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Source: Joe Strudwick
These days, it’s uncommon for me to head down to a gig and not feel like one of the oldest people in the room, but at Simple Plan‘s sold out show at London’s O2 Forum on the final night of their extensive European tour, I felt right at home. Strategically placing myself next to two middle-aged men I initially assumed were dads who were there to accompany their kids, I was pleasantly surprised when they started discussing whether or not to go into the pit and get closer to the stage.
That’s the great thing about all these old-school pop-punk bands like Simple Plan or their friends in bands like Good Charlotte and Yellowcard. Not only do you notice the two different generations of fans, but also the fact that music is timeless. After 17 years as a band, the kids who grew up listening to Simple Plan still feel a strong enough connection to the band to head down to a show so many years later, and that in itself is a beautiful thing to see.
Source: Joe Strudwick
Let’s put it out there – they may not get a lot of credit for it but Simple Plan are still one of the greatest pop-punk bands. Sure, that’s a big claim but the sold out crowds they continue to play to will happily attest to that. The reason why they’ve managed to continue captivating fans is how clear it is that they’re still as excited to play music as they were a decade ago. You could tell by the way the band continued to peer into the crowd from side stage before the show, or the way vocalist Pierre Bouvier wore his own band’s merch on this tour. No fucks given.
Having just released their latest record Taking One For The Team last month, and despite it being their first in almost five years, they quickly proved that they’ve still got whatever it takes. The already buzzing crowd broke out into a massive singalong to opening track ‘Opinion Overload’, and other new tracks like ‘I Refuse’, ‘Boom!’ and ‘Farewell’ were all met with the same level of enthusiasm.
However, it’s no secret that what a large portion of the crowd were looking for that night was a sense of nostalgia, and the Canadian band were more than happy to deliver. Whether it was the great classics like ‘I’d Do Anything’, ‘Crazy’, ‘I’m Just A Kid’ and ‘Welcome To My Life’ or more recent tracks like ‘Your Love Is A Lie’ and ‘Jet Lag’, the band made sure to include all the greatest hits. Despite their pop-punk roots, Simple Plan have never been scared to step out of their comfort zone and dip their toes in the pools of different genres. They mashed up their track ‘Jump’ with the Black Eyed Peas hit ‘I Gotta’ Feeling’, before also delivering covers of Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ and The Weeknd‘s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’; during which their two support bands danced on stage first covered in towels, but eventually in their underpants.
Source: Joe Strudwick
Ah, the good old banter – never a shortage at these kinds of shows; as we all know from bands like Blink-182 or more recently, All Time Low. Despite having grown older, Simple Plan most definitely have not grown up; like the way they thanked the crowd for “playing with their balls” after unleashing beach balls into the crowd for the summer anthem ‘Summer Paradise’, and the way they genuinely laughed like a bunch of teenage boys after telling the joke.
There’s a reason why certain bands manage to stay relevant while other just drift away after a couple of years. A Simple Plan show is all about having a good time, and it was impossible to not crack a smile at least once; whether it was at one of the lame jokes, the nostalgic aspect of the songs or simply at the fun atmosphere that filled the room that entire night. [/tps_header]
Source: Joe Strudwick
