Image Credit: Justin White
“Even though you want to try to, never grow up.” – Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie.
Without even referencing who articulated the sentence quoted above, a great number of people throughout the world would recognise these ten words as the essence of the heroic character living his eternal youth, Peter Pan.
The message is one that millions wish for once they hit adulthood, that carefree adventure of juvenescence. Where occupations, parenthood, fiscal commitments and any other mature responsibilities have little to no impact on our existence. It is fundamentally a “dream life” we can only imagine, unless a pathway to “Neverland” is one day discovered and citizenship to this paradise becomes a possibility. Although, the first five letters of this region’s name more-or-less confirms that unlikelihood.
Unquestionably, our options are limited. However, what people can do is “recapture” their youth. They can attempt to discover a means to return to that “kid” version of themselves – that almost careless and free way of life, and arguably one of the most wonderful avenues to achieve this is through music.
MAY the FOURTH be with you; what a flawlessly befitting date for a grand event of this nature to land on. Montreal’s emo-pop-punk luminaries Simple Plan grasped this opportunity and soared with it in their X-wing starfighters that were fuelled with emotional rock.
Their “walk-on” composition was literally the Star Warstheme, with the video backdrop representing a time warp speed visual until it was overtaken with three simple emojis: The broken heart, sad face and storm images.
A capacity audience was about to travel back to the noughties, and the aura was to become beyond sentimental and resplendent.
The quartet burst onto the stage in hyperdrive with their emo anthem ‘I’d Do Anything’, and the striking single was accentuated by smoke cannons firing at all the right moments. Vocalist Pierre Bouvier was inspiring, climbing atop of his platform and executing perfectly timed “punk jumps”; he was undeniably defying his nearly-45-year-old status (May 9th is his birth date). Perhaps he does know the path to Neverland? Pierre does translate from French-to-English as “Peter”?
Streamers exploded out of the cannons marking the announcement of ‘Shut Up!’ that provoked a sing-along from the sold-out crowd that was practically deafening. ‘Jump’ channelled the introduction to Stevie Nicks’‘Edge Of Seventeen’ so well, it activated a new energy of time travel which encapsulated the motif of this showcase impeccably. This track also allowed the guitarists Jeff Stinco and Sébastien Lefebvre to really shine, exhibiting the tight knit family that Simple Plan are.
‘Jet Lag’ came across as a Yellowcard meets 30 Seconds To Mars fusion that both outfits would, in-all-likelihood, be envious of due to its stadium pop-rock nature. The ambience then moved in a slightly different direction for the heart-rendering ballad ‘Addicted’, which conveyed the “lost first love” tale millions know all too well.
‘Thank You’ was an eruption of punk rock counteractively, this brilliantly exhibited the four-piece’s tenacity to amplify the vigour of their demonstration, especially in a live setting.
“We fucking love you Adelaide!” Mr Bouvier bellowed in an attempted Aussie accent; he also then declared their next track to be ‘Welcome To My Life’ in that same tone. This was certainly charming, but to quote their most recent album, it is Harder Than It Looks. Their performance though, was enthralling.
The beach balls suitably came out for the country-folk-pop-rock single ‘Summer Paradise’ that emitted a slight Hilary Duff dynamic, or more-so, a song from one of her early films’ soundtracks. Justifiably though, the track exceeds the “infectious” status. SP then approached a darker expression with ‘Take My Hand’, which included swirls of new wave soundscapes and flourishes of electronica that this writer hopes the Montrealers explore more creatively in the future.
‘Can’t Keep My Hands Off You’ without a doubt belongs in every Disney teenage love movie. ‘What’s New Scooby-Doo’ was simply put, musical merriness. The addition of stage-invaders wearing the beloved animated dog character’s furry outfit and shooting t-shirts into the crowd enhanced the enjoyment immeasurably. ‘Where I Belong’ was the song New Found Glory wish they wrote and then ‘I’m Just A Kid’wound back that all important clock aligned with the Peter Pan motivation. “We are elder emos” and “it’s not just a phase” were iconically stated by Pierre and the outburst of cheers acknowledged this disposition faultlessly.
Arguably, one would be very hard pressed to find an action of recapturing one’s youth like a crowd surf, and drummer Charles-André “Chuck” Comeau decided to undertake this enjoyment excitedly, which virtually all of the AEC revelled in. Predictably ‘Perfect’ was to be the Canucks’ closer, initiated in an acoustic format under the lights of smartphones – it was an endearing and poetic conclusion. Expectedly, the entirety of Simple Plan joined the front-man on stage at that exact right moment; Pierre impressively tossed his instrument dozens of feet to a sound technician in an Olympic effort, to ensure that the whole band went out with an explosive finish. The force was indisputably with these Canadians.
The stage crew were quick to act once Simple Plan had concluded. In just a handful of minutes, the stage was practically emptied and the transformation into whatever unhinged setup with crazy theatrical props the quintessential Californian punk trailblazers The Offspring had dreamed up, was well underway. During this process, the quirky track ‘Intermission’ from the band’s fourth studio album was played, a dancing skeleton appeared on the screen and then a blimp shaped drone camera projected above the sold-out crowd.
Believe it or not, it was about to become more weirdly wonderful.
In sporting events in the Northern Americas, there are numerous entertainment features during breaks that incorporate crowd participation. Such as: The Kiss Cam; the reason for the blimp drone became abundantly clear. While ZZ Top’s ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’ played, a “best of” footage reel was played on the screen, which then turned to the Adelaide spectators.
It was amazingly awkward.
A “Headbang Cam” then followed to Van Halen’s ‘Panama’ which enlivened the crowd to get more involved; a “Booty Cam” to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s ‘Baby Got Back’ instigated tremendous twerking and other dance interpretations – it is a peculiar picture to try and imagine. However, welcome to The Offspring’s antics, they embrace immaturity.
Plane footage then followed to Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Bleed American’ before a very recognisable Australian hard rock anthem ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC blasted through the AEC speakers, and backstage footage was shown of guitarist/vocalist Dexter Holland, guitarist Noodles, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The countdown was approaching the status of “blast off”.
Suddenly the lights went completely out. A magnificent “RockOpera” walk-on song was played, and five familiar and very celebrated musicians took their positions in front of thousands of punk aficionados to commence their incredibly absurd assault on Adelaide.
Dexter Holland: “OK”, clears throat – “YA YA YA YA YA!”. A detonation of screams and cheers, overtook the building. Arms were flailing wildly, prancing, jumping and twirling; truthfully Mr. Holland didn’t even need to sing, South Australia was doing it for The Offspring and it was a spectacle to marvel at. For nearly 30 years ‘All I Want’ has been an anthem of adrenaline, on this night it once again, went beyond expectations.
‘Come Out And Play’ bolstered the energy further and the streamer cannons accentuated the track’s infectious ignition. ‘Spare Me The Details’ showcased the boundless and unbridled talent of multi-instrumentalist Mr. Nimoy who switched between keyboards and percussion effortlessly. ‘Want You Bad’ was reinterpreted with a fascinating church organ inclusion that redefined the single illustriously, and the fireworks completed the orchestration majestically.
‘Staring At The Sun’ initiated with the spotlight just on Dexter as he resolutely delivered: “Maybe life is like a ride on a freeway. Dodging bullets while you’re trying to find your way. Everyone’s around, but no one does a damn thing. It brings me down, but I won’t let them.”
This came across as a poem of resilience and the tight-knit moshpit jumped in elation while thousands more joined in with the contagious clap-along and “Wo-ohs”.
‘Hammerhead’ embraced a darker tone and the inflatable skeletons seemed to prop up from nowhere. The whole production was very cinematic, the backscreen portraying footage seemingly of Andy Warhol guidance, possibly on an acid trip and thunderous sounds echoed throughout the composition. It may have been excessive, but the frequent crowd-surfers relished in its vitality.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, ‘Make It Alright’ embodied an 80’s pop motif at times that led into ‘Original Prankster’ superbly. It was at this moment Dexter Holland actually had to pause for a moment and take it all in, he stood in awe at what Adelaide was expressing in adoration for The Offspring and his smile in response was that of the purest euphoria.
‘Bad Habit’ exhibited a magnificently monstrous introduction and escalated the tone of the extravaganza to “Earthquake”. It was so vigorous that Mr Holland even popped a button off his shirt and during a small interlude in the track, Noodles loudly exclaimed: “Sing and Cuss with US!”
“You stupid dumbsh*t goddamn mother f*cker!” has never sounded so loud in the Adelaide Entertainment Centre; swearing is a brilliantly Bad Habit…
Noodles unveiled his guitar playing finesse sampling Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke On The Water’, Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’, and then a reimagination of the classical composition ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’ before the quintet launched into a cover of The Ramones’ famous hit ‘Bitzkrieg Bop’. ‘Looking Out For #1’ integrated some sci-fi concepts, possibly in respect to May the Fourth, then ‘Gotta Get Away’ wound back the clock adopting an 80’s Hair Metal incentive culminating with a gargantuan drum solo from Brandon Pertzborn.
Another interlude to reset the stage plan let everybody catch their breath for a moment; when the lights returned Dexter was seated at a piano where he discussed the pain of losing someone close to you and when that happens, it feels like a star disappears from the sky. He then exquisitely performed a piano rendition of the hit ‘Gone Away’, that Elton John would have wished to perform as a duet. If this composition can ever be accomplished with a full orchestra, this transformation would broach upon perfection.
The beach balls came out again for ‘Why Don’t You Get A Job’ in a complete crossover of atmosphere, switching from “moving” to “manic” remarkably. “It’s turning into a game of Aussie rules out there!” – Noodlesjoked. In all sincerity though, the AEC had become a festive punk battleground.
A very funny chant along to the two words “F*CK YEAH!” strengthened the festivity ambiance and led into ‘Pretty Fly For A White Guy’ superbly. The inflatable air dancers of the infamous character from the film clip enriched the entire exhibition. The audience takeover of the third verse left the five-piece aghast at how special this event was; it was as if time had been completely erased from our existence, which is rather magical.
‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’ was epic and thought to be the closer. How could it be though?
An encore was more than necessary and was dramatically executed featuring: ‘You’re Gonna Go Far Kid’and ‘Self-Esteem’ to the delight of everybody in the arena.
All the stops were delivered for this prodigious ending – a Gotham city cinematic backdrop, the blimp camera floated atop the audience again, fireworks, confetti, streamers and the exclamation: “Never Forget, F*CK YEAH!”
It really did feel like Neverland – “Bangarang”.
The Offspring and Simple Plan
WHEN: Sunday 4th May 2025
WHERE: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
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