Millennials in the Wild: Simple Plan and The Offspring Set Off a Nostalgic Migration Wave to Linz

Denis Last updated 17 November 2025

The Offspring, support act: Simple Plan
Friday, 24.10.2025
Linz / Tips Arena / Austria

And here we are again, right in the thick of covering yet another nostalgic resurgence of 2000s punk rock. Back amid spiked hair, lip piercings, and a massive cross-generational gathering of old and young. Simple Plan and The Offspring — two more giants of that era. The former recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, marking it with the official documentary »Simple Plan: The Kids In The Crowd« (available to watch on Amazon Prime Video), while the latter are already at 41 years (if you count Manic Subsidal, the band’s former name).

Canadian punk rock giants Simple Plan are among the key representatives of the early-2000s wave of the genre, alongside names like Good Charlotte, Sum 41, and Blink-182. The band formed in 1999 in Montreal, when longtime friends Pierre Bouvier, Chuck Comeau, Jeff Stinco, Sébastien Lefebvre, and later bassist David Desrosiers decided to pool their previous musical experience — primarily from the band Reset — and try to create something more personal, melodic, and accessible to a wider audience. It was from those earlier punk rock projects that Pierre and Chuck came to the band, wanting to start fresh — more maturely, but still with that youthful rebellious edge.

Although they’re French Canadians who grew up with French as their first language, they made the strategic decision early on to sing in English, drawn by an international career that was considerably harder to achieve for francophone artists at the time. That said, they always stayed true to their roots and occasionally released songs or special versions in French — among the most well-known being their French single Jet Lag (the francophone version with Marie-Mai). Another quirk of the band’s early years is guitarist Jean-François Stinco, who soon swapped his French “Jean-François” for the informal English version Jeff, simply because his name was a tongue-twister for anyone outside Quebec — a decision that became a permanent part of their identity on the international scene.

The breakthrough came with their debut album “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls” (2002), which went down in punk rock history as one of the most recognizable albums of its generation. The single “I’m Just a Kid” became a growing-up anthem passed down from generation to generation. For millennials it was practically a life motto — an outsider anthem that became a global hit thanks to its infectious chorus and comedic music video. The video got heavy MTV rotation, and actors DJ Qualls (Road Trip) and Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) gave it an extra boost of recognition, pushing it into broader pop culture territory.

A second generation — those who grew up in the second half of the 2000s — discovered Simple Plan through their collaboration with Warner Bros. on the theme song for the animated series What’s New, Scooby-Doo?. The song became synonymous with the childhood of countless teenagers worldwide and is still considered one of the most recognizable themes on television.

Interestingly, “I’m Just a Kid” found its magic again with a third generation: about five years ago the song exploded on TikTok, where a remix became one of the most widely used tracks on the platform. Millions of videos using the “I’m Just a Kid challenge” catapulted the band back into the spotlight — a rare feat for a song nearly two decades old.

Throughout their career, Simple Plan have stayed true to their melodic pop-punk sound while frequently collaborating with other icons of the genre. Among the most notable collaborations is a duet with Avril Lavigne, with whom they created several memorable live moments and joint performances, and a collaboration with Deryck Whibley of Sum 41, which further cemented the ties between the biggest names on the Canadian punk rock scene. They built on all of that with albums “Still Not Getting Any…” (2004), “Simple Plan” (2008), “Get Your Heart On!” (2011), and subsequent releases that proved the band remains fresh, relevant, and generationally surprisingly timeless even after two decades on the scene.

At exactly 7:30 PM, tonight’s punk rock mass got underway. Simple Plan took the stage with the exact same energy they had twenty years ago (clear proof that Canadian healthcare really does make a difference). They opened the night with “I’d Do Anything”, the first single from their debut album No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls (2002). The track, which also features Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, has been one of their most recognizable opening hits since release — direct, youthful, and instantly recognizable.

Next came “Shut Up!”, the second single from Still Not Getting Any… (2004), a song that live feels like the perfect blend of teenage rage and classic punk rock humor. At the time of release it was also known for a pretty chaotic music video in which the band triggers a full arena meltdown. Third up was “Jump” (also from 2004), where Pierre did his traditional thing of urging the crowd to jump — and the Tips Arena in Linz obeyed, as if it had turned into one giant trampoline. The song is known among fans as one of the rare ones where Simple Plan directly urge young people to cut loose from toxic people and situations — and also because it almost always becomes a mass group jump from a generation that now has more back problems than it would ever admit.

Simple Plan had the crowd warmed up from the very first song, but of course that wasn’t enough for them. They followed with “Jet Lag”, a duet with Natasha Bedingfield in its original version and with Marie-Mai in the French one. Then came “Addicted”, one of their biggest early hits with a chorus that every pop-punk nostalgic still knows by heart. Then came the ballad “Your Love Is a Lie” (2008), which turned the arena into a collective therapy session, followed by the newer “Nothing Changes” — a song recorded specifically for their documentary mentioned in the intro. And that song proved that a packed Tips Arena wasn’t there just for The Offspring. Musicians who’ve been at it for over two decades really appreciate when an audience embraces their newer material too — and with “Nothing Changes” they were visibly pleased with the response.

Then of course came the classic “Welcome To My Life” — the video for which now looks almost prophetic. They shut down the Henry Ford Bridge in California to film it, creating total traffic chaos in the video. If they were filming it today, all they’d need is a camera on the coastal motorway in August.

Then came the summery, laid-back “Summer Paradise”, during which the band dragged an enormous number of inflatable beach balls onto the stage for the crowd to bat around during the song. After that came “Loser of the Year”, which worked as a perfect overture to the absolute nostalgia explosion that was “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?”. At that point, the legendary Fred Jones came sprinting onto the stage with a t-shirt cannon, accompanied by an army of Scoobys. The song is short but effective: the crowd was as hyped as Shaggy and Scooby when they get their 10-metre sandwich.

Then came another classic: “Where I Belong”, which Simple Plan usually perform with State Champs, and then the opening choruses of “I’m Just a Kid” were already ringing out. The legendary 23-year-old track that’s the reason many people in Linz showed up in the first place. Pierre kicks off the song with a few encouraging words, then hands the entire chorus over to the crowd. For a moment, the party genuinely felt like it was 2002 again.

But then Simple Plan pulled a move that didn’t sit entirely well with everyone — mid-song they opted for an MC interlude. On top of an improvised rap section, we got a crowd photo op while Jeff strummed that iconic opening chord. Then Chuck and Pierre switched roles — Pierre took the drum kit, Chuck decided to crowd-surf, and Sébastien took over on vocals. The moment was fun, chaotic, and typically Simple Plan, but some people would probably have preferred to see the cult track wrapped up the classic way.

After “I’m Just a Kid” came the emotional “Perfect”, which closed the evening.

After a performance like that from Simple Plan, it’s hard to stay indifferent. And it’s even easier to admit to yourself: the punk rock era really was one of the finest and most fun. Simple Plan proved that as card-carrying members of what the younger generation now calls the “dad rock” scene, they’re among the best the genre has to offer.

Setlist:
1. I’d Do Anything
2. Shut Up!
3. Jump
4. Jet Lag
5. Addicted
6. Your Love Is a Lie
7. Nothing Changes
8. Welcome to My Life
9. Summer Paradise
10. Loser of the Year
11. What’s New Scooby-Doo?
12. Where I Belong (Simple Plan & State Champs)
13. I’m Just a Kid
14. Perfect

After Simple Plan, at 9 PM it was time for a band that frankly needs no introduction — The Offspring. The band, founded in 1984 in Garden Grove, California by Dexter Holland and Greg K., grew from garage beginnings and local gigs into one of the most important names in modern punk rock. Their persistence, stubborn determination, and that classic California DIY spirit slowly but steadily brought them to where we all know them now: among the legends. The breakthrough with Smash in 1994, which became the best-selling independently released album of all time, opened the door for generations who first heard punk on the radio rather than just in someone’s garage.

The European millennial generation got to know The Offspring in a slightly different way. While the “real punks” were turning their noses up at what they liked to call “pussy California punk”, most of us back then were still glued to Cartoon Network. And it was there, in the least punk environment imaginable, that a breakthrough happened that nobody could have predicted: Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) became the theme song for the cult cartoon Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy. Just like that, one of the most recognizable punk rock songs suddenly became the afternoon anthem of primary-school kids across Europe. An entire generation obsessively repeated “Gunter glieben glauten globen” without knowing — long before Google and YouTube — that it was a phrase lifted from Def Leppard’s Rock of Ages from 1983. Americana overnight became the school currency, the object of trade, and quite possibly the most pirated cassette tape of its time.

And while many would say Americana was their peak, the band followed it up with a strong run of hits. Conspiracy of One delivered the timeless Original Prankster and Want You Bad, two songs that definitively cemented their status as a band that knows how to hit where it hurts most — right in the ear. Then came Hit That, (Can’t Get My) Head Around You, the high-energy You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid, and later Coming for You, which confirmed that The Offspring are far from a relic of a bygone era — they’re a band that knows how to carry their formula into each new wave of listeners.

And now here we are. In front of us stands a band that connected (at least) two generations through punk rock — those with spiked hair and lip piercings, and those who watched cartoons after school and tried to figure out what those weird German words at the start of the song meant. And as the stage lights slowly come up, only one thing is clear: this isn’t just going to be a concert. This is going to be a time machine, teleporting us back to an era when skate shoes were wrecked, school folders were covered in scribbles, and having one good track on your Walkman was enough to feel invincible. The Offspring are coming — and they’re bringing a piece of our youth with them.

At exactly 9 PM, Come Out and Play made it clear right away that the punk of the 2000s wasn’t making a comeback… because it never really left. All I Want and Want You Bad made the arena explode — the first moment of the night when the crowd truly went off. From teenagers in fresh Offspring shirts they’d just gotten from their parents, still unmarked, to a grey-haired guy in a denim jacket who clearly stood in the front row back in 1994… and never really left it in his soul.

The setlist moved fast and hard: Staring at the Sun, Original Prankster, Hammerhead, Hit That, Bad Habit… classic after classic, adrenaline shot after adrenaline shot. After Bad Habit came the first comedic interlude from guitarist Noodles, who told the crowd they were “out of your f*cking mind”, then “tested” their vocal abilities, followed by his MC-style spoken bit where he confidently estimated there were “at least a million people” in the arena. The crowd seemed to take him at his word without a second thought. Clearly he and Fly Guy share the same grasp of mathematics — just as Fly Guy in the video wanted a tattoo of the number 13 and got 31, Noodles estimated the venue held a million people. Punk rock is an exact, if entertainingly imprecise, science. Then came a set of covers, largely dedicated to the late Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne. They played Electric Funeral, Paranoid, and Crazy Train. Then In the Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg) and I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones).
But then came one of the most powerful moments of the evening — Gone Away. Dexter stepped up to the piano, introduced the song, and in a few sentences explained why it was written: the loss of someone very close, and the question of how you carry on at all. When the phone lights came on, Linz went completely quiet. Dexter’s vocals were surprisingly powerful, controlled, and clean — the kind that some might say a punk rock frontman “shouldn’t have”. But he does. And Gone Away was almost unhealthily moving that night.

Once the arena recovered from its emotional coma, it was time for another Noodles comedic detour. He greeted the crowd, went a bit wild with the mic, and dropped that one glorious, loud, completely unfiltered “F*CK!” that worked as some kind of cleansing ritual before the next songs.

And then the moment the whole arena had been waiting for: Pretty Fly (for a White Guy). Right after the opening riffs, giant inflatable Fly Guys rose up from the back of the stage. They danced around the stage as if Fly Guy had finally gotten his moment of glory, proving he could lift the air, the ego, and the crowd all at once. When the song hit the chorus, even the most innocent attendees felt like they had glitter gel in their hair again and a whole long summer’s day in 1999 ahead of them.

The end of the show just kept going up: Why Don’t You Get a Job? with huge colorful beach balls, and during The Kids Aren’t Alright, Noodles fumbled slightly on the opening guitar, but if punk was ever about perfection then I’m Britney Spears — most of the crowd didn’t even notice, they sang right through it and made up for everything with sheer energy. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid as an energy shot for the younger generation, and Self Esteem as the ultimate finale. The arena sang the final choruses so loud it felt like it was trying to drown out thirty years of history.

The crowd was absolutely electric, everyone found their anthem, and the band proved they’re still masters of crowd interaction, humor, and pure punk rock. Self Esteem wasn’t just a song — it was a lesson in self-worth: shout, dance, repeat. It’s clear that The Offspring still own the game where generations intertwine, the energy never fades, and punk stays alive regardless of whether you’re 13 or 70.

And as the lights slowly faded, one thing was certain: if The Offspring can’t get you on your feet, the problem probably isn’t with the band — it’s with you. Punk rock was alive again, Linz’s heart was beating to the rhythm of California, Fly Guy was still dancing in our heads, and the crowd left with a pulse that’ll stay in the memory long after the arena emptied.

Author: Denis Paradiž & Helena Medved
Photos: Denis Paradiž

Setlist:
1. Come Out and Play
2. All I Want
3. Want You Bad
4. Looking Out for #1
5. Staring at the Sun
6. Original Prankster
7. Hammerhead
8. Hit That
9. Make It All Right
10. Bad Habit
11. Electric Funeral / Paranoid (Black Sabbath cover)
12. Crazy Train (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
13. In the Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg cover)
14. I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones cover)
15. Gotta Get Away
16. Gone Away
17. Why Don’t You Get a Job?
18. Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
19. The Kids Aren’t Alright