Pop-punk royalties Avril Lavigne and Sum 41‘s Deryck Whibley reunited at the Vans Warped Tour in DC – check out footage of the heartwarming moment below.
- READ MORE: Sum 41 tell us about “aggressive” final album ‘Heaven :x: Hell’: “It’s the perfect way to go out”
Lavigne headlined the returning Vans Warped Tour in DC on June 15, where she surprised fans by bringing out her former husband Whibley to perform Sum 41’s hit ‘In Too Deep’. The moment came eight songs into Lavigne’s festival-closing set.
She said, announcing Whibley’s surprise appearance: “What do you say we bring one of the OG Warped Tour bands back out her tonight to join me right now? I know they’re one of my favourite pop-punk bands, what about you? Let’s hear it for Deryck from Sum fucking 41!
“Holy shit, god damn. I thought I fucking quit music,” Whibley joked. “But how the fuck can I miss the Warped Tour right? I’ve come out of my three- or four-month retirement for two reasons: to be with the Warped Tour family, and to be with the one, the only, the motherfucking princess.”
Following their address, the former couple – backed by Lavigne’s band – dove into Sum 41’s classic ‘In Too Deep’ – check out the footage below.
After her headlining set wrapped, Avril Lavigne took to social media to recap her first time closing out the festival: “Headlined Vans Warped Tour last night and it was everything I would have expected and more! It was one of the best crowds and you guys know how to rock!”
She continued, gushing about her former husband’s appearance: “This legend @deryckwhibley from @sum41 joined me for one of the best pop punk anthems of all time ‘In Too Deep’”.
Lavigne and Whibley got married in 2006 – a year after getting engaged. Lavigne announced their separation in 2009 via a now-archived blog entry: “We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together, and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship,” she wrote.
“I admire Deryck and have a great amount of respect for him. He is the most amazing person I know, and I love him with all my heart. Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note.” The couple finalised their divorce in 2010.
Whibley’s appearance during Lavigne’s set comes after he and the Sum 41 retired earlier this year following the release of their final album and numerous health issues faced by the frontman.
Speaking to NME about why their latest album ‘Heaven :x: Hell’ felt like the right pick for their last LP and why it felt like the right time to call it quits, Whibley shared: “I feel really good about this album, which is why I felt it should be the last one. We didn’t know we’d be splitting up when we were making it, but I’ve been making records and touring with this band since I was 15,” he said
He continued: “I’ve had this feeling for a long time now that I want to do something different and it just feels like the right time. This album feels like the perfect way to go out. Over the past few years, the touring has constantly been getting bigger and the band is at our best. My fear is that if I start to lose the excitement, we’ll just fade away. I care too much about the fans and what we’ve built as a band to let that happen, just because it’s a good paycheque.”
Earlier this year, Whibley and the band’s former manager Greig Nori took legal action against each other, with the singer claiming Nori had sexually and verbally abused him for years. Nori denied the allegations, and counter-sued for breach of confidence, intrusion and wrongful disclosure of private facts.
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