The Bad Times Tour might have rolled into Darien Lake, but everyone was in too deep with this perfect tour. The concert of the summer; Simple Plan, Sum 41, and The Offspring- what a lineup! Fans agreed as they packed in Darien Lake Amphitheater last Sunday.
Kicking things off we had Simple Plan who gave us everything they got on stage. Fans were immediately filled with nostalgia and singing every word right back to all the hits including: I'd Do Anything, Addicted, & Welcome To My Life before wrapping it up with Perfect. They even did an epic mashup of All Star / Sk8er Boi / Mr. Brightside before going into What's New Scooby Doo. We only had a few Scooby's in the crowd (fans are known to dress up as Scooby Doo and even get pulled on stage), you should have seen their face light up when this jam came on. The band is currently celebrating the twenty year anniversary of No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls.
Next up was Sum 41. The band came in after AC/DC's T.N.T. to pump the crowd up. The band played nine songs including: The Hell Song, Walking Disaster, In Too Deep and a cover of Queen's We Will Rock You before wrapping up with their most successful single to date, Fat Lip. Frontman Deryck Whibley taught all the Skumfuks in the stadium how to do a 41 Salute and told us how for many, this may be the last time ever seeing the band as they are breaking up next year, you could hear the loud BOOOO from the crowd as he said it. The good news: the new record is finished! We can expect one final masterpiece from Sum 41 next year.
The Offspring really outdid themselves on this run. The intermission was one of the best we had ever experienced, and was very interactive keeping fans on their feet. They had a team member in a gorilla costume going to every end of the Amphitheater getting fans riled up for the band as they danced, did fun stunts for the multiple cameras, and give out t-shirts all while an Offspring Blimp was flying around the arena capturing the fans. The butt cam seemed to do best as everyone shook it and laughed out loud to what was on the big screen. The band took the stage, opening with Come Out and Play, and played a total of nineteen songs. Even while they were performing they had a very interactive video screen that kept fans on their feet. Hitting every fan favorite: Want You Bad, Original Prankster, (Can't Get My) Head Around You (and many more) keeping fans singing along all night. Frontman Dexter Holland treated the fans to a piano solo of Gone Away (along with a short story of the inspiration for the emotional track) the captivated fans lighting the amphitheater with lighters and phones. The California natives finished the night out for the packed house with their massive hit, Self Esteem.
10/10 - concert of the year. Sucks if you missed this one!