Concert Recap: Simple Plan's "Bigger Than You Think" Tour in Virginia Beach, VA (August 31, 2025)

In the closing stretch of their "Bigger Than You Think Tour" to celebrate 25 years of music, pop-punk legends Simple Plan paid a visit to the newly-reopened Dome in Virginia Beach, VA to perform their greatest hits and more to a sold-out crowd consisting of lifelong fans and a new generation of concertgoers. Having seen the band for the first time earlier this summer as a direct support act for the legendary Avril Lavigne, it was nice to see them as a headliner with more time to play banger after banger. As a longtime fan of not just Simple Plan, but also a few of the support artists, this lineup felt like a wonderfully-rounded and nostalgia-fueled celebration of this style of music, as well as proof to all the parents of my generation that, as frontman Pierre Bouvier stated on stage, "it was never a phase."

LØLØ got the night started, with possibly the fastest 10-song set I've ever seen — with the majority of her songs being around the two-and-a-half minute mark, it made sense that she was able to fit ten songs into her timeslot, but it still felt like it just breezed by. However, she made a great impression on the audience, with a lot of people lining up to meet her before Simple Plan's set started. A decent amount in attendance were also already familiar with her music before the show, which is rare for openers, and I'm certain there were a lot of new fans that were still made that night. LØLØ and her band made sure they opened things up on the right note, with their lively stage energy matching the vibes of bangers like "debbie downer" and "DON'T!" — during my time in the photo pit, it was hard not to notice the energy of LØLØ and her band, consisting of guitarist Ben Healey and drummer Robert Bruneau. LØLØ walked all around the stage from beginning to end, barely standing still unless she was singing while playing guitar, and Healey and Bruneau were musically locked in while also refusing to remain stationary — Bruneau was confined to his drumset, of course, but he was still moving as much as he could. I was familiar with LØLØ's music to a certain degree, but this performance showed me that their live show is just as legit as the music itself.

LØLØ Setlist:

1. faceplant
2. 2 of us
3. the devil wears converse
4. debbie downer
5. hurt less
6. u turn me on (but u give me depression)
7. DON'T
8. omg
9. I Love It (Icona Pop cover)
10. hot girls in hell

Following LØLØ was 3OH!3, and while they may have been a bit of a musical outlier for this tour bill, that didn't stop them from putting on a fun show and having the crowd in the palm of their hand. Their electro-rock style had everyone in the audience on their feet, and everyone in the building seemed to have a great time watching their set, so much so that if someone just walked into the venue without knowing who was on the bill, they probably would've gotten the impression that 3OH!3 was headlining. The lighting on stage was dark at times and incredibly bright at other times, with the band's reflective construction-style outfits adding to the interesting visuals. At some points it felt like watching a rave, and others felt like a full-on rock show. A lot of the focus was naturally on frontmen Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte, who were constantly strutting around the stage, but their touring band was equally engaging, with drummer Jess Bowen towing the line between being zoned in on her playing and interacting with the audience whenever she could, and guitarist Marshall Gallagher's hair was almost always in his face because of how much he was banging his head while playing. I missed my first chance to see 3OH!3 when they played at my college back in 2019, but I was glad to see them during this show because their performance was just as fun as their music.

3OH!3 Setlist:

1. PunkB*tch
2. Starstrukk
3. Double Vision
4. Richman
5. Hear Me Now
6. Touchin on My
7. Slushie
8. My First Kiss
9. Colorad0 Sunrise
10. I'm Not Your Boyfriend Baby
11. Don't Trust Me

Direct support came from the pop-punk legends in Bowling For Soup, who jam-packed their set with some of their greatest hits and most memorable songs — starting right out of the gate with the back-to-back bops "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" and "High School Never Ends," the trio never let off the gas and regularly cracked jokes between songs. Vocalist and guitarist Jaret Reddick also spent some time bringing attention to the nonprofit Punk Rock Saves Lives, an organization that focuses on providing resources for self-care, mental health, swabs for the bone marrow registry, and more. Even with this serious topic and message, the band's set was still wildly upbeat and enthusiastic — if their cover of Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" didn't get the crowd going, then their iconic rendition of SR-71's "1985" certainly did.

I had only gotten to see Bowling For Soup live once, which was at Welcome to Rockville this past spring — however, I was standing at the festival's other main stage and watching their set from the monitor screens, so it was nice to actually get to properly see them this time around. Photographing them for the first three songs was so much fun as well, because they are probably the most photogenic and photographer-aware band I've ever shot, with each member always finding moments to pose for every camera they saw in the photo pit. They still sound as good as ever too, with Reddick's voice incredibly solid, bassist Rob Felicetti also contributing with backing vocals, and Gary Wiseman being one of the most energetic drummers I've ever taken photos of. Even with the recent retirement of guitarist Chris Burney, the band doesn't appear to have lost a step in either musical performance or overall onstage energy. As my first time properly seeing them live, this was certainly a fantastic first impression in a live setting, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Bowling for Soup Setlist:

1. Girl All the Bad Guys Want
2. High School Never Ends
3. Ohio (Come Back to Texas)
4. Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day ("Phineas and Ferb" theme song)
5. Almost
6. Turbulence
7. Punk Rock 101
8. Stacy's Mom (Fountains of Wayne cover)
9. 1985 (SR-71 cover)

Every band did a great job of keeping the audience warmed up and excited for Simple Plan to take the stage, and the Canadian legends hit the ground running, enthusiastically kicking off their set with the traditional banger "I'd Do Anything" and immediately following it up with their new song "Nothing Changes," from the soundtrack to their new documentary Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd. With this tour being a celebration of their 25+ years as a band, they made sure to have the rest of the bands on the bill join in the festivities, with LØLØ and Nathaniel Motte from 3OH!3 appearing on stage during "Jet Lag" and Jaret Reddick from Bowling For Soup taking over on vocals for the final chorus of "I'm Just a Kid" while drummer Chuck Comeau crowdsurfed and vocalist Pierre Bouvier held things down on the drums.

As far as the setlist goes, this felt like more than a "Greatest Hits" tour because not only did they play some of their most popular songs, but they literally fit every sonic and emotional aspect of their careers into this setlist — of course, there was a lot of old material played, but the new song "Nothing Changes" had a great reception, and there was also the fast punkish stuff like "Shut Up!" and "Thank You," the slower and more pensive stuff like "Perfect" and "Astronaut" the singalong bangers like "Welcome to My Life" and "I'm Just a Kid," and the amplified childhood nostalgia of the "What's New Scooby Doo?" theme song that had their time in the spotlight. In the midst of all that, the band also squeezed in a couple cover songs, including Avril Lavigne's "Sk8r Boi" and Smash Mouth's "All Star." With so many different sonic styles to choose from, it's hard to pick a favorite moment from this show, but getting to hear my favorite Simple Plan song "Astronaut" was probably the biggest highlight for me personally. It was also great to hear "Jet Lag" and snippets of songs like "Vacation" and "God Must Hate Me," and the whole show came to a captivating halt when Bouvier came into the crowd to perform "Untitled."

I said this after seeing Simple Plan with Avril Lavigne, but it's truly remarkable how after over 25 years now, Bouvier's voice still sounds the same as it did when they first started — some songs are tuned down, but it's certainly not because he can't hit the notes anymore. He seems to have no problem playing songs from their first album No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls like "I'd Do Anything" and "Perfect" in the original key, which is so refreshing when it feels like every other band downtunes everything live, regardless of if the songs are old or new. The whole band's energy on stage is still super dynamic and upbeat too, with that young pop-punk energy still at the forefront over two decades into their career. Lead guitarist Jeff Stinco sings along with the audience, drummer Chuck Comeau has no problem matching the musical pace with his onstage energy, rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre seemed to always be looking into the crowd and feeding off of the audience's energy, and Pierre Bouvier is still just as exciting of a frontman as he's ever been, with his stage banter and crowd work matching his vocal talent.

This show was a very good indication of Simple Plan's relevance and overall legacy — 25 years after their formation, they've continued to release new music and provide phenomenal live performances, and while some would be quick to write off bands that have been around for that long as far as live shows go, Simple Plan have proved that they still have a lot left in the tank and they're not slowing down anytime soon. This show was their largest headlining show that they've played in Virginia Beach, and when Bouvier asked the audience who was seeing them live for the first time, most of the crowd's hands were raised. Much like the Avril Lavigne show, the crowd was comprised of multiple demographics, from nostalgic millenials/gen-Z young adults to small children going to their first concert, and it's so cool to see bands like Simple Plan have that type of longevity and legacy that I always attached to the classic rock bands I was raised on like Rush and Iron Maiden. I remember when this music was all the rage and thinking it was the coolest thing when I was in elementary school, and I love seeing that enthusiasm continue with the generations after me.

Simple Plan Setlist:

1. I'd Do Anything
2. Nothing Changes
3. Shut Up!
4. Jump
5. Addicted
6. Jet Lag
7. Can't Keep My Hands Off You
8. Astronaut
9. Welcome to My Life
10. Summer Paradise
11. Untitled
12. Thank You

No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls medley

13. The Worst Day Ever/My Alien/God Must Hate Me/Grow Up/Vacation

Covers medley

14. All Star (Smash Mouth cover)/Sk8r Boi (Avril Lavigne cover)/Mr. Brightside (The Killers cover)
15. What's New Scooby Doo?
16. Where I Belong
17. I'm Just a Kid
18. Perfect

To sum things up, as a lifelong Simple Plan fan, my first time seeing them headline couldn't have been a more fun experience. Between getting to hear some of my favorite songs by them to seeing the generational impact they've made with my own eyes, this show was an extremely memorable experience and I hope I get to see this band live many more times in the future. I'm glad I got to celebrate 25 years of their music at this show, and I'm excited to see what the next 25 years has in store for them.

The "Bigger Than You Think" Tour concludes this weekend with two shows in Texas. This fall, Simple Plan will be continuing their silver anniversary celebration in Europe and the UK, along with an appearance at the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas, NV. For all tour dates and to buy tickets, click here.

To keep up with Simple Plan, click here.