It has been a while since Simple Plan performed in a more intimate setting in their hometown of Montreal and the 15th anniversary of their first album was the perfect pretense to bring all their old school fans into a smaller venue. Metropolis, now renamed MTELUS, which fits 2300 people in the main auditorium and the balcony combined, was chosen as the perfect spot, where everyone gathered to see the Montreal boys go back to their roots.
Naturally, since it was their hometown show, lots of SP members’ friends and family were there to support their boys, as you’ll be able to see for example from the picture of Pierre’s parents who were backstage and also could be seen enjoying their son’s show in the back side of the stage [see gallery links below].
Before the show started, some of the fans outside got interviewed for VRAK TV about their love for SP and even Chady filmed the crowd for the band’s future video tour updates. Some fans also came up with the idea to surprise Chuck with little signs that said “Happy birthday, Chuck”, as it was the drummer’s birthday the day before. Chuck seemed very grateful for this nice act and eventually the crowd once again (just like in Toronto) sang him “Happy birthday” – except this time, in French.
Throughout the whole night, Pierre kept switching in between French and English, turning it into a very international night. And as expected, the band performed one of the encore songs – Jet Lag – in its French version, as they often do in French-speaking territories. This was the first time they’ve done so on the Canadian part of the No Pads tour.
Overall, Montreal can pride itself on an incredibly responsive and active crowd and extremely dedicated local fanbase. Make sure to check out our Instagram Stories before they disappear for a little look into what last night looked like.
This morning, Jeff posted about the show, calling it the best Montreal show his band has ever played. In it, he also called out a recent 99scenes article, posted right before the MTL show, which wasn’t too favorable for SP. However, anyone who was present last night can certainly attest that SP have certainly not lost any of their attraction:
Last night, we played a sold out show in our hometown of Montreal. I believe it was the best show my band has EVER played at home. I’m really proud of my band mates…like really proud (I think I did pretty well too). People are very critical in Quebec: some said that we came back too soon after our arena show in March. Yet, the show was packed and the energy was off the charts. It was a tough day: dealing with guests, press, being a soccer dad, too little sleep…but the show made it all worth it. Montreal is a complex city: that are so many things to love but there are certain things I just hate about it…last night, I fell in love again with playing in my own city.
– Jeff Stinco –
Our own pictures will be up a bit later, but in the meantime you can enjoy some of the first shots from the Montreal show that already appeared online in our gallery:
