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 “I’m just a kid an adult.” Could they live up to the hype?
Simple Plan’s 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’s 27 year history (yep, you read that right) played over a dramatic drumroll, injecting the exhausted crowd with a newfound burst of energy.
The band met that energy with a killer rendition of “I’d Do Anything,” reminding us all why they’re still going after all this time, before showering the cheering audience with one of the biggest confetti explosions I’ve ever seen. Despite a little less youth on their side—and a lot less hair gel—all the band members were instantly recognizable and made it clear they still intended to rock our socks off.
Between their English songs and international success, it’s easy to forget Simple Plan’s origins, but as the show went on, the band had their Québécois bona fides on full display. After a quick poll of the audience’s ability to understand French, lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier mostly spoke our city’s 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.
The visuals were punchy and fun, with comic book-inspired animations, impressive pyrotechnics, and dancing mascots. “I’m Just a Kid” aptly featured cute collages of childhood pictures of the band members.
The most memorable moment by far came when the band played “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?,” 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).
On top of all the Simple Plan hits, we also got treated to a nostalgic medley of Smashmouth’s “All Star,” “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne, and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Nothing is more sure to revive a crowd of sun-stroked millennials than screaming “It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?”
They closed out their set with “Perfect,” 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’t be perfect, but they got pretty damn close.
