Sum 41 completed their calculations and brought the curtain down on an illustrious 30-year career at a far from packed OVO Hydro on a wet and miserable Sunday night in Glasgow’s Finnieston District. For those fans who chose not to bear witness to their last hurrah, they missed out on a real treat. A near 2 hours long, polished set, laden with songs old and new, was delivered by the well-rehearsed and tight Canadian 5 piece and received with aplomb by the appreciative Hydro audience, who enthusiastically sang every word. The last song to play on the P.A. before the band took the stage was T.N.T. by Scotland’s very own AC/DC and this was a taste of things to come, as an explosive set was promised and delivered.
Led by the diminutive and very polite front man, Deryck Whibley, who bounced, ran and, with a nod to his punk rock roots, spat his way across the chasm of the Hydro stage, Sum 41 barely stopped to catch their breath. Opening with the spoken word Introduction to Destruction by the band’s original skins man, Steve Jocz, (which gave this reviewer notes of Michael Jackson’s Thriller) their current drummer occupying the throne, a bare-chested, Travis Bickle doppelganger, Frank Zummo, proved he is a worthy successor with an impressive drum solo, mid set.
Whibley boasted of having the most guitars of anyone in the band and this was evidenced as his technician was a regular at his side before many of the songs began, including a guitar stolen 21 years ago that was only recovered recently. He admitted that he played the least guitar in the band, even proclaiming that he wasn’t a very
proficient player, however, the ladies and gentlemen in the audience knew this to be false modesty, as he began the familiar riff of Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water, leading to one of several cover snippets, accompanied by his band mates, that were part of a medley leading up to the end of the first act.
Eschewing the big screens that often bookend an arena stage and sometimes provide the backdrop, Sum41 wanted to make sure that all eyes in the hall were on the boys from Ontario. Preferring a yellow and black backdrop littered with graffiti illustrating their past career in the first half, the second half boldly proclaimed the band’s name in red, white and black. An appearance later in the set behind the band was made by a huge blowup skeleton, aptly named Bonesy, that let everyone know, using its bony fingers, the numbers included in the name of the skateboard rockers. It naughtily ‘flipped the bird’ with its left hand and had echoes of Iron Maiden’s, Eddie, with the addition of glowing lights coming from the eye sockets. It was very effective during this Halloween season in adding a unique ambience to proceedings.
Sum41 put on an enthralling and engaging show and made sure their audience were involved throughout. Arm waving in time to the rhythm of War; massive balloon balls were also thrown out to the crowd and Whibley took great delight in bursting them with his mic a short time later; ticker tape and streamers were regularly sprayed above our heads and flames shot up from the front of the stage. The latter was very considerate of them, given how cold it is just now.
Ultimately, this was a double celebration: promoting the final album, a double, released in March of this year, Heaven :x: Hell and of the last 30 years of their music. Whibley told the ladies and gentlemen in the room that there were lows as well as highs during their time in the spotlight, but hopefully they’ll look back on all their visits to our Dear Green Place with fondness. Whibley professed his love and appreciation for the fans, who he continually thanked throughout the night and declared were part of the Sum 41 family.
The last song, or so we thought, was In Too Deep, a singalong classic, and at its conclusion the 5 band members lined up to take
their final bow before leaving, stage right. With I’ve Gotta Be Me by Steve Lawrence playing on the P.A. the fans began milling towards the exit, only for Sum 41 to retake the stage. “Close all the doors,” demanded the emotional front man. “Whoever is in, is in and whoever is out, is out.” The stragglers and set-list seekers were treated to So Long Goodbye before it was all over. This reviewer has not seen any bands do that before, in 40 years of enjoying concerts, and some might argue it wasn’t the most advisable act in terms of health and safety, but what the Hell, it’s their last hurrah, let’s indulge them because for those last 2 hours in their presence we were all closer to Heaven.
Review by Manus McFadden