Simple Plan on the road for the “Taking One for the Team Tour”
Atlantic recording group Simple Plan has unveiled details of a long awaited U.S. leg of their worldwide headline tour – the band’s first stateside run since 2013. The “Taking One For The Team Tour” begins October 4th at Santa Ana, CA’s The Observatory OC and makes stops in West Hollywood, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. Support at all shows will come from Hit The Lights and Story Untold.
From Simple Plan: “We are super excited to finally come back and play shows in the US after all these years. It’s been way too long since our last American tour and we couldn’t be more pumped to play all these amazing cities and venues, hang out with all our fans and share the stage with Hit The Lights and Story Untold. We look forward to seeing you all at the shows! It’s gonna be a blast!”
“Taking One For The Team” – Simple Plan’s fifth studio album and first new full length release since 2011’s internationally successful “GET YOUR HEART ON!” – arrived earlier this year, highlighted by the new hit single, “Singing In The Rain.” Currently ascending the top 40 at Hot AC radio outlets nationwide, the track is accompanied by a throwback companion video, streaming now at the multi-platinum band’s official YouTube channel.
As with Simple Plan’s prior canon, “Taking One For The Team” has proven a global phenomenon, with top 10 debuts in Japan, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the band’s own Canada, where it entered the chart at #2. In addition, the album hit # 1 on the iTunes Store in 10 countries – including Canada, Singapore, Mexico, Czech Republic, Thailand, Switzerland, Prague, Japan, Cambodia, and Macau – while lead single, “I Don’t Wanna Go To Bed (Feat. Nelly),” reached the top 10 in 25 countries spanning Vietnam and Brunei to Russia, Taiwan, and The Philippines.
Simple Plan has already spent much of 2016 on the road, including an epic 18-country European tour that saw sold out shows in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The band’s upcoming summer schedule is equally hectic, highlighted by an array of headline shows and festival performances in both Mexico and Canada.
In other news, Simple Plan were recently named by Alternative Press as one of “The 10 Most Influential Bands of Pop Punk,” noting, “While the album titles have gotten a tad more mature, their music still sounds made for every summer vacation. And now, 14 years into their career, they’re collabing with…Nelly? Yeah, you read that right. Just goes to show Simple Plan aren’t afraid to take risks and still keep coming out with awesome pop-influence albums.”
Simple Plan has earned widespread acclaim and a global fan following for their genre-defying blend of classic punk energy and modern pop sonics. Since coming together in 1999, the Montreal-based combo has achieved worldwide sales in excess of 7 million, with releases including 2002’s RIAA 2x-platinum debut, “NO PADS, NO HELMETS…JUST BALLS,” 2004’s platinum-certified follow-up, “STILL NOT GETTING ANY,” and 2005’s “MTV HARD ROCK LIVE.”
2008’s “SIMPLE PLAN” proved an planetary blockbuster upon its release, reaching the #1 spot on the iTunes Store’s “Top Pop Albums” chart while also scoring top 3 successes in Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and the band’s native Canada. Furthermore, the album premiered in the top 10 in such far-away lands as Hong Kong, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and Germany, with top 20 debuts in Spain, Finland, and France.
“GET YOUR HEART ON!” found Simple Plan joined by an array of like-minded artists, including All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, and UK songstress Natasha Bedingfield. Singles like “Jet Lag” and “Summer Paradise” – the latter released in two distinct versions featuring Somali/Canadian rapper K’Naan and GRAMMY® Award-winning dancehall superstar Sean Paul – were both worldwide smashes, earning chart success and commercial milestones including earning gold, platinum, and multi-platinum sales in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
“GET YOUR HEART ON!” also drew critical applause from all corners. People awarded the album three-out-of-four stars, noting that the band “explore new ground…yet remain edgy.” Entertainment Weekly commended Simple Plan for “augmenting their fidgety guitar assault with suburban reggae and club-friendly drum machines,” further hailing “Jet Lag” as “a loud and surprisingly lovely pop-punk pounder.” “The group sound recharged,” declared Alternative Press in its three-and-a-half starred lead review, praising the collection’s “buoyant energy” and “airtight power-pop hook(s).”
In addition to their studio forays and nearly non-stop touring, Simple Plan has long been involved in philanthropic efforts spearheaded by their own Simple Plan Foundation. Created in 2005, the Simple Plan Foundation supports a variety of social and medical organizations dedicated to helping young people in need. The Simple Plan Foundation has raised over 1.5 million dollars in donations to date.
Simple Plan is: Pierre Bouvier – vocals; Chuck Comeau – drums; David Desrosiers – bass, backing vocals; Sebastien Lefebvre – guitar, backing vocals; Jeff Stinco – lead guitar.
SIMPLE PLAN
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM US TOUR 2016
All Dates w/Special Guests Hit The Lights and Story Untold
OCTOBER
4 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory OC
5 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
10 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
11 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
12 New York, NY Irving Plaza
14 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
15 Cleveland, OH House of Blues Cleveland
16 Chicago, IL House of Blues Chicago
