Simple Plan and Forever Ends Here
Prince Bandroom
September 15th, 2016
Review by: Matt Barton
As Simple Plan frontman Pierre Bouvier says during their set, “we’ve been coming here [Australia] since 2003!” So, it’s a tad ridiculous that the Canadian four-piece are playing a venue as small as the Prince Bandroom. It was certainly no surprise that they sold it out three times.
It’s here, on night three and also the final night of the Taking One For The Team tour, I find myself in the packed to capacity room as openers Forever Ends Here take to the stage. I must admit, I get a little chuckle when a bunch of people almost jump out of their skin when they open their set. Clearly, a few individuals didn’t see drummer Kane McChesney take to the stage. It becomes quickly apparent that the Sydney pop-rock quartet is extremely tight and confident on stage as they play through tracks from their recently released debut album Imagine This. They even throw in a pretty good cover of Bowling For Soup’s 1985 for good measure. This is the first time I’ve heard Forever Ends Here, but I was impressed. This band has the talent to go far.
As the music between bands plays, each new song; especially tracks by The Killers and The Veronicas gets a cheer; almost like the band themselves are playing. It’s quite strange.
Finally, though, the lights go dark, and Simple Plan hit the stage to tumultuous applause. They kick things off with Opinion Overload, the opening track from their latest album Taking One For The Team. Jet Lag and Jump soon follow, the latter of which gets the huge crowd doing exactly that.
Simple Plan is a band that has a hell of a lot of fun on stage. With constant chats to the audience and banter between the band members, this is a band that loves their job.
The four piece even include a surprising cover of recent hits Uptown Funk and Can’t Feel My Face which has the crowd singing every word. All too soon, however, their main set comes to an end with my personal favourite I’m Just A Kid. The band disappears off stage for a few moments before launching into a massive five song encore which includes Pierre doing a solo acoustic version of Every Time and then they bring it to an end with Perfect.
Tonight was the fourth or fifth time I’ve seen Simple Plan live and, while it may not have been the best set I’d seen from the band, they were still as tight and enjoyable as ever and a band I love seeing live.
Here’s the setlist for anyone interested:
Opinion Overload
Jet Lag
Jump/I’ve Got A Feeling
I’d Do Anything
Boom!
Welcome To My Life
Kiss Me Like Nobody’s Watching
When I’m Gone
Addicted
Uptown Funk/Can’t Feel My Face
I Can’t Keep My Hands Off You
Farewell
Summer Paradise
Crazy
I’m Just A Kid
Encore:
Shut Up
Perfect World
This Song Saved My Life
Every time (Pierre acoustic)
Perfect
