REVIEW: Sum 41, The Interrupters, Joey Valence & Brae at Brooklyn Paramount | 05.06.2024

Ah, the "farewell" tour. Once reserved for the bands that were running strong in the decades before I was born, this bittersweet form of goodbye is slowly but surely expanding to include bands from my youth as well. A brutal reminder of the passage of time; I’m getting old(er).

In my mind, Sum 41 just came onto the scene. High school wasn’t over 20 years ago. "Fat Lip" isn’t old enough that it could buy alcohol. But that’s not the case. In fact, Sum 41 has been on the scene for quite some time now; 28 years to be exact. I'm getting old; we're all getting old; but Sum 41's songs never will.

The band is ensuring that they can say their goodbyes to as many fans as possible by way of a world tour that spans nearly 80 dates – that’s not a typo. With the tour now in full force, Sum 41 played two back-to-back nights at the newly opened Brooklyn Paramount. I was there for night two, in all its epicness.

I cannot tell you the number of times (it’s a lot) that I go to a show and the lineup is too on the nose in terms of similarity. It can feel like you're just watching different bands play the same songs. A lack of musical diversity can get you a bit burnt out by the time comes for you to watch the band you actually came to see. In the case of this show, however, the lineup was refreshingly eclectic.

Opening the evening were Joey Valence & Brae. The Pennsylvania-based hip-hop duo mixed hype with humor as they got the crowd warmed up. “Does anybody know who we are?” asked Valence to some cheers. Refusing to believe even the cheers that he heard, Valence joked that “we don’t even know who we are.”

Their fanship grew in real time as Joey Valence & Brae channeled The Beastie Boys in their vocal delivery and rapped over alt hip hop styled beats that had an old school feel. Valence noted at one point that the duo had managed to get to where they are completely independent of label support; an impressive and admirable feat.

Switching things up to move more toward Sum 41's musical direction but still standing on their own were The Interrupters. It was incredible just how much their tunes took me back to the ska punk movement of the 90's; good vibes were abound and plentiful. Tracks like "Title Holder" and their cover of Bob Marley's "Judge Not" had me feeling like I'd time traveled back to the good ol' days.

Frontwoman Aimee Interrupter's Joan Jett-inspired vocals and attitude shone during anthems like "Take Back The Power." Their closing song, "She's Kerosene" got the crowd particularly rowdy and ended the set on a high note, the crowd riding the wave of energy as it carried them to the headlining act of the evening.

The simple fact that this was to be Sum 41’s very last performance in New York City created an inherent atmosphere of anticipation and excitement. The passion with which the crowd sang along to the house music playing over the speakers during the set change served as a preview of what was in store for the Canadian punk rock quintet; the crowd was more than ready.

Sum 41 took the stage to “Introduction to Destruction,” the spoken word intro to their debut album, All Killer No Filler. Setting their intent, the band wasted no time tearing the house down with “Motivation.”

If anyone is searching for the fountain of youth, I think it must be located on Sun 41’s catering table because those guys look exactly the same as they did when that breakthrough album was released in 2001. What's more is they perform with just as much passion and energy. It was honestly a bit of an emotional experience watching their performance; to be reminded of just how much of an impact the band made on my teenage years.

Sum 41 pulled out all the stops in their performance; they had pyro, cryo cannons, confetti, and streamers. Their setlist was a well-thought-out mix of songs from their discography that allowed them to play the hits and old fan favorites alongside the new songs from their departing double album, Heaven :x: Hell. It was a true celebration of the band's illustrious career.

Sum 41's world tour continues through the end of this year and into the top of 2025 where they'll perform two final shows in their hometown of Toronto. After that, the band will ride off into the sunset, and on their terms. But should they ever decide to come back, their fans will be waiting. While reflecting on the band during their performance, frontman Deryck Whibley asked the crowd "isn't the world sick of Sum 41 already?"; the answer was a resounding "no."

THE PIT REPORT

This was one of the most fun shows that I have shot in recent memory, no question about it.

• The lighting was bright and clean for all three bands. Joey Valence & Brae probably had the toughest light just because of the consistent hard blue and magenta, but the consistency allowed for a rinse and repeat editing process.
• The stage has a small catwalk that allows you to get a variety of dimensions in your compositions. I was able to get right up into the corner between the catwalk and the stage and get shots pointed towards the crowd which added a fun perspective to the mix
  • The stage manager noted that most times there is gear in that space, so I may have lucked out by having access to that area
• Sum 41’s stage production was insanely fun and photogenic.
  • If I recall correctly, their first song had pyro and cryo cannons, second song had cryo and confetti, and the third song was effect-free.
    • I heard that for some shows they use streamers during the second song instead of confetti; just something to be aware of!
  • IMPORTANT: Be mindful of where you’re shooting! The fire is hot and those cannons are powerful. The stage manager was awesome and quick to grab any photographer that got too close, but they can't be everywhere at once.
    • Despite being confident that I'd keep my distance, once I started shooting I was wrapped up in the moment and forgot almost instantly
• This was my first time shooting at Brooklyn Paramount after its recent opening. I've been looking forward to this venue's debut for quite some time, especially because it's conveniently just down the street from my apartment. More universally appreciated is how beautifully the space has been restored and how much care was put into its reopening. I'm looking forward to many more shows to come at this awesome addition to NYC's live music scene.

JOEY VALENCE & BRAE

THE INTERRUPTERS

SUM 41