Sterling Heights, Michigan (August 23,2025)-Saturday night wasn’t just another stop on Simple Plan’s “Bigger Than You Think!” 25th anniversary tour. It was like a statement performance. A sellout of more than eight thousand fans packed into the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre and frontman Pierre Bouvier made it clear from the opening minutes: this was the biggest show of the tour. He reminded the crowd of that fact repeatedly, congratulating the fans for selling out the amphitheatre and making the night historic for the band.That claim wasn’t marketing fluff—it felt like truth from the moment the house lights dropped.
When it was time for Simple Plan to hit the stage they just didn’t ease into the set, they kicked the door open with of their biggest hits, “I’d Do Anything,” Generations of fans—some who had been there since No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls, others barely old enough to remember—screamed the words back as if the early 2000s had never ended. The nostalgia wasn’t wistful, it was alive, loud, and tinged with that same reckless joy that first made the band notable. You could see it in the faces of parents who have passed their love of the songs down to their kids, proving that for some families, legacy is carried through guitar riffs and pop-punk choruses rather than bedtime stories.
The stage setup for this tour was larger than anything Simple Plan had dragged through Michigan before: a massive LED wall throwing visuals keyed to each track, cryo bursts firing, confetti cannons locked and repeatedly reloaded all night long. If pop punk is supposed to be scrappy, Simple Plan is rewriting the script—leaning into production scale while refusing to dull the edges. The sound was clean, the on stage chaos anything but.
“I’m Addicted to You,” “Shut Up!,” and “Jump” supersized the energy highlighted with Bouvier leaping across the stage like gravity wasn’t even a factor on his 46 year body. Fans who spotted the band sneaking toward the stage earlier knew they were in for something big, but few could have expected the storm that would unfold on stage over the next 90-minutes.
The 19-song setlist wasn’t the typical greatest hits packages that currently seem to be making the rounds on these celebratory tours. This one was a career-spanning collection meant to remind everyone of how wide the Simple Plan catalog runs. They dropped “Summer Paradise” and the underplayed “Can’t Keep My Hands Off You,” then pulled the rug out for “Astronaut,” a riveting cut about loneliness that had fans cell-phone lights illuminating the stormy Michigan night like a choreographed drone display.
Moving to a small B-stage, Bouvier stood under a single spotlight for “Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?).” The crowd fell silent while the amphitheatre momentarily transformed into a sold-out confessional. Guitarists Sébastien Lefebvre and Jeff Stinco kept to the main stage, but the effect was sharp—two decades of survival laid bare in one track.
Of course, this is still the legendary outfit Simple Plan. Meaningful interludes never linger too long without being broken by mayhem. Giant yellow beach balls stamped with the band’s name appeared out of nowhere, bouncing across the crowd before being joined by a wave of multicolored balloons. The amphitheatre floor turned into a warped beach party as Chuck Comeau hammered a drum solo that proved he’s far more than just the guy in the back keeping time.
One of the night’s most surprising highlights came during “Jet Lag,” when fellow Canadian LØLØ joined the band for the duet. Their voices meshed seamlessly with the chemistry so natural it felt like she’d been part of the lineup all along. Later, the night bent toward pure absurd fun when the band launched into “What’s New Scooby Doo?” and invited fans dressed as the cartoon canine on stage. Watching 43 Scoobies dart around under flashing lights while Simple Plan cranked out the theme was a reminder of the band’s greatest weapon: they never take themselves too seriously.
Then came the famous medley—“The Worst Day Ever,” “My Alien,” “God Must Hate Me,” “Grow Up,” and the deep cut “Vacation.” It was a flex for the “long time die-hards,” songs that have been buried in the catalog finally being dragged out for a little fresh air. If that wasn’t enough, the band threw in a covers section. Suddenly Smash Mouth’s “All Star” was crashing against Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” before tumbling into The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” The crowd had no chance of resisting and they didn’t bother trying.
The frolicking encore pushed the finish line back a little further, cycling through “Crazy,” “Perfect World,” “Save You,” and “This Song Saved My Life.” Then came the inevitable: “I’m Just a Kid.” This time, roles flipped—Pierre Bouvier sat behind the drum kit while Chuck Comeau launched himself into the crowd, diving and rolling across fans like a human surfboard, a move that felt half insane, half genius. On vocals, Bowling For Soup frontman Jaret Reddick stepped in, his delivery every bit as unruly as the song demands. It turned into a chaotic, celebratory anthem, the kind of moment that only happens when a band is fearless enough to throw the rulebook out for the fans enjoyment.
“Perfect” closed the night like the carnage of a tornado set to a melodic soundtrack—aching, defiant, and unforgettable. The track may have been born from Comeau’s teenage battles with parental doubt, but on this night it belonged to everyone. Eight thousand voices sang every word, many of them cracked with emotion. Confetti poured from stage cannons, illuminating the amphitheatre in a storm of paper and light one final time.
Simple Plan’s story has never been just about survival—it’s about outlasting doubt, trends, and the fickle attention that spans pop cultures history. Twenty-five years ago, four Montreal kids set out with a dream and a basement full of ambition. Two and a half decades later, they’re still leaping off platform risers, writing hooks sharp enough to cut, and still selling out amphitheatres. Call it pop punk, nostalgia pop, but don’t ever call it classic rock. The label doesn’t matter. What does matter is that for a plethora of sweaty, confetti-covered bodies, Saturday night was proof that Simple Plan is bigger than anyone ever thought……only 25 years later.
- I’d Do Anything
- Nothing Changes
- Shut Up!
- Jump
- Addicted
- Jet Lag
with LØLØ - Can’t Keep My Hands Off You
- Astronaut
- Welcome to My Life
- Summer Paradise
- Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)
- Thank You
- The Worst Day Ever / My Alien / God Must Hate Me / Grow Up/Vacation
- All Star / Sk*er Boi / Mr. Brightside
- What’s New Scooby Doo?
- Where I Belong (Simple Plan & State Champs song)– Encore —
- Crazy / Perfect World / Save You / This Song Saved My Life
- I’m Just a Kid (w/Jaret Reddick)
- Perfect