Sum 41 Final Concert in Charlotte NC

Two Nights One Band featuring Tour Of The Setting Sum

See night one of our coverage in Reading, PA by David Zeck here .

In 2023, while on tour with The Offspring, Sum 41 announced that they would be disbanding in 2024 after releasing one final album and going on a farewell tour. As part of their final tour, they included a stop in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 15th. Charlotte is a 2-hour drive for me, a heavy rainstorm started just hours before the doors opened at the Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre.

Despite the rain, dedicated fans were undeterred and lined up to see their favorite band one last time. When I arrived after a one-hour door delay, I saw a long line of fans who looked like they had just emerged from a swimming pool fully clothed.

As a skate punk from Cola, it’s not surprising that I love Sum 41. Since their formation in 1996, they have been at the forefront of punk/skate metal, along with NOFX and that one skater chick. This band has left a momentous mark on my history of skating, injuries, concerts, and reliving some of my youth. Tonight, we were in for a rollercoaster of emotions, with Mother Nature making us her puppets.

Fans had some time to dry out before The Interrupterstook the stage. After hearing so many good things, I was excited to see them live.

Frontwoman Aimee Interrupter came to the stage alongside her bandmates Justin, Kevin, and Jesse Bivona (triplet brothers), all with high energy.

They not only offered great music but also heartwarming smiles, showing how much fun they were having interacting with the fans from the Skyla stage.

Every band member, excluding the drummer, made great use of every inch available on the stage.

As they performed perfectly executed strums of their guitars and bass guitar, Kevin and Justin Bivona constantly made their way from one side of the stage to the other, getting up on risers on the edge of the stage and catching air.

Frontwoman Aimee would weave her way between the two before getting back to the edge of the stage to get closer to the fans.

Now, onto Sum 41. They have survived lineup changes, record label switches, and very public divorces – ouch! Despite all this, they have managed to stay together as a band and are now embarking on their final tour, doing it on their own terms. It was inspiring to see a band take control and decide when to call it quits while giving their fans one last night to relive all the good times with them. However, at times it almost felt like a funeral when looking around. Although the fans were energetic, you could sense how much they didn’t want this tour, this night, or the band to come to an end.

During The Interrupters, if the fans weren’t already dry, Sum 41 made sure to turn up the heat. The band kicked off their set with “Motivation,” a fast punk rock song that really got the fans moving. Throughout the set, the stage was filled with big blasts of pyrotechnic flames, confetti, streamers, and huge plumes of fog/smoke in the already humid amphitheater.

The band took their loyal fans on an emotional rollercoaster, playing their most popular fast-paced songs and also slowing things down with more emotional tunes like “Walking Disaster” and “With Me.”

Sum 41 performed against various backdrops during the set, including one featuring a large skeleton with glowing red eyes and metal horns. In between songs, lead singer Deryck Whibley shared some of the band’s favorite memories from being on the road.

He highlighted the heavy production they currently had, including lights, pyro, and drum risers, and reminisced about their humble beginnings playing in small dive bars with tiny stages. As a way to share an intimate memory, the band set up a second drum kit at the front of the stage and gathered around it to reenact the history of Sum 41.

The band played a total of 24 songs, with 3 in their encore. Throughout the night, it was clear that the band was savoring the experience, interacting and smiling with fans as the evening drew to a close.

They closed the night with their popular single “In Too Deep,” and then all the band members – Deryck Whibley, Dave Baksh, Jason McCaslin, Tom Thacker, and Frank Zummo – came to the edge of the stage to thank the fans and bid farewell to the Queen City one final time.

As I was leaving the parking garage, I noticed the city of Charlotte NC covered in low lying fog, masking the tops of the lit skyscrapers in the downtown area. Was it from the heavy damp storms lingering low still making their presence known, or did Sum 41 put on such a tremendous final show, that all their pyro smoke and fog had filled the city streets and left their mark in the NC Music Factory that Skyla Amphitheatre resides in? Was this truly the last time I will get to see one of my favorite bands I grew up with as a teenager really done?

“Part of me, won’t agree, cause I don’t know if it’s for sure”

– Hellsong

See full gallery of the night here!

If you captured any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazineand throw in #Shutter16and #TwitFromThePitfor the world to see.