion.
The early slate of songs included songs from Heaven :x: Hell (“Motivation”, “Dopamine”, “Landmines”) and some old favorites (“The Hell Song”, “Walking Disaster”), and as the concert went on, Whibley told more and more stories from the band’s history. He brought out two golden Les Paul guitars, one of which was used by legendary punk band Social Distortion on their first album, and another used by Whibley during the recording and tour of the band’s first album All Killer No Filler. He decided to bring the guitars on tour since this was the last time Sum 41 would take the stage. Whibley announced that more stories are to come in his book “Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell”.
Up next came the most somber moment of the concert, as Whibley took to the piano and played a demo song he wrote after he and his ex-wife Avril Lavigne encountered a devastating car accident outside of their home in 2008. The melancholic chords of the song – which Whibley named “Crash” – paint a picture of loss and gloominess.
Rounding out the concert, Sum 41 played the quartet of three of their most famous songs, which was also the first song the band had ever made. Nearly every person in the UPMC Event Center got up and got wild for the metal-esque punk anthem “Still Waiting”, the humorous rap/rock hybrid – and breakout hit for Sum 41 – “Fat Lip”, Whibley’s self-proclaimed best song the band ever put out (as well as the first one they released) “Summer”, and the band rounded out the show with arguably their most popular song: “In Too Deep”.
After the final song, confetti, fog, and pyrotechnic smoke filled the arena, and the five members of Sum 41 took a bow for the last time in Pittsburgh. Whibley made one last speech to the crowd about how much these shows and the “big, stupid, crazy family” that their music cultivated over 27 years means to all of them.
And with that, Sum 41 left a stage in Pittsburgh for the final time.
The crowd in the UPMC Event Center was energetic and full of life on Tuesday, with people young and old coming together to enjoy this moment. Earlier in the show, The Interrupters’ guitarist Kevin Bivona told the raucous crowd a quote that rang true:
“The best sport in this arena is a punk rock concert.”
