Go Chuck Yourself – Sum 41

Aside from their inherent love of metal, Sum 41 are -- let's be honest -- as close to a Canadian blink-182 in status and musical instincts as one is gonna find in the mid-2000s. Yeah, they tended to rock much harder where blink was more pop-oriented but, really, a comparison between the two isn't very far off. So it must be said that with a live album from Sum 41, expectations were keyed up for a boisterous punk rock show complete with obnoxious jokes, snotty remarks, and immature humor. And that's what listeners get...sort of. Recorded during April 2005, Go Chuck Yourself documents the band's stop at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, in front of what sounds like thousands of adoring and shrieking fans. The album is well recorded -- along with the crowd response, you can hear the band almost as perfectly as in a studio release. Surprisingly, though, for such a ragtag team of toilet-humored guys, there's very little on-stage banter, the group instead blazing pretty steadily through its set. It's just as well, though, since the antics that do appear aren't that entertaining, even to one who can appreciate juvenile humor. All Deryck Whibley offers outside of songs, swearing, and diabolical laughter are charming comments like "I'm an a**hole!," "Who hates George W. Bush?," and various questions about the pot-smoking and drinking habits of the presumably youthful audience. If that's Sum 41's shtick, then OK, they do it just fine. The audience seems to be enjoying things thoroughly, though it's probably safe to assume he could say just about anything and they would react with unflinching and affectionate cheers. Overall, their set is fast, tight, and seems to draw mostly from their Does This Look Infected? and Chuck albums, though a few songs from other releases are sprinkled in as well. The energy of their live show pretty well transfers to the recording, and Sum 41 are no doubt an entertaining band live. Their snottiness isn't the problem, as snotty can be fun. But whereas the immaturity of blink-182 still contained an endearing quality that even non-fans (for the most part) could roll their eyes in amusement to, Sum 41 just come off as annoyingly immature on-stage. Fans will eat this release up, while everyone else can just steer clear. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide