The past year ran by so quickly and here we are again, celebrating another huge anniversary of Simple Plan’s debut album. It’s been exactly 11 years today since the first day that you could walk into a record store and buy yourself a Simple Plan CD – namely No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls (well, or sometimes not…). 11 years of friendship of these five boys from Montreal who are still together after all this time without any line-up change whatsoever.

Last year’s 10th anniversary was a really big deal and the guys came up with many surprises for us all year long – most notably the official biography – Simple Plan: The Official Story that came out in November 2012.

You may recall that exactly one year ago, the guys did a little anniversary webchat with the fans while on tour in Europe – which you can remind yourself of below:

The 10th anniversary of Simple Plan’s first album “No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls” is a great oportunity to look back at how the band has started, what were their goals back then and what their goals are now and what their plans are for the future.

Exactly these and more questions were used by Jon Ableson from the music website Alter The Press in his new interview with Chuck (and towards the end also with Sebastien) which came out to be one of the most interesting pieces of interviewing work we’ve seen in a long time, when it comes to Simple Plan.

One of the most interesting things we’ve found out thanks to this interview is that this year, to commemorate the 10th anniversary, Simple Plan would like to release not only the forementioned EP with unreleased tracks and a DVD, but also the promised photobook that Chuck talks a bit more in this interview, saying for example that its final version should have around 250 pages and should capture the life on road, backstage and much more.

You can check out the interview by reading on:

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On yesterday’s webchat, the guys already gave out little hints about the special surprise they have in store for their European fans, who are going to attend the upcoming Simple Plan concerts, in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ther first record No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls.

Since yesterday, Simple Plan are playing a few-minutes-long medley of five songs from their debut album on their shows. The songs include: The Worst Day Ever, When I’m With You, My Alien, You Don’t Mean Anything and God Must Hate Me.

Anyway, don’t worry there is still a few more full No Pads’ songs on the regular setlist (such as I’d Do Anything or Perfect) and the cover medley also stays.

You can check out the first pictures from Simple Plan’s show in Neu-Isenberg in the gallery and below you’ll find a footage of the new No Pads medley (thanks to Sarah for letting me know about it):

Sim published a new video of the official website, in which all members of Simple Plan talk about the last 10 years of their lives and how the record No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls has changed them forever:

The day has come! Today, March 19th 2012, we commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the release of Simple Plan’s very first album “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls”.

Shortly after Sebastien and Jeff started putting together a new band in 1999, Chuck joined them after his departure from Reset. The guys were still missing the lead singer, so after many failed trials, they finally called their good old pal Pierre (who was also the reason Chuck left Reset earlier) and tried him out. Things started going really good and after they recruited David (who has in the meantime managed to replace Pierre in Reset and leave it just as quickly), the band was formed in May 2000. In 2001 the guys started recording their first record which was released in March 2002.

Ever since 2005, this record has been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as double platinum – as the only Simple Plan record so far – for selling more than two million copies.

For the band, their first decade has been really successful – they’ve released 4 albums, are still in the same formation that they started as (which is a very unique thing in the music industry) and they’ve travelled the whole world. So congratulation guys for the anniversary and good luck for the next decade :)

If you’d like to celebrate today’s 10th anniversary of their debut album with Simple Plan, make sure to be around at 4:30pm CET on their official website for the live webchat with the band. :)

Simple Plan revealed a brand new section for their 10th anniversary on their official website today, in which you will be able to remind yourselves of all the tracks from No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls, also of the live version of these tracks from the Live from Anaheim album and some of the old school covers and b-sides the guys have recorded back then, like Happy Together or One By One.

And below you can watch a video of the guys looking back at the past 10 years:

This Monday, March 19th 2012, Simple Plan will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of their first album No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls – and they don’t want to celebrate it alone, but along with all their fans through another webchat.

Since the guys are in Europe now, particularly will be in Germany at that time, the webchat will be happening at a very different time from what we’re used to. The webchat will take place this monday, March 19th at 4:30pm CET (most of Europe) on the official Simple Plan website through Ustream.

Here are the times for some other timezones: 11:30 EST | 8:30am PST | 9:30am MST | 10:30am CST | 11:30am PST | 12:30pm (Brazil) | 3:30pm (London) | 11:30pm (Philippines) | 3/20 12:30am (Tokyo) | 3/20 2:30am (Sydney).

When the chat is streaming live, I will remind you and send you the direct link on SimplePlan.cz’s Facebook and Twitter.

You can already start sending in questions that you’d like to get answered in the webchat, through the #NoPads10 hashtag.