In less than two weeks, the final edition of the biggest alternative scene celebration in a form of a festival-like tour will take place in the U.S. – yes, Warped Tour is shutting its door after this summer but not before making thousands of music fans live the true Warped experience one last time. And as the second most often performing band on this tour, Simple Plan could not miss out on this final opportunity and will be there for the whole final run this year.
With that in mind, Pierre was asked to reflect on his past Warped experience and write about what Warped has meant for him and his band over the past two decades in a brand new interview for Setlist.fm. Check it out below:
What was your first experience of Warped Tour as a fan? What bands did you go to see? Which bands did you discover?
My first experience at Warped was playing it in Montreal in 1996 with my previous band called Reset. I remember the morning of, our label/manager called us early and said:”Guys! Get over here to Warped immediately! You guys can be the first band on one of the side stages as the doors open! But you gotta be on stage in 2 hours!!” So we rushed over there and set up as fast as we could. Our set started right as the kids poured in from the gates that just opened. It was awesome! Our band had a pretty good following in Montreal at the time so most kids running in came right to our stage and we ended up playing for a huge crowd. Such a spontaneous event for us. After we played, we stuck around and watched some of our favorite bands as they hit the stage one by one.
For the next few years I’d always go to Warped. I remember seeing Blink 182, Face to Face and No Use for a Name. Some of my favorite bands at the time.
What was your first experience with Warped tour as a performing band? What was your expectation vs reality?
Playing Warped again a few years later as Simple Plan was an incredible experience for us. It really allowed us to connect with our new and growing fan base. We would literally walk around with a CD Walkman and get kids to listen to our songs and tell them to come catch our set later. We would sit at our merch booth all day meeting people, selling cds and shirts and trying our best to just get people’s attention however we could. It was a real grass roots kinda thing and we loved every minute of it. I remember playing the smaller side stage and every day our crowd got bigger and bigger until the stage manager was going up to Kevin Lyman telling him to bump us up to a bigger stage because he just couldn’t handle the crowds anymore. It was an amazing time for us young boys.
Can you share a story from your time on Warped?
One of my favorite moments on Warped was getting to watch Thrice play from side stage one year. It was right around when “The Artist in the Ambulance” came out and that record really blew my mind. I found myself loving a band that screamed! That’s not usually my thing. They had a great set and crowd was nuts. I can still picture that one in my mind. Also, there was a year when David (bass player) and I bought little 50cc dirt bikes on brought them on tour with us. It was such an awesome summer. We’d find little trails to go ride whenever Warped was set in field. It was also an excellent way to get to stage and to catering a lot faster. Great memories.
Which of your songs is most suited for a big festival sing along?
I think we definitely have a few singalongs, but one song that always gets the crowd going is “Jump”. It’s not a single and not one of our most well-known songs, but due to the lyrical content (I just wanna jump) and the fact that the song was recorded at the perfect speed to jump up and down to, the result is a sea of fans doing just that in sync. It’s always a sight to see! Thousands of fans bopping up and down together at the same time with us just never gets old.
What’s the most valuable lesson being a part of Warped Tour taught you?
It’s taught us to be real and not act like dickheads no matter how small or big your band is. It’s taught us to work hard and to cherish every fan we get. It’s taught us to be humble. It’s taught us to respect hard working bands who deserve to be respected even if you don’t listen to their music. Everyone plays 30 min. Everyone is assigned a random time slot. Everyone waits in line for food. Everyone is equal basically. It’s really refreshing to see that and to live it.
Any thoughts on the Warped Tour legacy coming to an end?
It’s definitely sad to see it go. It’s a shame that new up and coming bands won’t have a place to develop their craft and grow a fan base like we had. It’s such an amazing experience for a young band to hop in a van for 5–6 weeks and just live that experience. Playing shows in difficult conditions but having a blast and getting to do something different that will stick with you forever.
Warped has helped shape us as a band and as people. It gave us a sense of belonging and reminded us what was important. In some ways I believe Warped tour will keep going. Maybe one day the punk rock, pop punk, or just the rock scene will be healthy enough again to justify such an elaborate tour. But I’m not too worried. I know Warped tour is too ingrained in the scene to just disappear. And truly, the pop punk, hardcore, punk rock, alternative or whatever you want to call it is still going strong and I don’t think it will ever go away.
I guess my final words would be thanks. Thanks to Kevin and to all the people who made Warped tour a possibility. Thanks to all the Warped crew people who worked their asses off to take care of the thousands of us on tour. Thanks for giving bands like us a place to grow. A place to find out who we are and where we can take our dreams and make them reality. Warped has truly made a huge mark on my generation and others as well, and it will never be forgotten.
– Pierre Bouvier –
