Dream Setlist: Simple Plan Edition

2025 has been a very eventful year for Simple Plan — not only is it their 25th anniversary as a band, but they've had several huge shows around the world, including performances at the return of Vans Warped Tour in Washington, DC, and direct support slots on The Offspring's "Supercharged" Tour in Australia in the spring and Avril Lavigne's summer "Greatest Hits" Tour in the states. Now, off the heels of the release of their career-spanning documentary Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd, the band are currently headlining across the states on their 19-date "Bigger Than You Think" Tour to celebrate 25 years since their formation, with support from Bowling For Soup, 3OH!3, and LØLØ.

Personally, I've been a fan of Simple Plan in a casual capacity since my age was in the single digits, and eventually became heavily invested in their music once I was in high school. I finally saw the band live for the first time earlier this summer when they played in Raleigh, NC with Avril Lavigne, and I'm very excited to see them as a headliner this weekend in Virginia Beach. As always, I haven't looked at the setlist for this tour, and instead chose to pregame by creating my own ideal setlist for one of my favorite pop-punk bands of all time. These never get easier to make, especially when there are so many songs to choose from, but after a few days of contemplation, here's my dream Simple Plan setlist.

1. "I'd Do Anything" (No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls, 2002)

While there have been past tours in which this was a closing track or somewhere else in the set, I don't feel right having this banger not start the show off. This opening song of the band's debut album is so energetic, so recognizable, and so catchy that it just begs to stay in the opening spot.

2. "Shut Up!" (Still Not Getting Any..., 2004)

This fan favorite amplifies the pace and momentum of "I'd Do Anything," and is just as popular and lends itself to several sing-along moments with the crowd. Given its energy, it makes sense for it to follow a song like "I'd Do Anything" – this was the case when they played earlier this summer with Avril Lavigne, and the transition was just so seamless that it's hard to imagine a better follow-up option.

3. "Congratulations" (Harder Than It Looks, 2022)

Simple Plan's latest studio album was released a week before I graduated from college, and was easily one of the top albums on repeat for me that entire summer. While the second single "Ruin My Life" (featuring Sum 41's Deryck Whibley) was a great lead-up to the full album, it was following single, "Congratulations" that sealed the deal for me. This song is classic Simple Plan in its truest form, and despite it being a single, I feel like it still hasn't gotten the love it deserves. The fact that it's only been played around 20 times is criminal in my opinion — if it's even a fraction as much fun live as the studio version is, this track should be a staple in the setlist.

4. "You Don't Mean Anything" (No Pads, No Helmets..., 2002)

No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls is one of those debut albums that few bands ever achieve but many dream for — its initial success spawned a plethora of memorable hits, and a good chunk of the album is still in the setlist over 20 years later. The band could play the album front to back every night and probably satisfy a good chunk of their fanbase. This track from the album's front half is one that is surely a highlight when it's on the setlist, due to its fast pace and catchy chorus.

5. "Welcome to My Life" (Still Not Getting Any..., 2004)

Simple Plan is one of those bands that just has so many hit songs in their arsenal, and their hardest task when making a setlist is probably just figuring out what order to put the songs in. That being said, this classic from their sophomore full-length is one that feels more fitting in the first half of the set, much like Everclear's "Father of Mine" — surely everyone in the crowd will know this song, and the earlier this shows up in the set, the louder the singalongs will be.

6. "Vacation" (No Pads, No Helmets..., 2002)

To this day, it surprises me that this track wasn't on the official tracklist for No Pads, No Helmets... (it wasn't until the album's 15th aniversary when it appeared as a bonus track for the anniversary re-release) — as catchy as this song is, along with its inclusion on the soundtrack for the 2004 teen comedy film New York Minute, it's still managed to become a fan favorite, and it would make for a perfect mid-set banger.

7. "Farewell" (Taking One for the Team, 2016)

Simple Plan's fifth studio album feels like a bit of a hidden gem in a way, because the best material seems to not get the recognition that it should. I'm the type of fan that normally ends up finding deep cuts that I prefer more than what's popular, but it's not hyperbolic to say that the singles really don't do the rest of the album justice — that's not meant to discredit how good the singles are, because they're a lot of fun, but the rest of the album is just so good that any of them could have been radio hits, with "Farewell" being a standout example of that. Even if you're a No Pads, No Helmets... purist or only know a handful of Simple Plan songs, this is sure to be stuck in your head and turn into a permanent fixture on your playlist.

8. "Jet Lag" (Get Your Heart On!, 2011)

Given the fact that 2011's Get Your Heart On! is arguably my favorite Simple Plan album, I could easily just fill the rest of the setlist with this record in its entirety — I won't, but there definitely will be a few more later on. Starting with this classic single about being time zones away from a significant other, this is one that's probably a staple for their headlining shows because while it may not make the cut for shorter support sets, the fan demand for a hit like this is just too great to have it left out of a headlining set. It wasn't on the setlist when I saw them with Avril Lavigne, but I'm hoping to get to hear this song live at some point.

9. "Astronaut" (Get Your Heart On!, 2011)

As the set passes the midpoint, there should be a song that makes the show come to a halt in a way, and "Astronaut" is the perfect option for that. With its stripped back sonic atmosphere and mid-tempo pace, I'm sure that everyone will have their cellphone lights out for this song, and it may be my bias towards this song (it's one of my all-time favorite Simple Plan songs), but I feel like this song can end up being one of the highlights of their live show.

10. "Ruin My Life" (Harder Than It Looks, 2022)

To bring the energy back up after "Astronaut," one of the singles from Simple Plan's latest album can do the trick. "Ruin My Life" starts out with a laid back intro, but quickly builds up into a fun and lively earworm.

11. "The Worst Day Ever" (No Pads, No Helmets..., 2002)

When it comes to placing certain hits at the beginning or end of the set, this is actually one that I feel is interchangeable. It would likely do just as well towards the beginning as it would in the later half, but for the sake of this setlist, it would be good to have a big hit that's easily recognizable like this one at this point to keep the energy and excitement up for the audience.

12. "When I'm With You" (No Pads, No Helmets..., 2002)

Because there can never be enough representation from No Pads, No Helmets..., this track is one that's not as in your face or hard-hitting as the classics like "I'd Do Anything" or "I'm Just a Kid," it's still just as catchy — while many would probably opt for a song like "Addicted" to fill this spot because it's similarly paced and more popular, I would love to see this song get some more attention.

13. "Everything Sucks" (Taking One for the Team, 2016)

This is one of the catchiest songs in Simple Plan's discography, which is saying a lot considering they've made a career out of creating some of the best pop-punk anthems. The fact that you can count the number of times it's been played live on one hand is unbelievable — and out of those few times, it's never been played in America, so hopefully it gets its time in the spotlight soon.

14. "Loser of the Year" (Get Your Heart On!, 2011)

Get Your Heart On! has been disgustingly underutilized in this setlist to this point, so I'm making up for it by adding a couple more towards the end of this set. The last few songs are crucial, and while the closing two are probably what everyone would expect, it's important to keep the audience excited and on their feet, and that's exactly what this cut from the band's fourth album will do just that.

15. "You Suck at Love" (Get Your Heart On!, 2011)

It's hard to pick a favorite Simple Plan song, but this would likely be somewhere in my top 5. It's a big hit, and for good reason, which is why it's easy to learn that it's one of their most-played songs. However, most of those performances took place within the original album cycle in the early 2010s, and of the performances since then, a majority of them have been at shows outside of America. I feel like I'm not the only east coast fan that's champing at the bit to hear this one live, so fingers crossed it makes it back into regular rotation on a US tour setlist in the near future.

16. "I'm Just a Kid" (No Pads, No Helmets..., 2002)

Having this song at the end of the set probably comes as no surprise, but much like starting with "I'd Do Anything," it's just too perfect — it was already one of the biggest hits of their career, but TikTok and internet culture in general has given it a second life in recent years to where it's even bigger now than it's ever been. The crowd participation would be at its most active, and it would be a great way to start closing off the show.

17. "Perfect" (No Pads, No Helmets..., 2002)

While this is a bit of a slower and lyrically heavier song, Simple Plan closing their shows with "Perfect" has become a bit of a tradition, and it wouldn't feel right to break that. While it's not the type of upbeat rager that other bands would normally opt for as a closer, I feel like Simple Plan gets a deserved exception because the majority of their sets consist of those types of songs, so if they want to slow things down at the end, that shouldn't be an issue. "Perfect" is a song that hits hard for a lot of people, and it can make for a more impactful closing than one would expect. This was actually the first Simple Plan song I ever heard, and seeing them play it earlier this summer took me back to when I'd first become a fan of their music and felt like a cool full circle moment.

As I've said earlier, these dream setlists never get easier to make, and before anyone attacks me, I am WELL aware that I missed some major hits with this one. It was hard to cram all the popular hits while fitting in some deep cuts that I think should get more love, so I tried to create a balance between the two. Simple Plan's one of those bands that puts on a great show regardless of what they play, so at the end of the day, just being at a Simple Plan show is more than enough when it comes to excitement. Seeing them as a direct support act was a lot of fun, but I'm really excited to see their headlining set in Virginia Beach this weekend!

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