Live Review: Simple Plan w/ Forever Ends Here @ The Triffid

Steady the drink in hand, prepare to get trampled, and be ready to rock! These were the unspoken rules last Sunday night when Canadian punk pop legends Simple Plan hit Brisbane’s The Triffid for the second show in their ‘Taking One For The Team’ Oz Tour. For over 15 years the rebel-rousing quintet have been friend, counsellor and devil-on-the-shoulder to millions of teens and young adults who felt misunderstood and under-appreciated. Given their impact on so many lives it wasn’t any wonder the show was sold-out in mere days!

Kicking off the night was Sydney punk pop outfit Forever Ends Here, who were a cross between New Found Glory and All Time Low. It didn’t matter if you were a long time fan or first-time listener, their spirited antics and undeniably catchy choruses had the entire audience fired up and ready to mosh. Before the set ended the quartet excitedly announced their first headline tour next January for newly released debut album ‘Imagine This,’ much to the delight of the crowd.

Growing anticipation broke into rapturous applause as Simple Plan, donned in black threads, finally strolled on stage and smashed into defiant anthem Opinion Overload. In response the crowd was a unified sea of rock salutes, air punches and unbridled enthusiasm. Next up was 2011 star-crossed duet Jet Lag where frontman Pierre Bouvier called on the ladies to sing Natasha Beddingfield’s parts, while bassist David Desrosiers pointed and smiled at random audience members, clearly soaking up all the attention. This was followed by the carefree fire of Jump with Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling thrown into the mix.

Bouvier warmly greeted the crowd, declaring “You guys are on fire tonight!”. He expressed the boys’ sincere love of Australia before taking the audience back in time to fast-paced golden oldie I’d Do Anything. Boom was an explosive lovefest with Bouvier executing a revolving leap off the small platform centre stage, while reggae-infused Singing In The Rain felt like optimism on steroids with the added bonus of lead guitarist Jeff Stinco killing it with a short but sweet solo.

Between songs Bouvier and Desrosiers entertained the crowd with comedic banter – making a show of waiting for guitarist Sebastien Lefebvre to tune his instrument, raving about Aussie bitches and beaches, jokingly accusing drummer Chuck Comeau of stalking them and wanting to know if there were any hardcore Simple Plan fans whose email address started with ‘Mrs Bouvier’ or ‘Mrs Desrosiers’ (if the deafening cheers were any indication there were quite a few!). They also, in their own words “shared the germs” as about 80% of their bottled water was tossed onto the enthused audience.

The lads continued to showcase their diverse repertoire with angsty teen classic Welcome To My Life, a rockified booty-shaking cover of Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk – during which ladies were encouraged to climb onto their man’s shoulders- and reggae jam/crowd favourite Summer Paradise. To add to the ambiance of the latter, inflatable beach balls were tossed into the crowd before they ‘magically’ disappeared as the song ended.

The rockers ‘finished’ with iconic hit I’m Just A Kid, causing the entire audience to jump wildly and scream the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Not two seconds went by after the quintet left the stage before the crowd unanimously yelled for “one more song!” Their efforts were rewarded with a whopping 4-song encore starting with the musical equivalent of the middle finger Shut Up, followed by Perfect World. 

The highlight of the night was the reverent stillness during This Song Saved My Life. It was one of those rare moments where it felt understood that every person in the room had experienced the song’s subject firsthand and there was a mutual respect in response. Due to the changed ambiance, it was only fitting the night closed with infamous heartbreaker Perfect.

Before Simple Plan left the stage for good Bouvier made a show of rubbing a towel all over his body and throwing it into the sea of fans as well as helping Desrosiers empty the remainder of their water bottle collection into the audience. Their final words was a promise to return to Brisbane soon. Well done boys, you sure know how to keep us coming back for more!

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