A Peculiar Pop Punk Party Atmosphere With Simple Plan

If you were looking for meaningful music at Simple Plan’s 15^th anniversary tour of No Pads No Helmets Just Balls at The Powerstation in Auckland last night, you would’ve been shit out of luck. But that would’ve been completely missing the point of an otherwise fun, high octane evening.

Released in 2002, the aforementioned album was the debut album for the Canadian quintet.  Although widely panned by critics at the time, it has gone on to be #33 on the list of Rolling Stone’s Essential Pop Punk albums.  As a genre, Pop Punk – with it’s simple melodies and lyrics ripped straight from a melodramatic teenager’s diary- was less about musical ability and more about embracing every awkward aspect of growing up. And Simple Plan with their messy hair, puerile humour and energetic, hook-laden songs that literally told everyone to “Shut Up”  were the epitome  of it.

Opening with I’d Do Anything, Simple Plan sent the all ages crowd immediately into a frenzy, setting the scene for an evening of en mass sing-alongs, pogo-ing on the spot and (in the case of the 18+ section) having an existential crisis while ironically drinking Smirnoff Ice.  As they rollicked through the hits (Worst Day Ever, I’m Just a Kid, Addicted),  it became clear that although the songs themselves were nowadays only permissible on a drunk Spotify binge, Simple Plan played with such energy and sincerity that it was a genuinely enjoyable evening.  They weren’t here to save the world, they were here to make us dance like it was 2002 and Simple Plan achieved that aim with aplomb. From throwing oversized beachballs into the crowd, to high kicks and stage diving, the band ensured that we were transported to a time prior to social media where we taped the MTV music awards and liberally applied eyeliner despite our shaky hands. Coupled with the sincerity of the band themselves, it proved to be worth going out on a school night.

The music doesn’t exactly hold up- it wasn’t even that good at the time, despite capturing the naïve teenage angst we all loved indulging in. Now that their original audience have grown up, hindsight and a changed musical landscape reveal all the flaws and melodrama. Yet in a funny way, that is also the strength of Simple Plan’s live show. Gather a group of people who remember the age this music spoke to them, and a new slew of fans that are currently that age, and the power of nostalgia creates a peculiar party atmosphere, built on shared feeling.

A loud, dumb and fun evening.

Kate Powell

Click on any image to see a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk of Ekko Park and Simple Plan: