For over 30 years, Sum 41 have remained one of the biggest names in pop punk. For 90s kids like me, the band would soundtrack our adolescence, with their impressive catalogue of hits finding their way into numerous parts of 00s pop culture. Sadly though, all good things must come to an end, with the band announcing these Autumn dates will be their last ever here in the UK. So, to bid a final farewell to a band that many grew up with, we headed over to the arena to catch Sum 41’s last show here in Nottingham…
After a quick stop off at Saltbox for some Neon Raptor IPA and Mollis Fried Chicken (if you haven’t tried it yet, correct that immediately), it’s into the arena for tonight’s support act, LA punk rockers The Bronx. Having been unfamiliar with them before tonight, they do a great job of warming the crowd up, encouraging mosh pits and crowd surfers early doors. “That’s why Nottingham rules!” exclaims frontman Matt Caughthran, after a particularly energetic mosh pit erupts in front of the stage. “I don’t want to give you five stars just yet, but the mosh pits weren’t that big in Leeds, Manchester or Glasgow.”
He goes on to share the band’s history with the city, in particular Rock City, noting that they spent their day off watching Soft Play perform there the previous evening. With songs like Heart Attack America and an epic version of Around The Horn causing more wild scenes in front of the stage, The Bronx leave the audience chomping at the bit, ready for Sum 41 to take over as the conductors of chaos.
After a brief interval, the thunderous sounds of TNT by the legendary AC/DC ring around the arena, before a dramatic curtain drop reveals Sum 41 positioned on the stage. From the get-go, it’s a no holds barred whirlwind of big rock anthems and all the production bells and whistles. First track Motivation sees lasers and fire balls shot from the stage, before a big confetti explosion at the climax. “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get f**king crazy!” announces frontman Deryck Whibley, as the band storm through iconic cuts The Hell Song and Screaming Bloody Murder, the crowd eating up every single second.
“I’m going to try and shut the f**k up, as we’ve got a lot of songs to get through tonight” reveals Deryck ahead of popular single Underclass Hero, which sees giant balloons unleashed into the crowd. He asks for one to be passed back to him on the stage, popping several of them before the last balloon reveals some confetti inside. It’s clear already that no expense has been spared on this tour, with another explosion this time revealing some streamers. Clearly aimed at bigger venues they end up getting stuck in the roof rafters of the arena, providing a cool visual for the remainder of the set.
After Deryck channels his inner Freddie Mercury on War, conducting the audience’s vocal cries like a pro, it’s then into a duo of songs from their final double album, Heaven x Hell. Recent single Landmines gets the crowd waving and singing along as pyrotechnic fireworks sparkle from the stage, before Deryck unveils a new guitar for cheery cut, Dopamine. “Ok no more smiles, let’s get mad!” he cries ahead of We’re All To Blame, with the first circle pits opening up down the front. He then mentions how a guitar he’s had since he was 17 years old was recently stolen and he searched hell and high water to get the sentimental piece back, which he did just a few weeks ago before the start of the tour. The crowd cheers the guitar’s return and aim a chant of “F**k that guy” at the thief (wherever he may be), before a second lot of streamers fire out during a crowd-pleasing rendition of Walking Disaster.
After the torches come out for gentle ballad With Me, Deryck yells “Enough of the slow s**t, let’s go fast again!” It’s time for a throwback to their first ever single Makes No Difference, before an epic drum solo welcomes the audience to Hell with Preparasi a salire and Rise Up. On the latter, a giant skeleton head and torso displaying the Sum 41 salute appears at the back of the stage, creating quite the awesome visual. It’s timed with a heavier portion of the set, with the band even busting out short covers of Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple and Master of Puppets by Metallica, which both cause more mayhem in the crowd.
It’s then time for the big finale, with an emotional Pieces followed by a seismic performance of their best-known track, Fat Lip. With big pits, a huge singalong during the breakdown and wave after wave of crowd surfers, it’s absolute carnage. The havoc remains for ferocious main set closer Still Waiting, as the band exit the stage for the first time at the end of the song.
The smell of pyro hangs in the air as the animated applause brings the band back out for the encore. After the heavy riffs of Summer and Waiting On A Twist of Fate, an emotional Deryck takes a moment to speak to the crowd: “We love you, we appreciate you, we thank you – but most importantly, we’re going to miss you.” It brings on a feeling of sad realisation that this is indeed the last time we will see this band put on one hell of a rock show. “One last time – let’s sing together, let’s jump together, let’s get crazy together” enthuses Deryck, as everyone gets involved for a triumphant singalong to In Too Deep, with guitarist Dave Baksh also impressively playing the song’s iconic solo with his guitar positioned behind his head.
As the song ends and the band leave the stage for apparently the final time, there’s a mass exodus as the arena bowl empties out. However, we notice the house lights still haven’t come on yet, causing us to sit tight for just a moment. Sure enough, the band re-emerge from the side of stage, now about to play to a half empty arena. “Security lock the doors” yells Deryck as he grabs the microphone once more. “Whoever is out is out – whoever is in, is in!” It’s a bonus encore for those that have stayed, bringing a greater sense of intimacy and occasion to the final couple of tracks. After an emotional and very apt performance of So Long Goodbye, Deryck says the band aim to “finish how we started” by playing the very first song off their very first album - Machine Gun. After it’s done, the band take their final bow and leave the stage, for what is now really the last time.
Sum 41 did everything in their power to make this feel like a big celebration of their career, making it a triumphant final send-off for one of pop punk’s most important and best loved bands. From all the expensive production tricks to the expansive 30-song setlist, they ensured the fans left content with what looks to be their final performance here in Nottingham. An emotional night, a deeply satisfying farewell and a spectacular rock show that will live long in the memory.
Thank you for everything Sum 41 – we’ll all be holding out for a reunion somewhere down the road!
Sum 41 performed at the Motorpoint Arena on Wednesday 30th October 2024
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