From basement hooks to arena chants.
Simple Plan came up in Montreal's pop-punk wave, built on tight hooks, bright guitars, and plain-spoken feelings. The core lineup from the early 2000s still drives the sound, and their French-English roots shape quick banter and the odd lyric switch. A fresh surge arrived when
I'm Just a Kid went viral on TikTok, pulling new fans in alongside day-one listeners. They also cut the
What's New, Scooby-Doo? theme, which sometimes gets teased as a riff between songs.
Setlist bones and fan mix.
Expect a front-loaded run of
Welcome to My Life,
Addicted, and a late-show
Perfect singalong that lets the crowd carry the last chorus. The floor feels mixed in age and style, with vintage tees, checkerboard Vans, and parents coaching kids through their first big chorus. For transparency, these setlist and production notes are my best inference from recent tours and may not match your night exactly. They run the Simple Plan Foundation, funding youth mental health and music programs since 2005. Studio die-hards note the band often fattens choruses by doubling clean guitars with a slightly detuned track, a trick that translates live with two guitarists.
Pop-Punk Time Capsule, Present Tense
Style cues with stories.
The scene reads like a friendly class reunion mixed with a first-show field trip, and both groups make space for each other. You will see vintage-era hoodies, skinny or straight jeans, checkerboard sneakers, and a few patched jackets that have clearly lived through many tours. Chant moments pop up fast, from the tight "hey!" hits in early singles to long "woah-oh" lines that fans carry even when the band drops out.
Rituals that stick.
Phone lights usually rise for
Perfect, while the front rows bounce in unison on
I'd Do Anything, and both moments feel rooted in habit rather than hype. Merch trends lean throwback fonts and cartoon cues, with a nod to the Scooby-Doo connection and a quiet corner for Simple Plan Foundation info. The mood stays considerate, with quick hand signals to lift someone who stumbles and plenty of smiles after a well-timed drum fake-out. After the show, people linger to compare setlist favorites and era memories, trading stories about first CDs and learning power chords in bedrooms.
Hooks First, Then The Flash
Music in the driver's seat.
Vocals sit bright and a touch nasal by design, so
Simple Plan can cut through drums without shouting. Jeff Stinco and Sebastien Lefebvre split roles cleanly, with one locking into tight downstrokes while the other colors chords with small slides and octaves. Chuck Comeau keeps tempos brisk but not rushed, using crisp hi-hat patterns to snap verses before opening the cymbals wide on choruses. Live, they like to drop one or two songs into a slower, mostly acoustic arrangement, which makes the next fast tune feel even bigger.
Subtle choices that matter.
A small but telling choice: much of the set sits a half-step down, giving Pierre Bouvier more room up top and making the guitars sound thicker without extra gain. They also enjoy flipping a bridge to half-time on a song like
Shut Up!, then kicking back to the original pace for the last refrain, which wakes up the pit. Lights tend to follow the music first, with color changes landing on chorus hits rather than stealing focus, so your ear stays on the band.
Friends In Fast Places
Overlapping lanes, same onramp.
If you ride for
blink-182, the blend of fast tempos, dry humor, and big hooks will feel familiar. Fans of
Good Charlotte tend to cross over because both acts lean into melodic choruses and coming-of-age themes without the gloss getting in the way of guitars.
All Time Low shares the same pop-forward bounce and call-and-response moments that turn rooms into choirs. On the sturdier punk side,
New Found Glory brings palm-muted crunch and communal energy that mirrors the way this show moves. If those bands sit in your playlist, you'll likely find this night hits the same sweet spot between speed, melody, and a crowd that actually sings the words.
