Canadian pop punk rockers Simple Plan headlined Starland Ballroom on Monday, November 4th in New Jersey, Sayreville was a stop on their “Where I Belong” Tour which began in Virginia in late October. The opening act was Northbound followed by We The Kings and State Champs. It really felt like a pop-punk concert since this is usually the kind of lineup you would see at Warped Tour.
We The Kings hit the stage around 7:45pm and got the crowd pumped as they sang “Can I Feel Alive”. They encouraged everyone in the audience to squat down at the same then jump back up when they play a certain part of the song. Everyone puts their arms up in the air while jumping which really got the crowd moving. They even played some cover songs such as “My Heart Will Go On” from the Titanic movie and “Juliet”.
Next, State Champs from Albany, New York strutted their way up to the stage.
The audience was cheering and seemed pumped when they appeared which got everyone ready for the headlining act. They seem like a tight knit band that has a lot of energy on stage. They did a lot of spinning around with their guitars and jumping on stage. The band played the song “Elevated” which had everyone singing along like one big chorus. Another popular song of the night was “Lightning” which started with everyone clapping. Lead singer encouraged fans to join in while saying, “Let’s see what you’ve got!” I really didn’t want to see them leave the stage because they are a band that knows how to have fun.
After much anticipation, Simple Plan came on next and opened up to the song “I’d Do Anything”. They played for a packed house that night with wall to wall patrons. The crowd surfing was pretty intense as several people surfed their way up front by the stage. The band mentioned that they were going to play their favorite song “Boom” from their latest album, this got the crowd amped up for more as they sang along to the words.
Their setlist included “Summer Paradise” which makes you feel like you are on a beach surrounded by palm trees and before the encore there was a special surprise for the audience. Simple Plan invited the lead singers from We The Kings and State Champs to sing the song “Where I Belong” together on stage. It’s a 3 minute song that brings a feeling of togetherness and acceptance. I think it’s amazing how they collaborated on a song together that celebrates passion of belonging to a community.
Be sure to catch all of these bands on one of their tour dates.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Kimberly Ann of Garden State Band Connection
