Simple Plan Are Meeting a Whole New Generation of Fans 25 Years Into Their Career

Simple Plan are drawing large numbers of first-time concertgoers, even as the band has played many of the same songs for 25 years.

“Every night we ask people, ‘Hey, how many people are here for the first time?’” drummer Chuck Comeau tells Billboard. “Sometimes it’s like 85% have never seen the band.”

The Montreal pop-punk band is attracting younger fans who weren’t born when “I’m Just a Kid” came out in 2002, as well as longtime listeners who now bring their children to shows. Some younger fans have even started calling Simple Plan “classic rock.”

“And you’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Comeau says.

“There’s nothing cooler than what’s happening to our band right now,” he adds.

Some of the renewed interest stems from “I’m Just a Kid” going viral on TikTok, where it provided the soundtrack for a challenge inviting users to recreate childhood photos. Comeau calls the trend a “gigantic gift.” He says connecting with fans online has long come naturally to the band, which filmed backstage antics and shared them on its website and DVDs before TikTok existed.

“It’s the same thing,” he says. “It’s just a new platform.”

The band had a strong early run: its 2004 album Still Not Getting Any… debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, while “Perfect” and “Welcome to My Life” peaked at Nos. 24 and 40, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

Simple Plan will return to Australia for Good Things Festival, joining a bill led by Limp Bizkit that also features Spiritbox, the All-American Rejects, Bad Religion and MxPx. The festival plays Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse on Dec. 4, Sydney Showground on Dec. 5 and Brisbane Showgrounds on Dec. 6. It will be the band’s third trip Down Under in three years.

“We love Australia. What can I say?” Comeau says. “Any excuse, we come back.”

The lineup spans pop-punk, nu-metal, hardcore and heavier rock. Comeau says a bill like this might once have made him nervous. “Being on this lineup would have been a bit more intimidating 25 years ago,” he says.

He credits streaming with eroding the boundaries that once separated music scenes and making it easier for younger listeners to explore different genres. Simple Plan has seen the shift at European festivals, where the band has shared stages with acts such as Slipknot.

“At first, you’re a little terrified,” he says. “You’re like, ‘How’s that gonna go?’ And then you actually realize that people are stoked.”

Comeau is especially keen to see Bad Religion, whom he calls his favorite band, and Swedish punk band Millencolin, who will play Pennybridge Pioneers in full. He also wants to see Limp Bizkit live for the first time. “I’ve seen a lot of crazy videos right now that are popping up everywhere,” he says.

Simple Plan has begun writing its seventh studio album, with work expected to continue into 2027. The band has a group of songs it’s excited about, Comeau says, but no release date and no plans to rush the process.

“We’ve been around for 25 years and we only have six albums,” he says. “So we take our time.”

The album will follow 2022’s Harder Than It Looks. Comeau says the band wants to refine its sound, not reinvent it. “We know who we are,” he says. “We’re not going to turn around and make a black metal record.”

One challenge is measuring new material against the songs that soundtracked fans’ teenage years. “When you get to this stage of your career, you’re almost playing against yourself,” Comeau says. “You’re playing against your history.”

“You’re not the new shiny young band anymore,” he adds. “So you’ve got to work harder to have people pay attention.”

That’s why Comeau won’t set a deadline for the album. “There’s never a good time for a bad record, and there’s never a bad time for a good record,” he says.

Next year marks 25 years since the band’s debut album, No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls. Comeau says a special-edition vinyl release and a few anniversary performances are possible, but a full album tour is not planned.

“I think we’re bigger than just one album,” he says. “But that album was really consequential for us. It’s the one that started it all.”

On March 9, 2027, the band will release its first children’s picture book, I’m Just a Kid: The Story of Simple Plan, illustrated by Jomike Tejido. Comeau says the book grew out of seeing the band’s original fans grow up and start families.

“We were with them throughout their difficult moments,” he says, recalling how songs about breakups, school and friendships became part of listeners’ teenage years. “Fast-forward 20 years, 25 years, now they’re starting families, they’re having kids. We want to be there with them in this new chapter of their lives.”

The book focuses on friendship and perseverance and includes references for longtime fans. “It’s as much for the parents as it is for the kids,” Comeau says.

Simple Plan has never broken up, taken a hiatus or reunited, unlike many of its peers. Comeau says the years since the pandemic have been among the band’s best, with larger crowds and a stronger focus on its live show.

“When we were young, you were going out and you were partying,” he says. “Now it’s like, no, we don’t do that anymore. We’re all doing yoga and stretching.”

“We’ve always just kept going,” he says. “I feel like there’s a lot of work to be done.”

Asked about a farewell tour, Comeau says: “There’s no talk about a farewell tour,” Comeau says. “Not in the cards for now.”