The Blame Canada Tour - Sum 41, Simple Plan, Set It Off
Written by Havyn Cornell & Scott Cornell | Photos by Scott Cornell
The Blame Canada Tour swung into the Myth Live in Maplewood, Minnesota on its 14th out of 40 stop North American Tour, featuring Set It Off, Simple Plan, and Sum 41. The air didn’t hold the excitement one comes to expect as a frequent concertgoer. The energy just didn’t seem as palpable as in other shows, instead, it was more of an eerie calm of anticipation of the unknown.
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Set It Off took the stage which was dressed with faux trees and plants creating a storybook-type vibe. The Tampa-based trio quickly wooed the crowd into a sense of security and familiarity, touring in support of their fifth studio album Elsewhere. Set It Off was joined on stage by a touring musician who played both guitar and bass during the set while maintaining his anonymity by donning a cute, tattered and bloodied bunny mask. The touring musician’s attire was a distinct departure from the Set It Off Trio who were outfitted in an eclectic mix of fluorescent face paint, tattered skinny jeans, tie-dye, and Hawaiian shirts. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Cody Carson worked the stage relentlessly and the crowd followed his every command, albeit reluctantly at first. A testament to Carson’s enthusiasm and charismatic nature.
The pop-punk expectation for the evening’s sound was evident but had additional elements that made Set It Off sound novel and stand out. Drummer Maxx Danziger emoted in pigtails while guitarist Zach DeWall, Carson, and the unknown bunny-man crisscrossed the stage, mounting the platforms lining the front of the stage. The Set It Off fans or “Dreamcatchers” made their presence known by singing along early on, infiltrating the space directly in front of the stage. The 10-song set brought nothing but smiles from Set It Off and cheers from the crowd. The sound had a fun, fresh vibe that certainly garnered new “Dreamcatchers” from the onset.
The break between acts brought a medley of pop-punk anthems that really amped up the energy and anticipation for Simple Plan. Loud, spontaneous sing-a-longs were ever-present and calmed any unsettled nerves in a quick fashion.
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Pop-punk powerhouse, Simple Plan in support of a fresh album drop, Harder Than It Looks, took the stage and proceeded to dial up the excitement and liveliness of the night. A constant force on the scene since 1999, they celebrated their tenure with the best of their hit singles, "Addicted", "Welcome to My Life", and "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)". Sprinkled throughout were fan favorites, new songs, and a medley of covers. At one point, a shoulder-mounted fan was able to pass Frontman Pierre Bouvier her phone and Bouvier proceeded to record himself and the crowd while performing. Lead guitarist Jeff Stinco and rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre spent their time entertaining and interacting with fans while ping-ponging from one spot on stage to another doling out guitar picks.
A general sense of catharsis could be felt as the fans belted out lyric after lyric. Six black Simple Plan branded beach balls were brought out during “Summer Paradise” one of which made its way back on stage where Bouvier autographed it and sent it back out to one lucky fan. The party atmosphere was exacerbated with confetti and streamer cannons and CO2 blasts. Bouvier thanked the fans during “Crazy” for creating and celebrating Simple Plan’s success and the 21st birthday of their first major-label release No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls. The venue took a collective breather and was illuminated by countless mobile phones during "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)". The Canadian quartet drew the energy back up with a medley of covers that included intros from Smash Mouth’s “All-Star”, Avril Lavigne’s “SK8ER BOI” and The Killers’ Mr. Brightside. A lighthearted moment of innocent error occurred during “Iconic” when Bouvier seemed to mix up a verse or two.
Bouvier and drummer Chuck Comeau swapped places giving Bouvier an opportunity to shine on the drum kit and Comeau an opportunity to address the crowd with the charisma and enthusiasm of a seasoned frontman. Comeau bonded with the crowd over hockey (Something Canadians and many Minnesotans commonly enjoy more than most.) and our collected relief from COVID restrictions. Comeau teased the fans about crowd surfing with them but was told “NO” over COVID concerns. But holding true to the punk community’s view of authority Comeau yelled “Fuck that!” and with stagehand assistance quickly slipped into a bright yellow hazmat suit complete with a respirator and leaped onto the crowd. Set It Off frontman Cody Carson emerged from backstage to fill in for Bouvier’s missing vocals while Comeau surfed.
Once Comeau did what amounted to a lap upon the crowd and returned to the stage he was promptly “disinfected” which was most likely the ubiquitous CO2 and just for show but the whole stunt was light-hearted tomfoolery one comes to expect from the pop-punk community with a hint of PPE. Simple Plan wrapped the set with “Perfect" amongst the softly, mobile lit venue. Simple Plan paved the way with hits and a collective sense of community beautifully for Sum 41 to close out the night.
More spontaneous sing-a-longs while stagehands furiously prepared for Sum 41. A towering inflatable skeleton grew and loomed over the center stage with four fingers held up on the boney right hand and a defiant middle finger on the left.
Sum 41 Photo Courtesy of Ashley Osborne
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Touring in support of their seventh studio album Order in Decline and in celebration of their first major-label release All Killer No Filler, Sum 41 entered and all bets were off with only one rule set by the frontman Deryck Whibley, “No one gets hurt.”.
Crowd surfing commenced immediately and persisted throughout the set, even during what might be considered Sum 41’s ballads. Drummer Frank Zummo’s thunderous double kickdrums amplified the energy exponentially as circle pits opened and closed repeatedly. Whibley polled the crowd and found that the majority in attendance were Sum 41 concert first-timers, which may explain the mood felt earlier in the evening but had since evaporated.
Lead guitarist Dave Baksh, sporting a white Metallica One Landmine shirt, played his way about the stage effortlessly with excitement and precision interacting with all he made eye contact with. Bassist Jason McCaslin and guitarist Tom Thacker were entertaining and accurate throughout, taking time to interact with fans and fellow band mates relishing their time in front of the crowd. Whibley employed every concert crowd engagement trick in the book and had the crowd eating from the palm of his hand.
The band and the crowd seemed to have a symbiotic relationship that perpetually fed off of one another creating what can only be described as raw, unadulterated, human power. The synergy and fierce affection between the band and the crowd was unbelievable; a cyclical event that drew the energy from even the casualist of bystanders. Catching a few bystanders mid-yawn, I had a hard time grasping why that was until it happened to me. No one was bored by any means, it was just the act of watching such pure visceral energy and the effort put forth by all parties was incredible to watch but draining at the same time.
Then came a breather that was accompanied by a sea of mobile phones which quickly turned to turbulent mosh pits as the show continued into a short medley of covers including Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”, The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” and an up-tempo version of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. Whibley stated that Sum 41 was nearing completion on a new double album called Heaven and Hell and as the crowd reacted to the news, they launched into hit single “Still Waiting” then “Fat Lip” to which the crowd erupted and collectively bounced, moshed, and sang the set to an “unexpected” close. The Canadian Quintet disappeared after “Fat Lip” and re-emerged wearing hair metal wigs for their encore track “Pain for Pleasure”.
If The Blame Canada Tour is coming to a city near you and you are even remotely a fan of the bands on this bill. It’s highly suggested you consider attending, if not for the positive vibes and collective catharsis these three bands bring to the stage, go for the marvelous spectacle that is live pop-punk in its purest form. You’d be hard-pressed to find an attendee who wasn’t impressed.
