The song 'When I'm Gonne' is the reason for getting me interested in this band. Once heard, it sticks in my ears with an eternal memory. And now, where Simple Plan plays Munich, it's a matter of course to to go there and check 'em out. Yes well, this group from Montreal, Canada do not produce anything new or innovative, but therefore the do it pretty well in what they do. Straight, classic mainstream Poprock, that' s how I would describe the style of Simple Plan. And this is exactly the one, which clues to your ears. 3 albums the francocanadians have got in the back right now. No Pads,No Helmets, Just Balls’came in 2002, followed by ‚Still Not Getting Any one year later. And about 3 months ago the third and selftitled one came along. The biggest hit so far was the track 'Welcome To My Life', which went to no. 1 in the charts in their home country. They are young and energetic. And now they are here for the second time in Germany for just about 4 dates. The gig in Munich is the last one and absolutely sold out, which means in this venue - Muffathalle - here aprox. 1.200 fans, whereby none of them seems to be older than 20. 
I really ask myself what made this hype? Yes, they are young, they look good and make even better music, but they are definately not one of these typical boybands. They play their instruments themselves and this very well. Although the screaming is enormous coming from all the females in the crowd, almost killing each other for one inch closer to the stage. 
It's a fact, that I've been in this venue before quite often, and also vey often it was sold out. But this here I've never experienced before, as I don't have a chance to leave the photopit after taking pics during the usual first 3 songs. So I'm forced to stay in the pit for the rest of the show. There is no getting outta there - no chance.

Support comes from  Justin Nozuka, also a young artist from Canada.

His music is more calm and laid back. In fact it's leaning a bit on the american songwriter feeling. He sings and plays guitar and is accompanied by a professionell background band. He's got one album out now named 'Holly', which is the name of his mother. And he contributed his part „Bad Fog of Loneliness“ on a sampler Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute to Neil Young.
However, he gets down pretty well, but the average vibe and the fans are only waiting for the headliner....
  http://www.justinnozuka.com/


And the headliner storms the stage with such a speedlevel that my camera has difficulties to freeze in the figures up there, exspecially what's up to frontman
Pierre Charles Bouvier.

By the way, I'm alone there in the front. Jesus wept.... this is some kind of power... and I presume every Heavy Metal band could get jealous, if they saw this. No clue, whether it's up to Simple Plan's huge energy level, or the big push up, who they give themselves, inspired by the fans. And those are getting outta control....

the yongest fan isallowed to be with me in the photopit.

Okay, let's put it this way, I stopped counting, when the 20th girl is pulled out almost unconcious. Those are kids, who have waited in front of this building since 10 o'clock in the morning, without food and drinks. No surprise, that some of them pass out now. They show large banners, and have notes sticked to their T-Shirts saying: Please Give Me A Pic'. And yes those trophies are reigning from stage, but unfortunately land on the ground in the pit. I get pushed and pulled with dozens of help calls to pick up these beloved little items. So my photocall develops into a dance on the Volcano, by taking pics and doing exercise to hande over these pics to the right adress...

Like I described already a few days ago at the Backstreet Boys concert, - the glory days of boygroups have gonne. But compared to those one's, Simple Plan is none of this species - just to repeat myself, but rather a normal rockband. And teenies have chosen them as their idols. And they honestly deserve it. Simple Plan is Pierre Charles Bouvier,  David Phillippe Desrosiers (Bass), Jean-François „Jeff“ Stinco (Leadgit.), Charles André „Chuck“ Comeau (Drums) and Sebastien „Seb“ Lefebvre (Git./voc), and they really try hard to please their fans. They say: "we thought, the fans from Hamburg are the most crazy one's, but I think, we are wrong".- Sounds like one of these chlichee announcements. But when I look at this madhouse here, then I do believe this statement immidiately. the magic lasts 90 minutes and singer Pierre almost throws himself into the crowd over the barriere, and also appears in the back at the soundengineers desk. The beat pushes the fans even more up to another peak, and slowly I get worried about this increasing mass hysteria. 

Jau, I must admit, not very often I feel such a power within a concert like this here. And I'm not sure, who is more exhausted in the end, the band or the fans. At the encore I'm lucky and find a gap to escape outside, where the ambulance just arrives for the fifth time.
Anyway - all I can say is: well done Simple Plan. And I hope you will be still around next year and the year after.... (nowadays you can never be that sure about this can't ya'?)
http://www.simple-plan.de/

And I hurry up from the Muffathalle as fast as I'm able to to the  Kultfabrik, which is only one undergorund station away to catch at least a little bit of the cake which are the swedish glamrockers  Poodles ......  (siehe Review 314)