{"id":2244023,"date":"2026-11-08T03:45:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T00:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2244023"},"modified":"2026-11-08T03:45:04","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T00:45:04","slug":"simple-plan-are-meeting-a-whole-new-generation-of-fans-25-years-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2244023","title":{"rendered":"Simple Plan Are Meeting a Whole New Generation of Fans, 25 Years In"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/2169740568-e1794109325618.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\tSimple Plan have been playing the same songs for 25 years. Lately, they\u2019re playing them to a lot of people hearing them live for the first time.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEvery night we ask people, \u2018Hey, how many people are here for the first time?\u2019\u201d drummer Chuck Comeau tells Billboard. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s like 85% have never seen the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Montreal pop-punk band is drawing fans who weren\u2019t born when \u201cI\u2019m Just a Kid\u201d arrived in 2002, alongside the original listeners who are now bringing their own kids to shows. Some of the younger crowd have even started calling Simple Plan \u201cclassic rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tSimple Plan\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd you\u2019re like, \u2018What are you talking about?\u2019\u201d Comeau says.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s nothing cooler than what\u2019s happening to our band right now,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tMuch of that can be traced to \u201cI\u2019m Just a Kid\u201d going viral on TikTok, where it soundtracked a challenge encouraging users to recreate their childhood photos. Comeau calls the trend a \u201cgigantic gift,\u201d but says meeting fans online has always come naturally to the band, which was filming backstage antics and sharing them through its website and DVDs long before TikTok existed.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s the same thing,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just a new platform.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe renewed attention builds on a strong early run. The band\u2019s 2004 album Still Not Getting Any\u2026<\/em> debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, while \u201cPerfect\u201d and \u201cWelcome to My Life\u201d reached Nos. 24 and 40, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n

\n\tNext up is a return to Australia for Good Things Festival, where Simple Plan join a bill led by Limp Bizkit and featuring Spiritbox, the All-American Rejects, Bad Religion and MxPx. The festival hits Melbourne\u2019s Flemington Racecourse on Dec. 4, Sydney Showground on Dec. 5 and Brisbane Showgrounds on Dec. 6, marking the band\u2019s third trip Down Under in three years.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe love Australia. What can I say?\u201d Comeau says. \u201cAny excuse, we come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe lineup mixes pop-punk with nu-metal, hardcore and heavier rock, the kind of bill Comeau admits might once have made him nervous. \u201cBeing on this lineup would have been a bit more intimidating 25 years ago,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe credits streaming with breaking down the scene boundaries that once divided fans, making it easier for younger listeners to move between genres. The band has seen it firsthand at European festivals, sharing stages with acts like Slipknot.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt first, you\u2019re a little terrified,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re like, \u2018How\u2019s that gonna go?\u2019 And then you actually realize that people are stoked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe has his own Good Things wish list. Bad Religion, whom he calls his favorite band, are near the top, along with Swedish punks Millencolin, who are playing Pennybridge Pioneers<\/em> in full. He\u2019s also keen to finally see Limp Bizkit live. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of crazy videos right now that are popping up everywhere,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, Simple Plan have started writing their seventh studio album, with work set to continue into 2027. There\u2019s no release date, but Comeau says the band has a batch of songs it\u2019s excited about, and no intention of rushing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve been around for 25 years and we only have six albums,\u201d he says. \u201cSo we take our time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe record will follow 2022\u2019s Harder Than It Looks<\/em>, and Comeau says the aim is to refine the band\u2019s sound rather than overhaul it. \u201cWe know who we are,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to turn around and make a black metal record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe harder challenge is competing with the band\u2019s own past. Songs that soundtracked fans\u2019 teenage years carry a weight that new material has to earn.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen you get to this stage of your career, you\u2019re almost playing against yourself,\u201d Comeau says. \u201cYou\u2019re playing against your history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou\u2019re not the new shiny young band anymore,\u201d he adds. \u201cSo you\u2019ve got to work harder to have people pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s why he won\u2019t put a deadline on it. \u201cThere\u2019s never a good time for a bad record, and there\u2019s never a bad time for a good record,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tNext year also marks 25 years since the band\u2019s debut album, No Pads, No Helmets\u2026Just Balls<\/em>. Comeau says a special-edition vinyl and a few anniversary performances are on the table, but not a full album tour.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think we\u2019re bigger than just one album,\u201d he says. \u201cBut that album was really consequential for us. It\u2019s the one that started it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother milestone arrives March 9, 2027, when the band releases its first children\u2019s picture book, I\u2019m Just a Kid: The Story of Simple Plan<\/em>, illustrated by Jomike Tejido. Comeau says it grew out of watching the band\u2019s original fans grow up and start families of their own.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe were with them throughout their difficult moments,\u201d he says, recalling how songs about breakups, school and friendships became part of listeners\u2019 teenage years. \u201cFast-forward 20 years, 25 years, now they\u2019re starting families, they\u2019re having kids. We want to be there with them in this new chapter of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe book explores friendship and perseverance and includes nods for longtime fans. \u201cIt\u2019s as much for the parents as it is for the kids,\u201d Comeau says.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor all the anniversaries and nostalgia, Simple Plan have never broken up, gone on hiatus or staged a reunion, which is rare among their peers. Comeau believes the years since the pandemic have been some of the band\u2019s best, with bigger crowds and a sharper focus on the live show.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen we were young, you were going out and you were partying,\u201d he says. \u201cNow it\u2019s like, no, we don\u2019t do that anymore. We\u2019re all doing yoga and stretching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve always just kept going,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel like there\u2019s a lot of work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, a farewell tour?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s no talk about a farewell tour,\u201d Comeau says. \u201cNot in the cards for now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/music-news\/simple-plan-new-generation-fans-chuck-comeau-interview-1236368697\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/2169740568-e1794109325618.jpg?w=1024″] Simple Plan have been playing the same songs for 25 years. Lately, they\u2019re playing them to a lot of people hearing them live for the first time. \u201cEvery night we ask people, \u2018Hey, how many people are here for the first time?\u2019\u201d drummer Chuck Comeau tells Billboard. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s like 85% have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2244023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2244023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244023\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2244023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2244023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2244023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}