Words: Miljan Milekić
It may sound weird, but I don’t think there was a better time to see Simple Plan live. Fifteen years after the release of their breakthrough debut ‘No Pads, No Helmet…Just Balls,’ five-piece decided to go on tour to celebrate its anniversary by playing it in its entirety. The rest of their set consisted of pretty much the best songs of the other records.
But first, let’s not forget the supporting act – Four Year Strong. The four-piece from Massachusetts put on a solid performance, although I would prefer to see them in a smaller setup. Their music and the way they look on the stage is more fitted for the clubs, where the intimacy and energy are much more concentrated. The band touched on pretty much every part of their career, from the singles to fan-favorites like ‘Tonight We Feel Alive,’ ‘Go Down in History,’ and ‘It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now’ before finishing off with ‘Wasting Time (Eternal Summer).’
Simple Plan came in next and hit the stage with full force. The first part of the set was reserved exclusively for ‘No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls,’ played front to back. It was amazing to see the crowd going crazy at those songs no matter if they are old school fans or new kids seeing the band for the first time. Some of those songs are just timeless, and this tour can only serve as another confirmation.
The second part of the show brought the hits from the other record with most of them being from sophomore effort ‘Still Not Getting Any…’ New fans could be a little disappointed by the lack of the more recent stuff, but this tour was a throwback. For an hour and a half, it was the early 2000s all over again. We were all skater kids, emo kids, and teenagers who hate the whole world. Simple Plan gave the fans what they wanted, and got the same in return. With screaming our lungs out at anthems such as ‘Crazy’ and ‘Welcome to My Life’ it was time to wrap this one up.
