Sum41 will soon cease to exist and their final tour is underway. The band is coming to Osaka for their last date in Japan.
I arrive at the Osaka Intex around 3:30pm after a 2-hour journey. It is a complex of halls that isn’t very cheerful: large and clean but quite cold. The hall 5 used for the concert resembles more of a warehouse than anything else. Barriers laid out on the floor separate the audience into about ten groups. 2-meter-wide aisles are kept empty between each group. For security reasons, I suppose, but it’s weird.
The first band starts at exactly 4:00pm as scheduled. However, it’s not Neck Deep (the announced opening act), but Hanabie. A metalcore band from Tokyo, composed of 4 girls. Nothing indicates the metal side, as the attire of the girls is far from the genre’s standards, but when the singer starts growling, it becomes clear.
It’s nice but a bit long, with the sound not being very good. They finally finish at 4:45pm. I wait for what’s next… There’s movement on stage: technicians set up a drum kit, then do some sound tests. Then everything goes quiet again. The crowd remains fairly compact, and standing almost motionless becomes tiresome. I’m getting impatient, not knowing what to expect. Neck Deep finally shows up at 5:30pm.
Good performance, but once again the sound is muddy. The bass tom and bass cover everything. It’s hard to appreciate the melodies in these conditions, which is a shame. Neck Deep finishes at 6:15pm. I sense we’re going to have another 45 minutes of waiting as a gift, and sure enough, we do. Why plan so much time between the bands? It’s killing me. Anyway…
Sum41 starts at 7:00pm. And it’s awesome. The sound is perfect, there’s little or no break between songs, and best of all, I know them all. Old ones, new ones, all good (in concert order): Motivation, The Hell Song, Over My Head, No Reason, Underclass Hero, Landmines, … and a finish with Pieces, Fat Lip, Still Waiting, Into Deep, Summer. About twenty songs in total. The crowd sings and moves well, but it’s not a melee. Everyone leaves at 8:30pm after an encore.
Thank you Sum41 ❤️