Sum 41 is doing a tour of small clubs across the country, and Detroit was the first stop on the tour. I am not a huge Sum 41 fan but every time I have seen them it has been a fun show. The tongue-in-cheek humor associated with their songs and the fact that they only seem to care about goofing off makes for a good time. They appeal to the MTV crowd a little too much for my tastes; that Spider Man video was disturbing, and it ruined a funny song. Thankfully, this show featured none of that.

Part of that was because of the venue. I, nor anyone that I know for that matter, had ever heard of Alvin's before this show, and I spend a lot of time in the area. It is located on the outskirts of downtown Detroit, about one block from one of the most dangerous areas around. Needless to say I knew coming in there would be minimal teenie bopping. No parent in their right mind would leave their child there.

The show was not very well publicized either. Tickets were only available via internet, and those two factors made for a good lively crowd that was there to see the band and not just "the hot lead singer." (who, incidentally, is only about 5'8"…A fact I was not aware of prior to bumping into him)

Back to the venue, because it was stellar. The perfect place to see a show. The sound was great and it was intimate. Definitely better than the Shelter, but a little larger. I hope more bands come here. Tickets were only 10 bucks, too.

I arrived just before Flashlight Brown, the opening band, took the stage. They were one of the better opening bands that I have heard in a while. I had never heard any of their material before the show, but their energy and good musicianship definitely made me interested in checking them out. I apologize for not knowing what they played, but here is a link to their website here.. Worth checking out, in my opinion.

Sum 41 took the stage and opened with "Still Waiting" their current single from the new record. Their new material seems to be a tad bit faster and less poppy than their previous outings. They only played two other new songs, "Hell", and "Over my Head", during the set, and all three songs were pretty good. They blistered through their set, which featured a good mix from their previous two albums and the aforementioned new material. The band never missed a beat and played extremely well. Bizzy D was cracking tons of one-liners, and Dave Brownsound played a mean guitar. There isn't much you can say about a Sum 41 show, the music is not very deep but it is a lot of fun, with somewhat of a party atmosphere. This was magnified tenfold due to the venue they were playing in. They closed with "Pain for pleasure" not once, but twice, further proving that they do not take themselves very seriously.

Ratings:

Venue – 9. Great atmosphere. Can't say enough about it.

Set List – 7. They only played for an hour and 5 minutes. Here are the songs, in no particular order. Still Waiting, Hell, Over My Head, Nothing on My Back, Never Wake Up, Fat Lip, Motivation, Rhythms, In Too Deep, Heart Attack, Machine Gun, Pain For Pleasure, Machine Gun.

Performance – 7. Musicianship was sharp, even if they are basic songs, the band played them well.

Stage Presence – 8. Hilarious. These guys crack me up. Their antics and funny cover riffs of Avril Lavigne and The Strokes, not to mention the commentary, make good comedy.

Overall – 8. These guys deserve respect for going on this tour in small clubs charging only 10 bucks for admission. They also were selling their album at the pre-party for 5 bucks, meaning 15 bucks would get the new album and a concert. Not too many bands would do that. And everyone left the show happy, too. Isn't that what it's all about?