I’ve been meaning to posting this for a week and here it is…
Both of these bands are bands I’ve wanted to see for a while and they definitely didn’t disappoint!
SUM 41
Sum 41 began their set with The Hell Song and the whole crowd responded by surging forward to get closer to the band. Everyone was singing along and definitely the perfect song to open with. Most of the rest of their set was Sum 41’s hits (Motivation, We’re All To Blame, Over My Head, In Too Deep, Walking Disaster) but this just made it an even better show. Deryck was more than happy we were singing the words and just gave off so much energy. After these songs Deryck was talking about a “love song” and then they launched into A.N.I.C which if you know your Sum 41 is the complete opposite. Definitely an unexpected song choice but so worth it! Then they launched into No Brains which is one of my favourite Sum songs and I wasn’t expecting it at all. They played a few song off their most recent album Screaming Bloody Murder which went down well. Sum 41 pulled out a surprising punk/rock cover of Queen’s We Will Rock You. I think this was a huge highlight of their set. Of course Sum 41 ended with Fat Lip and it’s the one song the whole crowd was more than happy to yell the words out to (other than The Hell Song).
It’s been over 6 years since I’ve wanted to see Sum 41 live and finally getting that chance was so worth it. They are fantastic live and I would be more than happy to see them again live.
BILLY TALENT
After Sum 41, I ended up moving closer to the stage and just ended up on the right side and about 4 rows back which was more than close enough!
Billy Talent walked onto the stage and began with their introduction of their most recent album Lonely Road To Absolution and this set the mood for the start of their set. After this came Viking Death March, Billy Talent had the crowd going from the opening note of the song. This particular song sounded amazing live. Next they played some songs from older albums and these went down a treat with the crowd. This is especially true for Line & Sinker because it is made to yell out to and in a live setting this works really well. My favourite song from Dead Silence is Love Was Still Around and hearing this live just made my night, it’s just one of those songs that is suited to the live setting. Rusted From The Rain was a highlight and once again this song shines live too. Billy Talent slowed down the mood with Stand Up And Run and Surrender. The crowd was particularly involved in Surrender and this was introduced as a “love song”. Just before (or after I can’t remember too well) they started to sing some of Roll On by The Living End and the crowd finished it off til the end of the chorus. The lead singer said to us “Thank you Australia for giving The Living End to the world”, this was met with loud applause and rowdy cheers. These Canadian bands definitely know their Australian music! There were some songs from their first album which went down well and before we knew it they were coming back for their encore.
The encore began with Fallen Leaves, this was the first Billy Talent song I heard so getting to hear this live was an awesome feeling. Surprise Surprise fitted in nicely after. Billy Talent ended with Red Flag which I would say is their most well known song. The crowd surged forward and everyone on the floor was jumping and moshing while screaming/yelling out the words. It ended the way any Billy Talent fan would want it to end.
After Sum 41’s energy I wasn’t sure Billy Talent could match it. Turns out they did and even raised the bar higher (if that’s possible). I would recommend seeing Billy Talent to anyone who hasn’t seen them before because if you’ve seen them before you would know how worth it they are to see live.
Billy Talent setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/billy-talent/2013/palace-theatre-melbourne-australia-3bdb080c.html
Sum 41 setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sum-41/2013/palace-theatre-melbourne-australia-1bdb09d8.html
#5
Screaming Bloody Murder - Sum 41
Sum 41 are one of those bands that I have stages with. There are times I just want to listen to them non-stop for weeks and months. Then there are times when I hardly listen to them at all. With this album it didn’t matter because it was good enough for either stage. Reason To Believe is a great intro and title track Screaming Bloody Murder is typical Sum 41 but better than previous work. There are enough songs like previous albums and enough experimental songs to tie this album together well. I personally love Baby You Don’t Wanna Know, it has an upbeat tune to it and makes you want to sing along instantly. Crash is also another favourite because I think it shows how much Sum 41 have evolved in music style and also Deryck lyrically too. It definitely shows vulnerability that we haven’t heard before from them. Screaming Bloody Murder is not Sum 41’s best album but it comes pretty close, definitely a big favourite of the year for me.
i just. i love the way Deryck stands. all the time. is that weird.
(Source: sixuntilthedeath, via hellyeahsum41)
