Written And Photographed By Liv Foltiny

Sept. 10, 2021, was a date of multiple firsts for me: my first time seeing a concert at The Mann, my first time serving as a contributing photographer for THAT MAG, my first time working with Nick Hopton (whom I now call a friend), and my first time photographing one of my favorite bands, The Struts. Prior to that particular day, I had only photographed a single concert at a much smaller venue. Needless to say, I was excited but also a bit nervous; everything was new to me, and, considering I was about to photograph a band that I love, I didn’t want to screw things up. Long story short, everything went well and led me to where I am today as well as where I was last weekend — at The Mann covering the Tour Of The Setting SUM.

Getting to the Skyline Stage slightly after 7 pm, I had just missed the opening band but made it in time for the second band of the night, The Interrupters. Kicking off their set with “Take Back The Power,” The Interrupters got the crowd excited through their energetic performance. The band’s commanding stage presence was evident as they climbed, jumped off stands and objects onstage, and engaged with attendees, encouraging them to sing along,the band commanded their attention and incited dancing and
jumping, demonstrating the members’ strong stage presence. Although The Interrupters’ invigorating showmanship was an important facet of their performance, it wasn’t the only one that stood out.

Throughout their set, the love and respect the band members had for one another was on full display, presented in the forms of their closeness and shared smiles onstage as well as their playful teasing toward one another. The latter was mostly instigated by Kevin Bivona (guitarist) since he made sure to not only introduce Justin (bassist) and Jesse (drummer) as his younger twin brothers but also joked that they probably acquired portions of their wardrobes from their dad’s closet. These moments of lighthearted sibling rivalry coupled with the loving chemistry between Kevin and Aimee (lead vocalist and Kevin’s wife) added to the impact of The Interrupters’ set and complemented their showmanship. By the time The Interrupters reached their final song, “She’s Kerosene,” it was obvious that their performance cemented the initial foundations for what would undoubtedly be a memorable night.

Following a set change, “TNT” (song by ACDC) played over the speakers while the stage lights flashed in unison to the beat behind an enormous black curtain. Suddenly, the lights went out, and a deep voice reached out from the speakers, stating, “Gather, my children … We celebrate the beast at final curtains’ call. When day becomes night, the ritual has begun. We hold up our salutes to the Setting SUM.” As the voice and its Vincent Price-esque speech faded away, the black fabric concealing the stage dropped as the flashing lights returned, illuminating the anticipated headliner — SUM 41. After enthusiastically greeting and saluting the crowd, Deryck Whibley (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist) and the band opened their set with “Motivation.” From Deryck’s expressive movements, dragging the mic stand, and energetically gliding across the stage to Dave Baksh (lead guitarist), Jason McCaslin (bassist), and Tom Thacker (guitarist) switching places, bobbing their heads, and, at times, coming together to play side by side, SUM 41 gave the crowd a fantastic preview to the remainder of, what would be, an incredible show.

Given this was their final tour, the band crafted a set list that represented their entire career. Songs like “Summer” (which, according to Deryck, they “liked so much [they] put it on two fucking records”), “Fat Lip,” and “Over My Head (Better Off Dead)” touched upon their early years while other songs, such as “Landmines” and “Rise Up,” characterized their more recent ones. Every song was a snapshot, a memory from the lives of the band members who were passionately performing up on the stage, giving it their all.

Like The Interrupters, SUM 41  knew how to command the crowd’s attention but, not to discredit the former band, did so on another level, especially when it came to interacting with the mass of people standing before them. Deryck spoke directly to the crowd throughout the night for various reasons: to encourage everyone to let loose, request attendees send up balloons for him to pop with his mic, talk about his bandmates, make jokes, thank everyone for coming to their show and supporting them, etc. All of these aspects demonstrated Deryck’s irrefutable prowess to connect with the masses as a first-class frontman; however, he made sure each of his bandmates — his friends — had their own moments to shine. Even though this notion was exemplified by the guitar solos from SUM 41’s set, it was best represented by the drum solo that followed Deryck’s story about how he and the guys didn’t “have all the cool shit” they have now back when they started and were performing in garages. Upon mentioning how the band didn’t always have the double-bass drums, Deryck had the stage crew bring out a smaller drum set reminiscent of their old one. Once the drum set was situated, Deryck had Frank Zummo come out from behind his large, LED-lit drum set to sit behind the smaller one for his drum solo. As his bandmates stood aside, Frank fervently played the drums, never missing a beat and performing with just as much zeal as he had behind the larger drum set. His absolute mastery of the drums, along with the support and respect of his friends, was undeniable.

After performing for around an hour and a half, they gathered center stage, expressed their gratitude to everyone there, bowed, and said their final goodbyes. Although it was bittersweet for longtime fans and newer ones, such as myself (yes, I’m regrettably late to joining the SUM 41 family), there was no denying the wonderful impression the band left on the crowd. While objects, like the confetti covering the ground and the last pieces of band merchandise being sold at the booth, physically attested the band had been there, the chatting fans with smiles on their faces evinced the genuine joy that stemmed from a perfect night, namely one full of great
music, sentimental stories, and stellar showmanship. Hell, trying to describe such an incredible show was daunting, especially since it felt like words could never truly do it justice. Let alone pay tribute to a band with an impressive career spanning nearly three decades. If I were to summarize the Tour Of The Setting SUM, I’d describe it as a celebratory event. Despite its slightly eulogistic undertones, the tour beautifully epitomized a band whose members not only inspired others but also brought together countless people through their music. In a world that, at times, seems consumed by malice, their music fostered a vibrant unity.

Thank you, SUM 41.

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Long after the lights went up at Union Transfer Monday night, Dicky Barrett continued to make his way to each and every fan who lingered in front of the stage for an autograph or picture. The leader of seminal ska-punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Barrett has kept plenty of the Massachusetts attitude that put his band on the map 20-plus years ago, but it’s clear that a sincere appreciation for his friends and fans has smoothed out a once-rough exterior.

Dicky Barrett  All photos by J-Rock610 Photography

Blending punk and hardcore with horns and dance moves, the Bosstones were at the forefront of the ska revival in the late 1990s, breaking through to the mainstream with their album Let’s Face It and the canon-defining song “The Impression That I Get”. Some people at the show Monday night might have been there for that song alone, but most of the all ages crowd had a vocal appreciation for the deeper cuts and newer material alike.

Throughout the band’s three-decade history, it has survived lineup changes and hiatuses (remember Barrett as the announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!?), but something keeps bringing these boys back together for smaller tours and one-off appearances like their legendary Hometown Throwdown. The current lineup does feature several original members: Joe Gittleman on bass, Tim Burton on saxophone, and of course, the dancing Bosstone himself, Ben Carr. Additionally, members like drummer Joe Sirois, saxophonist Kevin Lenear, guitarist Lawrence Katz, and trombonist Chris Rhodes have long-established relationships with the group. If you really dive into it, it’s amazing how many of these musicians have made the rounds to other bands like Spring Heeled Jack and The Toasters. Each brings something special to the Bosstones, and together, it’s one hell of a show.

The band’s 90-minute set gave us a little bit of everything, and the stage show was perfectly polished, with each member getting a spot to shine. Rhodes impressed with his energetic vocals, Carr tirelessly bounced around the stage, and even Barrett got his knees in the air and wiggled his butt as he stripped off his sweaty suit piece by piece. Barrett’s trademark gravel-laden voice held up fine, but lyrics were a little hard to discern at times. The music was super tight, as you would expect, with different songs spanning the range of harder punk chords to light-hearted unison of brass and woodwinds.

Highlights of the set for me included opener “I Want My City Back”, “Someday I Suppose”, “Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker”, and of course, “Rascal King” and “Impression”. A double encore brought the excellent old-school track “Hope I Never Lose My Wallet” and a sexy jam of “Chocolate Pudding” with Burton on the mic. And I shouldn’t forget to mention a cover of The Clash’s classic “Rudie Can’t Fail” featuring Kevin Bivona from opening act The Interrupters.

The Interrupters

Speaking of opening acts, in addition to Bivona’s California quartet, which features Aimee Allen on vocals and taps into the Tim Armstrong punk ethos, the Bosstones brought their friends in Street Dogs on tour with them this time around.

Led by singer Mike McColgan, well known as a founding member of Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs run deep with Boston punk roots. With Johnny Rioux, Matt Pruitt, Pete Sosa, and Lenny Lashley rounding out the lineup, Street Dogs also had plenty of fans in the crowd. McColgan impressed me with his passion and vocal range, as he hit the high notes as well as any punk singer I can recall, and climbed down to the crowd several times to clasp hands and lean on them as he worked the room. The band’s songs addressed personal relationships and city pride with unapologetic emotion, and they even answered a fan’s repeated call for a Darkbuster tune to end their set.

Street Dogs

Here in 2015, bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones don’t need to impress anyone anymore. They spearheaded a huge trend that has run its course, leaving the originators to carry the torch for the music they clearly love. And with the added appreciation that comes with time, the band and its fans will keep on dancing for years to come.

Reviewed by: Brian Roser

Everyone knows that before the battle of Agincourt, Henry V roused his troops with a speech about St. Crispin’s Day. What is perhaps less well known is that before lifting the siege of Orleans, Joan of Arc stood on a cart facing her troops, plugged in her amp, took out an electric guitar and belted out the song “Take Back The Power” by The Interrupters. I thoroughly believe this is true and you can’t convince me otherwise.

This is a fantastic album, which blends punk and ska to great effect. There’s a lot of political and social commentary here, with some additional songs about friendship and imperfect families thrown in the mix. One track I particularly liked was “Be Easy on Yourself” which focused not on self-aggrandizement, which is so common nowadays, but actual self-esteem, which is much harder to come by.

The Interrupters is new band, made up of Kevin Bivona, his twin brothers Justin and Jesse and fronted by Aimee Allen. The self-titled The Interrupters is their debut album, but each member is a veteran of the music industry, having worked on other projects before this. Kevin Bivona played keyboards while touring with The Transplants. The twins played with Sugar Ray and Aimee Allen wrote Ron Paul’s theme music. They combine this experience with the freshness of a new band, making a whole that is more than just the sum of its parts.

The Interrupters is a great opening for this group. Their energy is high and their lyrics defiant. If this is their first album, then I am definitely looking forward to the ones that follow.

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