Tues., Jan. 15, Sum 41

Could it be that Deryck Whibley was evolving too slowly for ex-wife Avril Lavigne? We're not sold on Lavigne's singer-songwriter makeover, but her new work ditches skater threads for overcooked balladry and failed prose. Whibley is still gigging to the same crowd of self-styled “misfits” that he was in 2002. But we're not ones to deny pioneers their due. Whibley's Sum 41 broke new ground in that it was the first band to cull every obnoxious tic from every bastardized genre (ska, emo, hardcore) in North American music. In hindsight, it's easier to appreciate Sum 41 for what it was: a band that played itself ragged and embraced cheesiness. 1417 R Street, www.sum41.com.