In a gym full of sweat-drenched strangers panting for air, anticipation grows steadily throughout the opening sets, the audience crying out for musical salvation. Then their "Underclass Heroes" finally took the RIT stage.
On Saturday night, Sum 41 made their much-awaited return to upstate New York after two long years. For just under an hour and a half, Bizzy D and the boys ripped through a set that left the adoring crowd physically broken but internally content.
Immediately grabbing the fan's attention and accompaniment was "Underclass Hero," the first single, and "Fat Lip Part Two-ish," opener from Sum's latest album release of the same name. Wasting no time, the boys followed strong with "Motivation," letting the fans know that the show they were witnessing would undoubtedly be a high-octane, consistent kick to the junk.
Making a few freshly post-pubescent dreams come true, singer and standout personality Deryck Whibley and the shapely bassist named Cone invited six fans to sit on stage and watch their triumphant return. The concert-goers sat in awe, watching the comeback from a spot they never would have dreamt of.
Playing off the adoration of the crowd, Sum went into the classic "In Too Deep." As good as their rendition was, there was no doubting that touring guitarist Thomas Thacker was no Brownsound (a.k.a Dave Baksh), the band's absent original guitarist.
In fact, Sum understandably limited their song selection from the 2004 solo-heavy Brownsound showcase Chuck. "Still Waiting" and "Pieces" were the only "Chucks" to make the cut. Despite this downgrade, the band made up for the lack of disc support in cheers and thick vocal accompaniment.
Whibley's banter with the crowd proved worthy entertainment in itself, as he strung together long lines of curse words and consistently berated himself. He rarely made it through two songs before admitting that he was both an idiot and an alcoholic.
"Deryck had no self esteem, but he did put on one hell of a show," said Dave Wazny, Hamburg native and Sum fan who made the trek all the way to Rochester from his apartment in Utica. "I was impressed."
"We're gonna play a love song about someone we all know and love," said Whibley in regards to their forthcoming rendition of "March of The Dogs." Who would have thought that a song inferring the death of the President could be so undeniably catchy?
Sum didn't just play new material, dusting off oldies such as "Machine Gun" off of their debut Half Hour of Power. Their stirring rendition of "Makes No Difference" from that same release was undoubtedly the highlight of the night. As the band stretched out the major breakdown in the song, they spotted a handicapped fan in the crowd and invited him onstage. Six security guards hoisted his motorized chair over the barricade and carried him up.
In pure excitement, the fan drove around the stage toting his enormous grin and soaking up the spotlight. This kind gesture was touching to say the least. Still playing off the crowd, he had them swaying from side to side, singing "ooh ooh" and "makes no difference" as the band clashed together, bringing their epic performance to a close.
Opening act Amber Pacific got the crowd amped, and the pits formed with their hits "Postcards" and "Poetically Pathetic." The band Montee Are I also delivered an impressive set, upping the energy level and keeping it strong all the way until the main act strolled onto the stage.
Said energy produced an encore request at night's end for which Sum-chosen fan favorites "Fat Lip" and "Pain for Pleasure." Though they're clearly not the same without Brownsound, Sum 41 proved that they're more than capable of commanding a crowd and delivering a spot-on performance.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
