Nostalgia Reigns Supreme with Simple Plan, Bowling For Soup and More at The Armory

My head was all over the place when I got to the Armory on Tuesday night. I was going to be an aunt sooner rather than later, and although I didn’t think it was going to affect me that much, I was quickly realizing that it was all I could think about. My mind and soul needed a break, and there’s no better break from reality than a live concert– especially one that catapults you back to a time when things were a bit easier and your little brother wasn’t about to become a father. Yeah, I needed the show on Tuesday night, and now, as I sit in the hospital waiting room waiting to meet my first niece, I can’t help but try to relive this concert, if only to bring me a sense of solace when everything around me is changing.

Although LØLØ wasn’t as much of a trip down memory lane for me as the three other acts on this stacked tour package, she fit the bill nicely. Her pop-leaning pop-punk tracks got the audience ready for the night in a perfect way. Although it was clear that people were holding out for the true nostalgia that was to come, I loved the fact that LØLØ was getting attention from people who had never heard of her before this show. LØLØ has a lovely voice, but it comes with a sharp tongue. There’s angst not only in some of her words, but also in the delivery of said words, and you could really feel the audience connect with that. On top of all of these things, LØLØ brought just one of the most positive and bubbly kinds of personalities to the stage that I have seen in a hot minute. Angsty but cute, honest but snarky, LØLØ was a super relatable and easy to fall in love with kind of opener.

3OH!3 (pronounced “Three Oh Three”) is the duo of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte from Colorado (who were joined on stage by two other musicians on Tuesday night). I hate to ever call a band a flash in the pan, but I feel like that’s what they were for some. For others (and this is the category I fall into), this band was original, distinct, and timeless. From hit songs to some of their deeper cuts, 3OH!3 brought an EDM-influenced sound to the pop-punk scene of the early 2000s and made it okay to dance like a fool. Although decades have passed since the time when they were kings of the scene, 3OH!3 still have it, and they proved that with their set on Tuesday night. Although I was surprised (and honestly a bit bummed) that I only heard one new song, the trip down memory lane was absolutely amazing and one that I never wanted to end. I also loved that you got to get a peek at the members of this band’s personalities. The banter between Sean and Nathaniel was great and definitely took me back to seeing this band in their heyday. When asked about their outfits and why they chose to go the hi-vis route, one of the two frontmen quickly responded, “Because we wanted to be Scene–s.c.e.n.e…. you get it?” Okay, that was an emo dad joke if I’ve ever heard one, but it was also the cherry on top of a super fun and perfect set.

Following 3OH!3 was undoubtedly the best band in the world — Bowling For Soup. Okay, that’s the classification that they have given themselves, but, honestly, it’s not that far off. Although this band has been through hell and back, most recently having their bassist, Chris Burney, retire due to medical issues, this band has not stopped. Instead of replacing Chris, they have continued on as just a trio, but that hasn’t changed the vibe of their show at all. It was hit after hit, nostalgic blow after nostalgic blow, and it was perfect. From opening with “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” to closing with “1985,” there wasn’t a moment throughout their set where I wasn’t singing along, lost in a sea of people doing the same. Although the band was up to their usual games, including the photo op that was soundtracked by a song chosen by the audience through social media (“Mmmbop” from Hanson), there was still something perfectly charming and insanely fun about their set. Maybe Bowling For Soup isn’t really the best band in the world, but hot damn, this band is charming, and it never gets old to see them live.

Closing out this truly stellar line-up was the one and only Simple Plan. I’ll be honest, this band isn’t one that I stuck with. Their 2002 album ‘No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls’ was my personal soundtrack for a very long time. I dabbled in some of their other albums, but, honestly, they just didn’t hit as hard as that first one did. I felt that Simple Plan’s sound stayed juvenile and, although it was perfect for when I too was a juvenile, it just didn’t speak to me in the same way anymore. That being said, any opportunity to see them live is one that I won’t miss, so I was stoked and could feel butterflies in my stomach as the house lights went down and a video showing the progression of this band started to play on the screen towards the back of the stage. I loved the fact that Simple Plan’s set on Tuesday night was explosive, but also felt a bit bare bones for what they probably could have done. Sure, there was confetti and plumes of smoke throughout the show, but other than that, the band seemed to really strip it down and give the nostalgia-seeking audience what they wanted– a trip down memory lane.

Simple Plan played the hits, they played some of their more sensitive songs, and they played their anthemic jams. They played everything throughout their nearly twenty-song set and even managed to fit in a few covers, including a medley of “All Star” (Smashmouth), “Sk8er Boi” (Avril Lavigne), and “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers). They were joined on stage by LOLO for “Jet Lag” and even got up close and personal with the audience. Long story short, this band was all over the place, not just on the stage and in the hanger-like hall that is The Armory, but also when it came to their music. It was a good reminder that, even after all of these years (this tour is the celebration of 25 years of Simple Plan), this band isn’t bored with what they’re doing and isn’t going to be stopping any time soon.

So here I wait, waiting for my first niece to be born. All I can really think about is, “I wonder if I can get this kid to appreciate pop-punk as much as I do,” because, honestly, Tuesday night was a hell of a show. It was the kind of show that I wish everyone in the world could experience because it just brought me so much joy.