Ahead of launching their last-ever U.S. tour, Sum 41 released their final album, Heaven :x: Hell. Now several weeks into the run, the “Fat Lip” outfit has included a number of Heaven :x: Hell cuts in the set, such as the single “Landmines.” But given that it’s a 20-track double album, many of its songs will never make it to the live stage.
Speaking with ABC Audio, front man Deryck Whibley describes the prospect of disbanding Sum 41 without having played every Heaven :x: Hell song in concert as “the hardest part of the whole thing.”
“I feel like we’ve made a record that I feel really proud about,” Whibley says. “I think it’s the best idea we’ve ever had and … some of my favorite songs I’ve ever written are on this record, and we’ll probably never play ’em.”
Whibley does find comfort in that any Heaven :x: Hell song not played live will still “live on this record and for anyone who goes and listens to it over time.”
“They’re there,” he says.
Besides, Whibley’s always favored the Sum 41 live experience over the recorded one.
“For us, being in a band has always been about being onstage,” Whibley says. “The records to us were always the necessary evil just to get back out on the road, something we had to do to keep touring.”
“That’s all we really wanted to do, was just be onstage,” he adds.
Sum 41’s U.S. tour continues through a May 19 show in Norfolk, Virginia, before picking up again in September. They’ll play their final concert in January 2025 in Toronto.