"I feel like f***ing Elvis Presley or something," Derek Whibley, lead singer of Canada's pop-punk outfit Sum 41, cockily professed to an eager crowd Tuesday night at The Sphere.
Whibley's profane and narcissistic sense of humor was for the most part well received by the large crowd of punk-rock enthusiasts, aged 6 to 60.
The "Go Chuck Yourself Tour," which kicked off with Tuesday night's show, also features Unwritten Law and Hawthorne Heights and is every bit the tribute to adolescent vulgarity that the name suggests.
Sum 41 played an exciting and well-rounded set, including most of the better songs from all three of their full-length albums.
The band was situated in front of a huge black tapestry, decorated with a skull and their band name. They skillfully blasted through old favorites like "Heart Attack" and "In Too Deep" in the midst of an impressive, multicolored light display.
A good portion of their set, however, was dedicated to songs from the band's latest album "Chuck," on which Sum 41 seems to have matured, at least stylistically. On songs like "88" and the politically charged "We're All to Blame," the band deals with tempo changes and melodic sound structure more artfully than they have in the past.
"Chuck" was named for Chuck Pelletier, the United Nations officer that aided the members of Sum 41 when they were in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group was shooting a documentary when a minor war broke out, and the group holed up in a hotel bathroom to avoid the conflict.
The experience may have led to Sum 41's political turn and may even account for the added dark, metal edge they experimented with on "Chuck," but it certainly didn't give the boys a more grown-up attitude.
"How many stupid morons came tonight?" asked Whibley, enthusiastically. As most of the crowd responded to the somewhat abusive question Whibley added, "Then this song's for all of you." He then ripped into one of their hardcore punk tunes, aptly titled "No Brains."
Sum 41 capped off their set, not shockingly, with their smash-hit "Fat Lip," which provoked a huge reaction from the crowd. Many fans danced through the entire show, but their response to "Fat Lip" was as though it were the first song of the night.
San Diego's Unwritten Law gave an equally impressive performance. Lead Singer Scott Russo commented that he "smelled some weed" early in their set and regretfully added he had been sober for two hours.
They may not have been the role models that the show's younger patrons needed, but Unwritten Law's gleeful attitude fit the atmosphere nicely.
Punk-rock veterans Unwritten Law for over a decade have been consistently cranking out albums filled with old school, melodic, catchy punk anthems. They played a diverse range of songs for old and new fans alike, including a few songs from their recent Lava Records release, "Here's to Mourning."
Though admittedly intoxicated, Russo exhibited a strong stage presence, strutting from one end of the stage to the other and interacting with the crowd frequently. Highlights of their set included "Teenage Suicide" and their recent radio hit "Seein' Red."
Most of the fans left completely satisfied, happily murmuring about what was, for many, a first experience with live punk rock. Nobody seemed disappointed with the vulgar spectacle that the night had become.
"The closer definitely stole the show," said 18-year-old Chris Schramm, "but the rest of the show was great too."
"I've seen Sum 41 three times now and they've dramatically improved," said 20-year-old Adam Kern. "They sucked much worse the other times."
Judging from the response to Sum 41's first show in Buffalo, they have already created a well-crafted sound and a punk-rock attitude that some more seasoned bands might envy.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
