Ajax, Ontario, Canada has a population, now, of just 126,666. But in 1996 the city was home to a modest sum of 64,430. That’s the year that 4 of those people—Deryck Whibley, vocals and guitar; Dave Baksh, guitar; Jason “Cone” McCaslin, bass; and Steve Jocz, drums—would form a band that would leave an indelible and transformative mark on an a sub-genre that, at the time, was just establishing itself in the 1990’s growing web of musical categories. In 1997 the newly minted Canadian rock group, Sum 41, would drop their very first song: ‘Sunday Morning Comics.” But it wasn’t until the year 2001 that their discography, as we now know it, began. With the release of All Killer No Filler, the band immediately solidified their role in the industry, garnering widespread fandom and, if not always critical, extraordinary commercial success. The release avalanched into a North American Tour and a feature on Saturday Night Live, and, ultimately, the album was certified platinum in the UK, the U.S., and Canada.
27 years, 8 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 2 EP’s later, Sum 41 announced they would be disbanding after a worldwide tour, “Tour of the Setting Sum,” celebrating their final album, Heaven :x: Hell. But between those to points in time—1990’s pop-punk conception and 2020’s dignified retirement—can you imagine the stories that unfolded?
On Sunday, September 29 at 713 Music Hall we got a glimpse into three decades of rock ‘n’ roll. Sum 41 entered the stage behind a black curtain, fog spilled out of the sides of the stage from behind it. The first drum hits of ‘Motivation’ from their debut album signaled the beginning of their last show in Space City; the curtain fell and the photographers scurried into the pit. Fire, confetti, crowd surfing, fog, steam jets, pandemonium—did you expect anything else? The room erupted with the energy of a band capable of nothing less than a spectacle of riotous furor. I think, at that moment, those of us who remembered the beginning of this century (Jesus Christ we’re old) were instantly brought back to the year 2001.
The group played through their hits, new and old, including ‘The Hell Song’ (from their 2002 sophomore album Does this Look Infected), ’Dopamine’, and ‘Landmines’ (tracks from their latest, Heaven :x: Hell.) But a standout moment for the audience was a mashup of covers: ‘Smoke on the Water’ (Deep Purple), ‘La Grange’ (ZZ Top), and ‘The Trooper’ (Iron Maiden).
The Canadian rock stars ended their regular set with, of course, ‘Fat Lip’ and ‘Still Waiting’ before jumping into a 3-song encore: ‘Summer’, ‘Waiting on a Twist of Fate’, and ‘In Too Deep.’
For a band that’s seen it all and lived to tell the tale (Deryck even wrote a book about it!) Sum 41’s Houston sendoff was as epic as you’d imagine. If you missed it, we’re sorry—but don’t fret. Their final tour continues throughout the U.S. and Europe throughout 2024, ending in Canada next January.
Fun Sum Fact: the band’s namesake isn’t a math reference. The band played their first gig on the 41st day of their 1996 summer vacation, hence Sum 41, or so the legend goes.
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