Simple Plan, Sum 41, and The Offspring Perform in Chula Vista

Simple Plan, hailing from Montreal, Quebec, was first to hit the stage, to their walk-on song of the Star Wars main theme. The foursome is made up of lead singer Pierre Bouvier, drummer Chuck Comeau, lead guitarist Jeff Stinco, and rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre, all of whom have been with the band since its formation in 1999.

Their setlist included everyone’s familiar favorites with some new hits including “Where I Belong,” a collaboration song with State Champs and We The Kings. Jumping right into a trio of early classics, “Shut Up,” “Addicted,” and “Welcome to My Life,” everyone in the amphitheater seemed to know every word and sang along. The group played a quick snippet of recent song “Iconic” before moving onto “Jump,” which the whole band and crowd happily bounced along to.

Towards the end of their set, Pierre said he “felt like partying” – the band played a medley of covers that included Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi,” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” The audience was high energy, screaming along all of the lyrics while dancing and even a few people crowd surfing. This was immediately followed by the “What’s New Scooby-Doo” theme, which is always a crowd-pleaser. Someone in a Scooby-Doo costume joined the band on stage.

Finally the band highlighted their song, “I’m Just A Kid” which gained popularity in recent years through a TikTok trend where thousands of users showed their baby pictures and then their current selves. Many celebrities took part in the use of this song and it blew up on the charts yet again, much to the band’s surprise. Drummer Chuck Comeau got up from behind his drum kit and crowd surfed throughout the song before the group closed with an acoustic cover of “Perfect.”

Simple Plan Setlist:
Shut Up!
Addicted
Welcome to My Life
Iconic (Snippet)
Jump
All Star / Sk8er Boi / Mr. Brightside
What’s New Scooby Doo
Where I Belong
I’m Just a Kid
Perfect

As the amphitheater seats filled to capacity and the sun began to set, Sum 41 rounded out the pair of Canadian opening bands, and the audience saved plenty of angst and energy to continue into the evening. The lights dimmed, and a recording of AC/DC’s “TNT” started playing, with the stage lights flickering to the beat. Shadowy figures moved into position on stage, and finally the band members were revealed. The band was formed in Ontario in 1996 and consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals), Dave “Brownsound” Baksh (lead guitar), Jason “Cone” McCaslin (bass), Tom Thacker (guitars, keyboards), and Frank Zummo (drums).

Immediately going into “Motivation,” everyone was jumping and dancing along. Lead singer Deryck Whibley frequently hyped up guitarist Brownsound as he shredded multiple impressive guitar solos. Sum 41 mainly stuck to their older songs, while including an impressive cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” later in their set. During the final verse of “Walking Disaster,” a sea of cellphone flashlights appeared throughout the crowd as fans passionately sang along. They ended the set with a trio of favorites: “In Too Deep,” “Fat Lip,” and “Still Waiting.”

The band also teased that they had finished recording their final album, which will be their 8th studio release following their most recent, 2019’s Order In Decline. It will be a half-punk, half-metal double album titled Heaven and Hell. They did not have any new songs from this album to play and an exact release date has not been confirmed, but we can expect it in 2024 along with a farewell tour.

Sum 41 Setlist:
Motivation (+88 Outro)
The Hell Song
Over My Head (Better Off Dead)
We’re All to Blame
Underclass Hero
Walking Disaster
We Will Rock You (Queen cover)
In Too Deep
Fat Lip
Still Waiting

The venue was packed as concertgoers eagerly awaited The Offspring’s performance. A large circular screen featured several “fan cam” experiences like a kiss cam and headbang cam, as well as trivia about the band, someone in a gorilla mask with a t-shirt cannon, a singalong to “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and finally a 15-minute countdown to the band’s arrival. There was also a small inflatable blimp that dropped guitar picks throughout the amphitheater. The energy was a cross between “dad rock & roll” and a baseball game and created a fun experience for the crowd.

The Offspring is an American rock band formed in nearby Garden Grove, CA in 1984. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan “Dexter” Holland, lead guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. Their songs have had a significant impact on pop culture over the years appearing in dozens of movies and video games over the years and even being parodied by Weird Al.

The group began with a popular favorite “Come Out and Play” off of their 1994 album Smash which was met with great energy from the audience. They continued playing through an impressive list of hits across their ten studio albums as well as some covers from influential punk and rock bands like The Ramones and Guns N’ Roses. They closed out the show with an encore of “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid,” and “Self Esteem.” The Offspring can be seen performing on their “Let The Bad Times Roll” tour through early September.

The Offspring Setlist:
Come Out and Play
All I Want
Want You Bad
Let the Bad Times Roll
Staring at the Sun
Original Prankster
Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell
Hit That
Hammerhead
Bad Habit
Iron Man / The Trooper / Sweet Child o’ Mine / In the Hall of the Mountain King
Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones cover)
Gotta Get Away
Gone Away ((Dexter solo on grand piano))
Why Don’t You Get a Job?
(Can’t Get My) Head Around You
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
The Kids Aren’t Alright
Encore:
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
Self Esteem