Simple Plan Brings Nostalgic 25-Year Anniversary Tour Through Phoenix, AZ

Aug 17, 2025

9 min read

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On August 14, 2025, Simple Plan treated Phoenix, AZ, to a night of nostalgia, bringing their Bigger Than You Think! tour to a sold-out crowd at Arizona Financial Theatre. The tour, which celebrates the band’s 25th anniversary, marks their first headlining run in nearly a decade, with this particular show being their largest in Arizona to date. Supporting Simple Plan on this tour are fellow scene veterans 3OH!3 and Bowling For Soup, as well as relative newcomer to the scene, LØLØ.

Kicking off the night early, LØLØ burst onto the stage, opening her set with “faceplant,” a track off of her 2024 debut album, falling for robots and wishing i was one which was inspired by a face plant incident that left her with a broken nose, chin, and jaw, and an inability to eat for two months. The Canadian singer-songwriter’s stage setup, much like the cover of her album, was reminiscent of "The Wizard of Oz," complete with a yellow brick road, a backdrop similar to that of the movie, and a little dog pictured on the front of the kick drum, which the singer revealed as her own dog, Slim, named after Eminem’s Slim Shady. LØLØ kept the energy high throughout her set, running, jumping, and headbanging as she took the audience on a journey through her setlist of pop-punk/alt-rock-influenced tunes, including tracks like "u turn me on (but u give me depression)," a song she wrote about someone she was obsessed with that made her mentally ill, and her newest track, “the devil wears converse.” Although audience engagement was already high, LØLØ incorporated an alt-rock cover of Icona Pop’s “I Love It” to get everyone moving and singing along. LØLØ asked the audience to raise their hands if they had an ex they hated and noted that, while she is all about kindness, “if someone f*cks with you, it’s perfectly reasonable that they burn in hell,” before launching into her last song of the evening, “hot girls in hell.” The band took a bow as they exited to “Over the Rainbow.”

Up next, Bowling For Soup gave a standout performance, which had the audience dancing, singing along, and laughing. The Texas-based trio brings the comedy; it’s impossible to move throughout their set without a goofy grin plastered across your face. While the band has an impressive discography, with newer music as well as songs dating all the way back to 1998, the setlist was focused around their earlier hits. Entering to a Bowling For Soup theme song, the band kicked off their set with “Girl All the Bad Guys Want.” They joked about how a bunch of 40- and 50-year-old men would spend the rest of the night singing songs they wrote in and about high school before launching into “High School Never Ends.” Their engagement with the audience was top-notch, and they often had fans rolling with laughter with their onstage antics. They heckled the audience a bit and made a playful jab at tourmates Simple Plan as they discussed how they had the theme song for the number one cartoon, which was "Phineas and Ferb" (not "Scooby Doo"), subsequently playing “Today is Gonna Be a Great Day.” The band also had a funny way of praising themselves after each song, exclaiming, “Wow, wasn’t that great?,” which had the audience laughing. In a particularly funny exchange with a fan, singer and guitarist Jaret Reddick asked a fan if he was supposed to be able to read what they had written from far away before retrieving the note, only to admit that he still couldn’t read it because he is 53 and does not wear his glasses on stage. Another fan removed their shirt and threw it at Reddick, asking for his autograph, despite the band being in the middle of a performance. While he did sign it, he noted that if they did not have time to play "1985," it would be her fault. This had the crowd playfully booing before the band moved directly into the song, bringing the entire venue to their feet as they sang along to every word.

Opening their set with “Punkb*Tch,” 3OH!3, the alt/electronic rock/crunkcore duo from Colorado, took the stage and brought the party with them. These guys draw a crowd everywhere they go, and for good reason, as they transform every pit into a dance floor. The entire crowd whistled and threw their hands up, two-stepping along to “Starstrukk” before they moved into “Double Vision,” which had everyone shouting “na na na na” while grooving along to the beat. The duo were joined on stage by two touring musicians who brought their own impressive energy, including the Valley’s own Jess Bowen of The Summer Set tearing it up on the drums. The setlist focused heavily on hits from their 2008 sophomore album WANT and 2010’s Streets of Gold, including tracks like the very risqué “Touching on My,” “Colorado Sunrise,” and “Richman.” The setlist also saw the duo’s most recent single, “Slushie,” their first release in 5 years. The duo, along with their touring band, donned their finest Canadian tuxedos in honor of Simple Plan as they danced across the stage, often throwing a little choreography into the mix. Sean Foreman shared with the audience that he gave himself a haircut the day before, likening his new do to that of Lord Farquaad of "Shrek," which had the crowd laughing. The set closed out with a string of fan favorites that had the energy through the roof: “My First Kiss,” "I’m Not Your Boyfriend Baby,” and “Don’t Trust Me.”

Despite the fact that it was a Thursday night and the crowd had already been going hard for three hours at this point, and that the crowd largely consisted of elder emos, energy was high as the crowd eagerly waited for Simple Plan to take the stage. The lights dimmed, and a video montage began to play, including a mix of video clips of the band when they were just getting their start, along with present-day videos of the band playing to massive crowds, stirring nostalgia as they showcased how far the band has come. Fans went wild as Pierre, Chuck, Jeff, and Sebastien took the stage, kicking off their set with fan favorite “I’d Do Anything,” featuring a couple of impressively high jumps from Simple Plan frontman Pierre Bouvier. The set started off with a bang, with cryo, streamers, and confetti all within the first three songs of the set—production that is usually reserved for the end of a performance. Production also featured a large LED screen at the back of the stage, projecting various videos and visuals along with each song, further enhancing the audience’s experience.

Being that this was a 25-year anniversary tour, it made sense that the band stacked the setlist with all of their nostalgic hits. The setlist featured only songs from their first 4 albums, heavily focusing on their debut album No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls (2002) and their sophomore album Still Not Getting Any… (2004), and including favorites like “Shut Up!,” “Addicted,” and “Welcome to My Life.” LØLØ returned to the stage for a performance of “Jet Lag,” singing the part of Natasha Bedingfield on the track from the 2011 Get Your Heart On! album. Simple Plan kept the fun going, launching massive Simple Plan-branded beach balls into the audience, which bounced around overhead as they performed “Summer Paradise.” Pierre made his way to the B-Stage for a special performance of “Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)," accompanied by a heart-wrenching video playing on the screen. As the song ended, Pierre called out a fan, bringing him and his girlfriend up to the stage, and passing over the mic for a special proposal. The fan joked that his girlfriend would leave him for Pierre before getting down on one knee and popping the question (she said yes!).

Pierre returned to the main stage for a medley of “The Worst Day Ever,” “My Alien,” “God Must Hate Me,” “Grow Up,” and “Vacation,” before immediately moving into another medley of covers, which included “All Star,” “Sk8er Boi,” and “Mr. Brightside.” For “What’s New Scooby Doo?,” the band invited all fans who had dressed the part to the stage for a giant dance party. Approximately 30 fans who, despite the unbearable Phoenix heat, donned Scooby Doo onesies, as well as a few men who were dressed in Velma’s garb, poured over the barricade, some crowdsurfing to the stage, to join Simple Plan for the iconic song. The set ended with “Where I Belong” before the band returned to the stage for another medley of songs, this time including “Crazy,” “Perfect World,” “Save You,” and “This Song Saved My Life.” Pierre thanked fans who, after all these years, proved to their parents that, in fact, “it was never a phase!” by continuing to support the band. Images of the band as children appeared on the screen as they played through “I’m Just a Kid” before officially ending the nostalgic night with a heartfelt performance of “Perfect.” Fans held up their flashlights, some crying, as they sang along to that final song, thinking about how it felt to try to live up to their parents' expectations.

The Bigger Than You Think! tour was one for the books. Whether you are an OG fan or just discovering Simple Plan's music through their new documentary, "Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd," this tour has something for everyone. The tour is just getting started. Catch the Bigger Than You Think! tour as it makes its way across the US through September 6 in Irving, TX. Tickets can be purchased here.