{"id":163902,"date":"2026-08-28T15:35:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=gig_review&p=163902"},"modified":"2026-08-28T15:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:35:33","slug":"vans-warped-tour-montreal-simple-plan-is-pretty-damn-close-to-perfect","status":"publish","type":"gig_review","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/gig_review\/vans-warped-tour-montreal-simple-plan-is-pretty-damn-close-to-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"Vans Warped Tour Montreal: Simple Plan is Pretty Damn Close to Perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One thing that stood out to me about Warped Tour was the sheer volume of freshly purchased band merch festival attendees were wearing. Nostalgia sells, I guess? Walking around Parc Jean Drapeau on Saturday, I saw approximately one million Simple Plan tees, including a notably cringe-y one that said \u201cI\u2019m just a kid<\/s> an adult.\u201d\u00a0 Could they live up to the hype?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple Plan\u2019s Montreal Warped Tour show opened with an epic intro befitting of their status as festival-closing hometown heroes. The band entered the stage to a supercut of archival footage from the band\u2019s 27 year history (yep, you read that right) played over a dramatic drumroll, injecting the exhausted crowd with a newfound burst of energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band met that energy with a killer rendition of \u201cI\u2019d Do Anything,\u201d reminding us all why they\u2019re still going after all this time, before showering the cheering audience with one of the biggest confetti explosions I\u2019ve ever seen. Despite a little less youth on their side\u2014and a lot less hair gel\u2014all the band members were instantly recognizable and made it clear they still intended to rock our socks off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Between their English songs and international success, it\u2019s easy to forget Simple Plan\u2019s origins, but as the show went on, the band had their Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois bona fides on full display. After a quick poll of the audience\u2019s ability to understand French, lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier mostly spoke our city\u2019s langue en commun for the rest of the set, even throwing in a tabarnak at one point. Drummer Chuck Comeau was also repping a custom Montreal Victoire jersey with his name on the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The visuals were punchy and fun, with comic book-inspired animations, impressive pyrotechnics, and dancing mascots. \u201cI\u2019m Just a Kid\u201d aptly featured cute collages of childhood pictures of the band members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most memorable moment by far came when the band played \u201cWhat’s New, Scooby-Doo?,\u201d the theme song they recorded for the 2002 cartoon reboot of the same name. As the intro started up, Bouvier invited anyone dressed up as Scooby-Doo to join them on stage. What started off as a couple of Scoobies quickly exploded into a full-blown pack of maybe 100 dancing Scoobs (and at least one Velma). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of all the Simple Plan hits, we also got treated to a nostalgic medley of Smashmouth\u2019s \u201cAll Star,\u201d \u201cSk8er Boi\u201d by Avril Lavigne, and \u201cMr. Brightside\u201d by The Killers. Nothing is more sure to revive a crowd of sun-stroked millennials than screaming \u201cIt started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They closed out their set with \u201cPerfect,\u201d crooned to a misty-eyed crowd fervently waving their phone flashlights. As they launched into the last chorus, a huge fireworks display took over the sky behind the stage. Maybe they can\u2019t be perfect, but they got pretty damn close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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