There's no air of subtlety when Sum 41 take to the stage.
AC/DC's 'TNT' is blaring, spotlights are twirling and flames literally shoot up from the ground when the band kicks in on the one-two punch of 'Motivation' and 'The Hell Song'. It's as strong a start as you could hope for, and it's an energy that is maintained more or less entirely throughout the ensuing hour.With the return of lead guitarist Dave 'Brownsound' Baksh in 2015, the veteran pop-punk band became a five-piece for the first time and freed up frontman Deryck Whibley to drop the guitar for most of their live shows.
Seeing it in full flight tonight cements the decision as a fundamentally correct one, as this untethered role is one Whibley evidently relishes. Running from side to side of the stage, calling for sing-alongs and circle pits all the way, the grinning Canadian has wholly embraced the showman element of Sum 41's live shows – as have Baksh and fellow guitarist Tom Thacker, who both take to elevated platforms in order to let loose a fiery solo or two.
Also playing to their strengths in a backhanded sort of manner, the band do not play anything more recent than two songs from 2006's 'Underclass Hero', instead largely choosing to focus on their first two albums.
It's another sign that after nearly 30 years in the game, Sum 41 know exactly what works for them – hell, you don't even really need the pyro when you've got 'In Too Deep', 'Fat Lip' and 'Still Waiting' all ready to go in your arsenal.
That's a collection of fire-starters if there ever was one, and each ensure an audience at both deafening singing levels and skyward bunny-mosh heights tonight. All killer, no filler remains a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The dust barely settles before The Offspring begin their intermission antics. A blimp with a drone attached circles the audience, and various 'cams' – a kiss cam, a head-banging cam and a mullet cam – all make an appearance on the video screen. That's not even getting into the hilarious roadies that play up not being able to create a t-shirt firing slingshot before hurling said shirts into the crowd by hand.
For all the goofs and gags, however, the band are impressively all business once the lights go down and they immediately launch into one of the biggest hits of their career, 'Come Out And Play'.
While the SoCal punks don't heed the lesson learnt from Sum 41 and insist on playing the title track from their latest album 'Let The Bad Times Roll', it's only a minor detour en route to more of the band's beloved throwbacks.
'Staring At The Sun' sets off the moshpit, while 'Original Prankster' opts for a makeshift dance-floor and 'Bad Habit' allows for a sea of Gen Xers and elder millennials to finally scream out the infamously expletive hook without being told off by their parents.
After touring for most of the year, it's clear lead vocalist Dexter Holland is not at 100 per cent. The band normally play every song at least a half-step down from its original key to accommodate for his 56-year-old voice, but even then there are several points where it looks like he might blow out entirely.
It's entirely to his credit that Holland perseveres, and genuinely looks as though he's having as much fun as the pogo-ing audience at large. It helps to have an A-team ensemble backing him, too – mainstay guitarist Noodles plays with all the energy of a teenager despite turning 60 in just 2 months, while H20 bassist Todd Norse and veteran session drummer Josh Freese lock down the low-end like absolute pros.
Rounding out the current live iteration of the band is multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy (yes, as in grandson of Leonard), who faithfully fills in all the necessary blanks across guitar, percussion and keyboards, and also gets bonus points for repping a shirt of local metal band Potion.
For a band whose classic line-up dissipated some time ago, it's refreshing to see how the band circa 2022 can still maintain both a chemistry and an on-stage tightness that allows the back catalogue to come to life. With one last burst of 'Self Esteem', they see out another successful night.
Both The Offspring and Sum 41 have been at this for long enough to know how to give the people what they want: A cheery night of nostalgia, with some self-aware silliness thrown in for good measure. Tonight is a celebration of growing old, but never fully growing up.
