Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley is grappling with the bittersweet reality of the band’s impending farewell, as the Canadian leg of their “Tour of the Setting Sum” approaches.
The pop-punk icons, who announced their decision to disband in 2023, are set to play their final show on Jan. 30, 2025, at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena—bringing their 28-year career to a close.
In an interview with iHeartRadio Canada, Whibley shared that the gravity of the band’s final chapter is finally sinking in. “For the first time, this is actually hitting me that the Canadian run is gonna be the last run,” he said. “Now there’s only four more weeks left, and this is the final run. So it’s finally hitting me that it’s coming to an end.”
Despite the nostalgia surrounding the farewell tour, Whibley admitted that he’s not naturally drawn to looking back. “I don’t spend much time in memory lane,” he said, though he acknowledged that touring often evokes memories of the band’s storied history. “Everywhere I go, everything I do, every tour that I do, every city that I go to constantly reminds me of some wild story—or even just something boring, like a great restaurant I’ve been to.”
Whibley also reflected on his journey of sobriety, having been sober for nearly 11 years after a near-death experience from alcohol-related organ failure in 2014. Comparing his life on the road now to the early, wild years of Sum 41, he said, “I prefer being sober now. The things that you enjoy, you actually feel more, whereas when you were drinking, yeah, there are a lot of wild stories and there’s a lot of crazy nights, but there were so many nights that we were just drinking for no reason, too.”
He added, “There were so many boring nights that you just spent drinking a bottle of Jack or whatever that we all stayed up till six in the morning, just driving on the bus, talking about dumb stuff that is just kind of pointless. But they’re just different lifestyles.”
“I don’t regret any of those years, but I’m glad I don’t do it anymore.”
Sum 41’s farewell has not been without challenges. Earlier this month, the band canceled their Australian shows, including a co-headlining appearance at the Good Things festival, due to Whibley’s recent battle with pneumonia. Despite health scares, Whibley has soldiered on to ensure the farewell tour continues as planned.
Sum 41’s farewell tour caps a year of significant Billboard milestones, marking their enduring impact on alternative rock. Earlier in 2024, “Landmines” topped the Alternative Airplay chart, breaking the record for the longest gap between No. 1 hits—22 years after “Fat Lip” ruled in 2001.
The success continued with “Dopamine,” which reached No. 1 on Nov. 30, making this the first year since 2001 that the band achieved two top 10 hits. The track also climbed to No. 6 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart and boosted Heaven :X: Hell, their final album, which debuted at No. 23 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart.
Sum 41 fans will have one more chance to see the band live during an encore performance at the Juno Awards in Vancouver on March 30.
