Reviewed on Saturday September 10

Watching Simple Plan perform is akin to watching an action movie: their live show is full of lights, cameras and plenty of action. From the moment the lads stepped on stage until the very end of the gig they jumped about the place with boundless energy. Lead singer Pierre Bouvier was the embodiment of that cheeky tongue emoji, leaping around and pounding out songs with his eargasmic pop punk voice, while David Desrosiers showed off his next-level magic tricks with his bass guitar picks.

Chuck Comeau’s drumming facial expressions brought as much entertainment as his actual drumming, while Jeff Stinco on lead guitar didn’t need to do anything but stand there while the cool factor radiated off of him. Although short, his guitar solos brought a taste of something electric each time, perfectly complementing rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre and his grand booty shake.

Simply put, Simple Plan know how to rock out, they know how to have fun, and, most importantly, they know how to get their audience involved. This wasn’t the kind of gig during which you just stood around and watched. The gang played for over an hour without ever once letting the energy dip.

That said, the Canadians sure put the cheese in cheesy. Their multiple sexual quips, banter and nipple jokes were simultaneously humorous and super awkward, especially when the talk turned to touring Australia and the band began cashing in on classic ‘Strayan innuendo. “I love going down under”, said Bouvier, a sentiment echoed by his bandmates. Sure you do guys; sure you do…

But beneath all the jokes and laughs there were some truly beautiful human moments, particularly when the room was lit up by iPhone lights during the rock ballad ‘This Song Saved My Life’. Though the band finished the set proper with fan-favourite ‘I’m Just A Kid’, the audience screamed for an encore, and it quite quickly became apparent that the show was far from over: the band came out and gave the crowd just what they wanted in the form of a four-song encore.

It was all wrapped up with ‘Perfect’ – though the show was so much better than perfect. It wasn’t perfect: it was radical. As they left, the band were nice enough to pelt the audience with sweat-covered towels, drumsticks, guitar picks and other take-home souvenirs. What nice chaps.

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