MARK LENNIHAN/mctYellow lights flood the crowd. A cloud of synthetic fog and smoke slowly swirls above the heads of those crammed in the standing area of Philadelphia’s Trocadero Theater on Friday, Sept. 21.
The anticipation can be felt each time someone comes on stage to give a sound test. The lights suddenly fade to black and a roar of cheers emerges from the anxiously awaiting crowd.
“SUM 41! SUM 41! SUM 41!” the chant is deafening. Drums are heard followed by a familiar guitar riff. Bright white lights penetrate the darkness and the band can be seen in full view.
The pop-punk band from Canada opened their show with their latest hit single, “Underclass Hero,” an anti-political song that worked the crowd into a jumping-moshing frenzy instantaneously.
Deryck Whibley, Sum 41’s singer/songwriter, has the talent of entertainment that stretches farther than his unique musical ability. He has found a way to get his fans actively involved in the show.
During their time on stage, the band mates took turns picking people from the pit area to come on stage and sit with the band as they performed songs new and old, sampling something from each of their five albums.
Sum 41 has been able to attract fans of all ages and backgrounds to their shows. Throughout the entire night there were young adolescents and middle-aged fans singing lyrics to their favorite songs.
Throughout their set Whibley constantly invited the crowd to sing with him. He even made different sections of the theater take turns trying to out-sing each other, totally submerging his crowd into the show.
With the release of their latest album, also named “Underclass Hero,” Whibley has kept his style of pop-punk lyrics, but he has found a way to make it more than that.
Whibley visits some very emotional and personal areas through some of the newest tracks, yet he and the band avoid straying too far from their original punk roots in their music and lyrics.
In their first single from this album, “Underclass Hero,” Whibley belts, “Cause it’s us against them!/ We’re here to represent/ The spit in the face of the establishment!”
Containing lyrics of this nature in their songs fuel the fire of punk rock to the core. The fans chanted right along with Whibley as he exercised his freedom of speech to the fullest. This gave his younger fans a taste of the power of music, possibly without even realizing it.
Sum 41 is a band for many age groups with their catchy tunes, powerful guitar solos and insightful lyrics that cover everything from protesting the government to growing up without a father. Whibley writes for himself as well as for a wide range of fans worldwide.
Observing the diverse crowd that gathered to watch these men perform was all the evidence needed to understand their undeniable gift to bring people together for a night of punk-rock, entertainment and freedom of speech.
