Sum 41 started off as the awkward little brother of Green Day and Blink 182. Funny and immature, but with the sharpness that only comes with artists who live in the punk world. Before long they got to the point where they wouldn’t be out of place on anyone’s pop punk Mount Rushmore and tonight they’re playing their last ever show in Glasgow at the Hydro.
Opening the show, The Bronx hit the stage with raw energy, setting the tone with ‘White Shadow.’ Their intensity and sheer presence making it obvious why they were chosen to kick off the night.
A standout moment comes in ‘Two Birds,’ where the band have the crowd fully locked in. Their live sound on par with their sound on record.
Closing with ‘Around The Horn,’ they introduce each band member, creating a connection with the audience and setting the perfect vibe for the night ahead.
A curtain drops to cover the stage while things are being set up, but it’s not long before AC/DC’s ‘TNT’ echoes through the venue – with fans chanting along. When it drops, ‘Motivation’ blasts out with fire and lasers, kicking off a night of energy, nostalgia, and thrilling stage effects that Sum 41 unleash from start to finish.
The set is packed with memorable moments. Confetti cannons fire during ‘The Hell Song’, and frontman Deryck Whibley constantly bounds across the stage, never letting the energy dip. ‘Underclass Hero’ is a standout, introduced as a “jumping song” as balloons are sent into the crowd, popping with confetti bursts when struck by Deryck’s mic. The energy momentarily slows for ‘War’, offering fans a brief breather before diving back into the high-energy hits.
Another highlight comes in ‘Rhythms’ from ‘All Killer No Filler’, bringing back a rush of early-2000s nostalgia. New tracks ‘Landmines’ and ‘Dopamine’ show off Sum 41’s fresh sounds while blending seamlessly with their classic anthems. Deryck’s personal story about his 17-year-old guitar, lost to theft in 2003 and only recently recovered, adding a sentimental note as it rings out during ‘Walking Disaster,’ followed by chants of “fuck that guy’ aimed at the thief.
Among other iconic moments is a powerhouse trio from ‘Does This Look Infected?’ — ‘My Direction,’ ‘No Brains,’ and ‘All Messed Up’ — punctuated by Frank Zimmo’s drum solo and Glasgow’s traditional ‘here we, here we, here we fucking go’ chant.
An inflatable skeleton appears for ‘Rise Up’, and Deryck cheekily claims to have the most guitars on tour yet “play the least” before launching into a snippet of ‘Smoke On The Water’ by Deep Purple. He then insists the rest of the band are better than him and asks the crowd what they should play. They launch in to a rendition of Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’, before guitarist Dave “Brownsound” Baksh is invited to shred Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ solo, to the crowd’s delight.
The show reaches a fever pitch with classics ‘Fat Lip’ and ‘Still Waiting’, and for the latter, Deryck requests ‘no fire, no confetti—just us and the music.’
The band return for the first encore with ‘Summer’, where Deryck has the crowd crouch down only to explode back up. After ‘In Too Deep’ and heartfelt goodbyes, many fans assume it is over. But as the crowd thins, the band return for a second encore.
Deryck demands “Close the fucking doors. Whoever’s in is in, whoever’s out is out. This is our time now” as they wrap up with the poignant ‘So Long Goodbye,’ sealing the night as a truly unforgettable farewell.
And as the venue empties, there is one thing that is clear – Sum 41’s last Glasgow show will echo in pop punk history for years to come.
Photos by Catching Light Photography
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