Staying true to Simple Plan
> The French-Canadian band proves that pop-punk isn’t even close to dead, as it wraps up the Southeast Asian leg of its world tour
make sure that it can’t only be your way … If you’re mature enough to do that, then you can have some longevity.” At 9.15pm, the exuberant crowd broke into rapturous cheers when the band started the show with Opinion Overload with its quintessential pop-punk sounds of distorted electric guitar riffs and fast drumming beats. Despite the five members being well into their late 30s, there was no doubt that they still had enough energy to pull off a top-notch pop-punk concert the same way they did when they started 15 years ago. They continuously led the crowd into endless headbangs and cheers, with popular tracks such as Jet Lag, Jump, I’d Do Anything, Welcome to My Life, Can’t Keep My Hands Off of You, Farewell, Boom!, and more. Although the band first gained popularity for composing songs that screamed teen angst, it also proved it has a flair for other musical genres as well. Apart from covering Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk, and The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face, the five also entertained fans with the groovy Caribbean beats of Singing in the Rain from their latest album, as well as the reggae-inspired tunes of Summer Paradise’s Get Your Heart On!.
According to Stinco and Comeau, the former is meant to “sound uplifting, fun, and positive” and serves as a continuation to the latter.
Despite trying new styles and being open to new genres, Comeau revealed that they still try to stay true to their signature sound.
He said: “I feel like in lots of ways, personally, we’ve changed; we’re older now, we have different life situations and four [of] us have kids now, so obviously we’re not the same 22year-old kids that rolled out the first album …
“But in lots of [ways], I feel like we haven’t changed. I feel the music evolved, but at the same time, we have stayed true to a lot of our classic sound, and I think the essence of the band stays very much the same – it’s all very honest, heart-felt lyrics, it’s high energy music with catchy melodies – and I think that trademark sound stayed throughout the albums.”
Stinco, who shares the same sentiment, added: “We’re trying to make music that is loyal to our heritage as a band, but we want to sound current at the same time ... obviously, you’re influenced by the great bands you hear nowadays … it could be a little dancier, a little more fun, but it’s got to be melodic, fast and filled with energy.
“I think that one thing that hasn’t change is that we’ve always tried to write songs that move people, that will mean something for the kids out there that hit them on an emotional level.”
As the concert came to its end, the band delivered a blast from the past, with popular hits from its first two studio albums, such as Crazy, I’m Just a Kid, Shut Up, and Perfect World.
Things finished on a poignant note when Bouvier picked up the guitar to strum the iconic instrumental opening of one of the band’s biggest hits, Perfect – as if saving the best for last.