The Setting Of The Final Sum: Sum41 and Their Final Farewell at Co-Op Live

Sum 41 rose to fame during the height of the early 2000s pop-punk scheme with their debut album, ‘Half Hour of Power’. Their subsequent releases—’All Killer, No Filler’, ‘Does This Look Infected?’, and ‘Chuck’—became iconic in the punk rock world, celebrated for their high-energy fusion of punk and thrash metal. With heavy MTV rotation, millions of albums sold, and packed arenas worldwide, Sum 41 quickly became a staple in the punk rock scene.

After nearly 30 years in the music industry, Sum 41 is bidding farewell, embarking on one final world tour to honour the fans they consider their Sum 41 family. This farewell tour will include a stop at Manchester's Co-Op Live on October 28, 2024.

Despite a powercut at the venue just hours earlier, Sum 41 took to the stage precisely at 8:45 p.m., launching into a powerful 32-song set. They tore through "old songs, really old songs, and the oldest f*ckin' songs," creating a memorable, era-spanning performance to celebrate nearly three decades as a band.

Kicking off with ‘Motivation’ and diving right into ‘The Hell Song,’ ‘Over My Head (Better Off Dead),’ and due to popular demand ‘Screaming Bloody Murder,’ Sum 41 ignited the crowd. Fans erupted, shouting every lyric back at frontman Deryck Whibley as they surged toward the mosh pits, sent half-full pints flying, and passed crowd-surfers overhead, creating an atmosphere charged with electric energy

As the iconic guitar riffs of ‘Walking Disaster’ filled the venue, the crowd began jumping in sync with the beat, while giant balloons dropped, bouncing between fans like a beach party scene. Deryck Whibley showed his skill, rallying the crowd to sing along, sparking friendly competition between sides to see who could sing the loudest, and getting fans to echo lyrics back to him. All this unfolded amid bursts of confetti and a dazzling light show that perfectly matched the energy.

Sum 41 skillfully used lighting effects to reflect the unique vibe of each album. For the upbeat pop-punk tracks from Underclass Hero and Half Hour of Power, including ‘Makes No Difference,’ ‘Underclass Hero,’ and ‘Summer,’ they lit up the stage with bright, colourful displays. In contrast, for songs from Chuck, the band amped up the intensity with pyrotechnics, flashing lights, and dark tones, emphasizing the heavy metal edge on tracks like ‘We’re All to Blame,’ ‘No Reason,’ and ‘War.’

A beautiful moment unfolded when they played ‘With Me’ as the house lights came up and everyone in the crowd lit the room with their phone torches. The solitary acoustic guitar paired with Whibley's powerful vocals created an emotional performance, making it one of the standout highlights of the night.

Deryck Whibley took a moment to spotlight his bandmates, featuring an impressive drum solo by Frank Zummo. Zummo’s powerful drumming, enhanced by pyrotechnics, set the stage for the second half of the show. They launched into tracks from ‘Heaven x Hell,’ transitioning smoothly into ‘Preparasi a salire’ and ‘Rise Up,’ as a massive inflatable skeleton, flipping a defiant middle finger, rose up. This epic moment captured Whibley’s journey from rock bottom to resurgence, creating an intense and unforgettable experience.

Whibley amped up the crowd again by showcasing his bandmates' talents during electrifying guitar solos. Dave Brownsound (Dave Baksh), Browntown (Thomas Thacker), and Jason McCaslin each took turns shredding iconic metal anthems like ‘Master of Puppets,’ adding to the show’s epic energy.

As the lights dimmed, the opening audio from the ‘Fat Lip’ music video boomed through the speakers, igniting the crowd's excitement all over again. The band launched into the song, and both band and audience chanted together word-for-word: “I don’t wanna waste my time / Become another casualty of society / I’ll never fall in line / Become another victim of your conformity and back down!”. The same high energy continued with ‘In Too Deep,’ which served as their final song of the encore, marking a perfect conclusion to an era in Manchester.

Sum 41 achieved the remarkable feat of packing nearly 30 years of their best songs into a two-hour set, pouring their hearts into the performance and showcasing top-notch showmanship and production. The night became a meaningful experience for everyone present. While it's sad to see Sum 41 go, they definitely ended on a high note.

Ana Joy King

@anajoyking

Image: Ana Joy King