Winding up a rock band is never easy, but for members of Sum 41, the experience has been an odd mixture of confusion, camaraderie and ultimately acceptance.

It started two years ago with a surprise email from the bandB次元官网网址檚 leader Deryck Whibley, whoB次元官网网址檚 also their main songwriter. He told them, that after many years of anxious contemplation, he had finally decided to pull the plug on the band.

B次元官网网址淚 was shocked,B次元官网网址� recalled bassist Jason McCaslin. B次元官网网址淐ompletely shocked.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚n my mind, I guess I thought weB次元官网网址檇 never end.B次元官网网址�

Sitting alongside guitarist Dave Baksh in a Toronto record label office, the two musicians are reflecting on life without Whibley in their immediate orbit and how within a blink everything is about to end.

Sum 41 plays one final concert at TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Then in March, theyB次元官网网址檒l be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards, a recognition of the Ajax, Ont. bandB次元官网网址檚 enduring impact with hits that include B次元官网网址淔at Lip,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淪till WaitingB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淚n Too Deep.B次元官网网址�

After that, Sum 41 will cease to exist.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the complete worst; itB次元官网网址檚 the complete best. ItB次元官网网址檚 everything in between,B次元官网网址� said Baksh of playing the last shows. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a feeling I donB次元官网网址檛 think IB次元官网网址檝e ever had. So I have no descriptive for it.B次元官网网址�

Missing from this discussion is Whibley who, unlike the bandB次元官网网址檚 other two Ontario-based members, lives in Las Vegas and was unable to make it back to Canada for a run of press interviews in early January.

That left his two lifelong friends to pose for photos without their familiar frontman, an absence that casts an unintentional weight over the proceedings. In some ways, it feels as if Sum 41 has already closed the book even before their curtain call.

ItB次元官网网址檚 taken a lot of emotional effort to get to a point where, as Baksh puts it, theyB次元官网网址檝e come through the five stages of grief to arrive at acceptance. They recognize now that Whibley had to end Sum 41 for himself. There was no other option after his message landed.

B次元官网网址淚t was this very nicely worded email that explained his position,B次元官网网址� Baksh said. B次元官网网址淵ou immediately go into a mode where itB次元官网网址檚 like, B次元官网网址極K, this person needs it. What can we do to help this happen?B次元官网网址�

Despite the odds, Sum 41 lasted longer than many critics expected.

Whibley and his band mates burned bright and loud during the pop-punk heyday of the early aughts. They partied hard, rebelled against whatever stood in their way, and established themselves as one of the bratty forces of teen angst for a generation.

In his 20s, Whibley became tabloid fodder. He married and divorced Canadian pop princess Avril Lavigne, had a fling with Paris Hilton and was caught in many an unflattering photo by the paparazzi outside trendy Los Angeles clubs.

It all came crashing down in 2014 when alcoholism sent Whibley over the edge. He was hospitalized in a coma with severe damage to his liver and kidneys that nearly killed him.

In the years that followed, he underwent a major life reset that saw him pursue sobriety and settle down. But as he describes it, not everything changed.

Outside his control, the music industry machine continued to whir, and with it came heavy expectations.

Sum 41 would spend the better part of each year on tour, after which Whibley would hunker down in the studio for six or eight months to write a new album. Once it was finished, heB次元官网网址檇 be spit back onto the touring circuit to promote it.

While that repetition had always been part of his lifestyle, he found it harder to enjoy in the years after his recovery. Internal voices of discontent became increasingly louder and so he buried them as best he could in his work.

B次元官网网址淚 would crush (them) and say, B次元官网网址楽top thinking like that. This is what you do. You love being in Sum 41B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� which I do,B次元官网网址� the 44-year-old explained over a video call from a hotel room in Winnipeg while on tour.

B次元官网网址淏ut I couldnB次元官网网址檛 help but think this is all IB次元官网网址檝e ever done.B次元官网网址�

Whibley said his emotions came to a head near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as he grappled with signs of burnout. The sudden pause of concerts allowed him to contemplate his priorities as he welcomed a baby boy, the first with his wife.

Once the industry got back into motion he was on the road again.

It wasnB次元官网网址檛 until Whibley put the finishing touches on Sum 41B次元官网网址檚 ambitious double album B次元官网网址淗eaven :x: HellB次元官网网址� that he started to see everything clearer. The project captured both the pop-punk and heavy metal sounds that defined his bandB次元官网网址檚 evolution, and he was satisfied with how it turned out.

B次元官网网址淲hat else would I do after this?B次元官网网址� he remembers thinking. B次元官网网址淚t encapsulates Sum 41 perfectly B次元官网网址� and thatB次元官网网址檚 when it hit me, I think IB次元官网网址檓 ready for something different.B次元官网网址�

At least six months passed before Whibley finally shared his decision with the band in early 2023. It arrived to them in an email that he says he titled B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 Afraid ItB次元官网网址檚 Come to This.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not as excited about it as I once was,B次元官网网址� he summarized. B次元官网网址淎nd I donB次元官网网址檛 want to do it just because itB次元官网网址檚 a great paycheque.B次元官网网址�

Whibley, whoB次元官网网址檚 now father to a daughter as well, asked his band mates to digest his message and not act on their immediate emotions. He suggested they each hop on a phone call after the news settled in.

B次元官网网址淚 know the guys so well, I know how we operate, and I know how I would want something like that to be delivered to me,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 wanted to give everybody the respect, time and the space to absorb it.B次元官网网址�

Whibley eventually made those promised phone calls, which his band mates say helped smooth over their raw emotions and consider WhibleyB次元官网网址檚 experience.

B次元官网网址淭o put it in perspective B次元官网网址� he hadnB次元官网网址檛 ever taken time off for himself,B次元官网网址� Baksh said. B次元官网网址淥ne day he told me, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檝e never been on vacation.B次元官网网址� I was like, you should do that.B次元官网网址�

Of course, WhibleyB次元官网网址檚 decision didnB次元官网网址檛 just affect the band B次元官网网址� it sent ripples through every corner of their business, which kicked into high gear.

Sum 41 immediately hopped on a tour with the Offspring, released their final album in early 2024 and then kicked off their massive Tour of the Setting Sum farewell run, which has been going ever since.

Last year, Whibley released an explosive memoir that chronicled his tumultuous experiences as a scrappy young rock star, including allegations of misconduct against the bandB次元官网网址檚 former manager, which he has denied. The two have escalated the dispute to a potential courtroom showdown.

All of the renewed attention on Sum 41B次元官网网址檚 final shows has left most of the band a little shell-shocked, yet Whibley sounds as if he couldnB次元官网网址檛 be happier about seeing the finish line.

B次元官网网址淚t doesnB次元官网网址檛 really feel sad or scary,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 feel anxious.B次元官网网址�

Instead, he is looking forward to a simpler life. He said he doesnB次元官网网址檛 have any big plans, for now.

B次元官网网址淚 wouldnB次元官网网址檛 mind just being at home for a while. That sounds like vacation to me,B次元官网网址� he added.

B次元官网网址淛ust, like, waking up in my own bed.B次元官网网址�