Live Review: Simple Plan, Forever Ends Here

Like many of us in the room tonight, Forever Ends Here were probably just misfit kids when they first saw their favourite pop punk band Simple Plan play more than a decade ago. It's a dream come true for the young Sydney band to open up for their idols. Bringing a fresh, modern take to the pop punk scene, Forever Ends Here have an addictively catchy sound for a new generation. They help us forget about our troubles as we lose our minds for a few minutes to Collide, which is full of energetic, supercharged choruses. SR-71's 1985 may be about a time way before Forever Ends Here's band members were even born, but they perform a cover of this song as if they lived every word of it.

"Are you ready to party with Simple Plan tonight?" frontman Pierre Bouvier shouts. Every single person in the room jumps as high as they possibly can in response to the commanding call on Jump. And we're already breaking out in hot sweats by the third song. Simple Plan then take us back to 2002 with the first song off their debut album No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls. After hearing some old favourites, we're all reminded why we fell in love with this band from the very beginning.

An unexpected medley of covers including Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk and The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face mixes things up from Simple Plan's usual style, but shows us a different side of their spontaneous musical personalities. As they launch into Summer Paradise, inflatable beach balls are thrown into the audience to bounce around to the reggae-tinged anthem. As Bouvier admires the ball play, he tries to grasp the idea of an Australian summer that's far from Canada, which they call home.

Just like the significant message in This Song Saved My Life, Bouvier suggests, "Music can make a real difference in your life and sometimes it really speaks to you." These words resonate with many who have continued to support Simple Plan throughout their lives. It's clear that the pop punk community is still alive and strong Down Under.