Simple Plan's easy scheme to take Beijing

Canadian pop punk giants Simple Plan will host a cozier-than-usual show at Beijing's Yugong Yishan on Jan 6 as part of their 2012 Asian tour.

The venue's 700-person capacity will provide a more intimate experience for fans than the usually massive shows by the band that has topped Billboard charts with hit singles I'm Just a Kid, Welcome to My Life and, more recently, Jet Lag - among other tunes from the outfit's multi-platinum catalog that will be performed in Beijing.

The band is comprised of former high school friends Pierre Bouvier, Jeff Stinco, David Desrosiers, Sebastien Lefebvre and Chuck Comeau. They've been traveling frequently since 1999 through Asia, North and South America, Australia and Europe.

The members say they enjoy life on the road.

"We get to play shows in front of a lot of fans and meet everyone along the way," the band says in an e-mail interview before arriving in China.

"It's been fun trying out some new songs live, too."

Simple Plan's 2002 debut album, No Pads, No Helmets Just Balls, has gone double platinum, selling more than 2 million copies.

Their second and third albums were detours from their defining sound, the band says, and the fourth, Get Your Heart On, was a return to their roots. The album has a conspicuously pop essence that makes the tunes catchier.

"For us, it's important to evolve but also stay true to who we are," the band says, speaking about the differences among the albums.

"I think we just write the best songs possible to have the best album we can make. That's how we approach writing."

The band says inspiration comes from the events and people the members encounter.

"That's what we talk about. And playing live and listening to music is inspiring, too," they say.

"We want the lyrics to be honest and about things that we know about - situations or emotions that we feel or that the people around us, including the fans, have experienced."

And the experiences have changed as the band went from opening for pop punk giants like Green Day and Good Charlotte to becoming a behemoth of the genre.

"The best is getting to do what we do for a living - traveling, playing shows and meeting people around the world," the band says.

"(We) would say the worst is missing our loved ones at home. But it's OK. We still love what we do."

The band has also founded the Simple Plan Foundation, which assists families facing difficulties brought on by medical problems.

"We just wanted to give back because we felt very lucky to be where we are - because in the end, it's all about the kids and the fans."

China Daily

(China Daily 12/27/2011 page20)