Sum 41 have officially wrapped up their goodbye shows, and it looks like Australia won’t get to say farewell.
Frontman Deryck Whibley has apologised to local fans after the rockers were forced to call off their Australian shows late last year in what was their farewell run.
Having officially finished their goodbye tour in Toronto last week, Whibley issued an apology on Instagram while talking about the final shows.
Sum 41 were scheduled to headline Good Things Festival throughout Australia’s East Coast in December, as well play some stand-alone shows. However, after landing in the country, the Canadian outfit were forced to call off their first show in Brisbane the day of the gig and subsequently the entire local leg after Whibley fell ill from pneumonia.
“The fact that we had to miss shows, miss festivals, all I can say is I’m so sorry,” Whibley said.
“I’m so sorry for all the places that we couldn’t get to and for the shows that we couldn’t make. There were festivals in Australia, Mexico, and Canada… we tried everything we could.
“In Australia, it was very public. I had pneumonia. I was there, I did my best. I made it there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t move any of those shows ’cause they were festivals. Sincerely, I’m so sorry because we really wanted to play. It really just fell out of our control and I cant say sorry enough.”
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If there is any encouraging news to come after Whibley’s statement it is that the Good Things Festival will return in 2025 amidst the country’s current festival crisis.
Speaking to Rolling Stone AU/NZ earlier this month, Chris O’Brien from Good Things Festival and head promoter at Destroy All Lines said he “guarantees” the event will return later in the year.
“Programming festivals is incredibly difficult as so many of our costs have sky rocketed over the past two to three years,” he said.
“The flow on effect is that the artists cost has also exploded and it makes it harder for them to come to Australia, so we have to pay more money to get them here. In the same breath we have to be conscience of our ticket prices, but our market has proved that if we keep delivering a quality lineup and a great day out, they will continue to support Good Things.
“2024 was another incredible year for us and we have managed to stay ahead of the curve and buck the trend.”
For their final act, Sum 41 will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 54th Annual JUNO Awards, to be presented from Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on March 30th, 2025.
