Sum 41
(Nightclub 9:30 - Washington)
By: Glennie Rabin - ModernRock.com
If you called them snot-nosed punks, Sum 41 would probably appreciate it.
It’s what their song “Fat Lip” is all about, as they sing “Cause we like having fun at other peoples expense and / Cutting people down is just a minor offense then.” It’s what they’re getting at when they close each of their punk-pop tunes by burning through exaggerated heavy metal riffs. It’s why their hair is perpetually mussed and their attitudes are cosmically cocky.
And it’s why the sold out crowd of high school-aged fans ate up every second of it on October 12 at Washington DC’s Nightclub 9:30. And faithful TRL viewers continue to vote “Fat Lip” and “In Too Deep” into the top ranked spots of the MTV video request show.
For their DC stop on their US Tour of the Rising Sum, a huge backdrop picturing a blacklit skeleton holding up 4 fingers with one hand and flipping the bird with the other (get it? Sum 4-1?) was flanked by two smaller banners boasting “All Killer No Filler.” All Killer No Filler, the name of the band’s latest release, seems a tall order for the young Canadian band--who even apologized for their brief set due to their small repertoire of short-spurt punk songs.
The truly killer parts of Sum 41’s set came when the band paid tribute to their vintage heavy metal influences. Guitar solos burned and double bass drums fired at the end of a number of their tunes. An encore closed out the night with the drummer coming out from behind his kit to belt out “Pain for Pleasure” in true Iron Maiden fashion. The audience was invited to stump guitarist Dave Baksh with requests for metal songs--but Baksh knew a riff from every tune.
The foursome stomped, romped, and bounced around the stage, traded instruments and rap lyrics alike for various songs, and put on an altogether high-energy show--I’d say 75% killer, 25% filler. Close enough.
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