Written And Photographed By Liv Foltiny
Sept. 10, 2021, was a date of multiple firsts for me: my first time seeing a concert at The Mann, my first time serving as a contributing photographer for THAT MAG, my first time working with Nick Hopton (whom I now call a friend), and my first time photographing one of my favorite bands, The Struts. Prior to that particular day, I had only photographed a single concert at a much smaller venue. Needless to say, I was excited but also a bit nervous; everything was new to me, and, considering I was about to photograph a band that I love, I didn’t want to screw things up. Long story short, everything went well and led me to where I am today as well as where I was last weekend — at The Mann covering the Tour Of The Setting SUM.
Getting to the Skyline Stage slightly after 7 pm, I had just missed the opening band but made it in time for the second band of the night, The Interrupters. Kicking off their set with “Take Back The Power,” The Interrupters got the crowd excited through their energetic performance. The band’s commanding stage presence was evident as they climbed, jumped off stands and objects onstage, and engaged with attendees, encouraging them to sing along,the band commanded their attention and incited dancing and
jumping, demonstrating the members’ strong stage presence. Although The Interrupters’ invigorating showmanship was an important facet of their performance, it wasn’t the only one that stood out.
Throughout their set, the love and respect the band members had for one another was on full display, presented in the forms of their closeness and shared smiles onstage as well as their playful teasing toward one another. The latter was mostly instigated by Kevin Bivona (guitarist) since he made sure to not only introduce Justin (bassist) and Jesse (drummer) as his younger twin brothers but also joked that they probably acquired portions of their wardrobes from their dad’s closet. These moments of lighthearted sibling rivalry coupled with the loving chemistry between Kevin and Aimee (lead vocalist and Kevin’s wife) added to the impact of The Interrupters’ set and complemented their showmanship. By the time The Interrupters reached their final song, “She’s Kerosene,” it was obvious that their performance cemented the initial foundations for what would undoubtedly be a memorable night.
Following a set change, “TNT” (song by ACDC) played over the speakers while the stage lights flashed in unison to the beat behind an enormous black curtain. Suddenly, the lights went out, and a deep voice reached out from the speakers, stating, “Gather, my children … We celebrate the beast at final curtains’ call. When day becomes night, the ritual has begun. We hold up our salutes to the Setting SUM.” As the voice and its Vincent Price-esque speech faded away, the black fabric concealing the stage dropped as the flashing lights returned, illuminating the anticipated headliner — SUM 41.
After enthusiastically greeting and saluting the crowd, Deryck Whibley (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist) and the band opened their set with “Motivation.” From Deryck’s expressive movements, dragging the mic stand, and energetically gliding across the stage to Dave Baksh (lead guitarist), Jason McCaslin (bassist), and Tom Thacker (guitarist) switching places, bobbing their heads, and, at times, coming together to play side by side, SUM 41 gave the crowd a fantastic preview to the remainder of, what would be, an incredible show.
Given this was their final tour, the band crafted a set list that represented their entire career. Songs like “Summer” (which, according to Deryck, they “liked so much [they] put it on two fucking records”), “Fat Lip,” and “Over My Head (Better Off Dead)” touched upon their early years while other songs, such as “Landmines” and “Rise Up,” characterized their more recent ones. Every song was a snapshot, a memory from the lives of the band members who were passionately performing up on the stage, giving it their all.
Like The Interrupters, SUM 41 knew how to command the crowd’s attention but, not to discredit the former band, did so on another level, especially when it came to interacting with the mass of people standing before them. Deryck spoke directly to the crowd throughout the night for various reasons: to encourage everyone to let loose, request attendees send up balloons for him to pop with his mic, talk about his bandmates, make jokes, thank everyone for coming to their show and supporting them, etc. All of these aspects demonstrated Deryck’s irrefutable prowess to connect with the masses as a first-class frontman; however, he made sure each of his bandmates — his friends — had their own moments to shine. Even though this notion was exemplified by the guitar solos from SUM 41’s set, it was best represented by the drum solo that followed Deryck’s story about how he and the guys didn’t “have all the cool shit” they have now back when they started and were performing in garages. Upon mentioning how the band didn’t always have the double-bass drums, Deryck had the stage crew bring out a smaller drum set reminiscent of their old one. Once the drum set was situated, Deryck had Frank Zummo come out from behind his large, LED-lit drum set to sit behind the smaller one for his drum solo. As his bandmates stood aside, Frank fervently played the drums, never missing a beat and performing with just as much zeal as he had behind the larger drum set. His absolute mastery of the drums, along with the support and respect of his friends, was undeniable.
After performing for around an hour and a half, they gathered center stage, expressed their gratitude to everyone there, bowed, and said their final goodbyes. Although it was bittersweet for longtime fans and newer ones, such as myself (yes, I’m regrettably late to joining the SUM 41 family), there was no denying the wonderful impression the band left on the crowd. While objects, like the confetti covering the ground and the last pieces of band merchandise being sold at the booth, physically attested the band had been there, the chatting fans with smiles on their faces evinced the genuine joy that stemmed from a perfect night, namely one full of great
music, sentimental stories, and stellar showmanship. Hell, trying to describe such an incredible show was daunting, especially since it felt like words could never truly do it justice. Let alone pay tribute to a band with an impressive career spanning nearly three decades. If I were to summarize the Tour Of The Setting SUM, I’d describe it as a celebratory event. Despite its slightly eulogistic undertones, the tour beautifully epitomized a band whose members not only inspired others but also brought together countless people through their music. In a world that, at times, seems consumed by malice, their music fostered a vibrant unity.
Thank you, SUM 41.
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