Live Review: Simple Plan Are Perfect in Perth 2024
Simple Plan in Concert, 7 March 2024 at Metro City Perth Western Australia
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
Spinning, jumping, kicking, and synching to the punk rock anthem is always a double dare in 2024 for a band formed in the last millennium. Yet, Montreal-based Simple Plan showed no signs of being affected by gravity through their rebellious dexterity as the lead vocalist told us to Shut up and Jump to get the party started, but not before taking us to a place long time ago in a far, far away galaxy through the movie theme of our generation.
The explosive stage propagation and persona of the 4-piece unit in Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar) and Sebastian Lefebvre (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) were scintillatingly chaotic, as the dexterous showcase of the lead vocalist which included a 1.5m jumping split was awe inspiring for anyone over the age of 40, as he performed the track of the same verb under the confetti rain that was punctuated by a series of carbon dioxide thrusts. It was as if we had reached the culmination point of the encore, but the unbridled party had barely started. The onstage rock choreography went through a Speedy Gonzales blitz throughout the 90-minute marathon in a festival of rebellion with tracks such as You Suck at Love and Your Love Is A Lie.
“I have to say, tonight’s crowd is better than last night’s, afterall tonight is supposed to be the first night, with the true fans, right?” – we were unsure whether that was BS or a PR truth (a euphemism for BS), but from on the crowd’s interaction, it’s most likely that was the case for “night one” of the two sold out shows at Metro City in Perth Western Australia.
Hits after hits they arrived such as Summer Paradise and Growcation. A mini medley of covers is always fun, and fans appointed themselves as back up vocalists through Smash Mouth’s All Star and Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi. The covers from the punk rock era of the early 00’s was a mini tribute to the generation who are now in their 30’s and 40’s, who saw through the emergence of the underground scene and rebellious mood through subgenres, styles and diversity, sparking a major invasion intp the mainstream charts.
The mood of the songs were churned by the believability wow factor through the energy of the band and vocal expulsion of Pierre Bouvier with a physical thrust to match. We felt the frustration, the anger, the rebellion and also the grieve.
Welcome to My Life is a saying that usually reflects the disdain in one’s life – but we believe Simple Plan have lived through the ride of their lives in the past two decades. The fun vibe was also reflected by several Scooby Doo’s on stage during the cartoon song, as they darted across as if they had ants in their pants.
More fun factor were added with massive balloons littering the venue at one point, upsizing the night night of colourful delight. The lights across the spectrum at Metros City Perth were brilliant, sweeping the floor while the carbon dioxide shot into the air as we were showered with more confetti.
Drummer Chuck Comeau, who had been hiding at the back took to the limelight by diving into the crowd, rolling around like a log floating on an angry river. The ride was smooth as it seemed everyone wanted to be part of the punk rocker’s shenanigans. The level of trust he puts on the crowd was nothing short of spectacular. Ps, thanks for the drum stick Chuck!
As the night drew to a close, lights were dimmed and came the acoustic guitar during Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?) as Pierre took the stage solo at the introduction. The je nah se quoi and the honesty oozed from the lead vocalist were palpable. The tears from the fans were real, as we reflected on the decisions we made and the disappointments from our imperfect lives. The rest of the band members rejoined the stage for one of their biggest hits and just like that, we were immersed in the darker side of the duality in tonight’s performance.
The night ended with a thematically similar track in Perfect. The melodic trance once again smoothed out the highness of our spirit into a point of reflection. Despite the song may be about the drummer Chuck Comeau’s dilemma – whose parents were not supportive of his career choice (boy, how they got that one wrong), the story telling in the lyrical form by Pierre Bouvier was on point and heartfelt. It was a moment of truth for many of us as the relatibility factor hit home again.
Simple Plan may be performing in intimate venues across Australia, but the ticket demand and performance grit causing maniacal chaos among fans means the Canadian band deserve to be showcasing an arena tour.
“It has been 11 years since we’ve played in Perth.” Montreal may be halfway across the world from Perth, but we’ll ease the Jetlag. Please don’t wait for another decade for your return.
Simple Plan are touring across Australia in April 2024. Tickets are available through Destroy All Lines.
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Dallas Does PR, Destroy All Lines and Simple Plan for the Press Accreditation.
About the Writer/Photographer: Perth based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to over 80 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), KNOTFEST (Melbourne), Coldplay (Perth), KISS, P!NK, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robbie Williams and Rod Stewart with reviews shared by the likes of UB40, Delta Goodrem, The Wiggles and Toni Childs on social media. He has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro (that’s her below), Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 40 artists.
