A few days ago, Simple Plan and Sum 41 shocked pop-punk fans the world over with their first-ever collaboration, when Sum's Deryck Whibley delivered a verse on SP's latest single, "Ruin My Life." Now, the twin titans of Canadian pop-punk are continuing their apology tour with the massive Blame Canada co-headlining tour — which, bafflingly, completely excludes its namesake country.
The two bands will head to the United States for 36 shows between April and August, each playing their debut albums — Sum 41's All Killer No Filler and Simple Plan's No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls — in celebration of their 20th anniversaries. Set It Off will open the first leg in April and May, with Magnolia Park taking over that slot for the July and August dates.
In an email to Exclaim!, Whibley says, "We've known each other over the years and have played shows and festivals together but have never done a tour. It's actually been talked about a lot over the years between our two bands, but timing has never quite worked out until now."
Over the phone with Exclaim!, Simple Plan's Pierre Bouvier reveals that the Blame Canada tour has been in the works for a few years, and was one of the catalysts for their collaborative single. "We have so many fans that that are cross-pollinating on both sides here, that love Simple Plan and Sum 41, and we figured, if we're gonna go on tour together, how cool would it be if we had a song where we were featuring on theirs or they're on ours or whatever, so we can get on stage together and do something cool?"
He adds, "We're both Canadians. They're from Eastern Ontario, Ajax area, and we're from the western part of Montreal. We grew up a four-hour drive away from each other, so we're excited to finally do some stuff together, touring and a song and a lot of stuff. And I think the fans are gonna be stoked too, because, you know, I can't tell you how many times we look out in the crowd and see a Sum 41 T-shirt at one of our shows. And I'm sure [the reverse] happens a lot of their shows."
Says Whibley, "The best thing about this tour is going to be the fans. The reason I play music in the first place and what always keeps me touring is seeing the excitement on people's faces when you play songs that really mean something to them. And now, to have two bands bringing that kind of excitement and joy to people every night is really the best part about us touring together. And the fact that we're both celebrating the 20th anniversary of our first records, All Killer No Filler and No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls is going to make it extra special."
On Canada's omission from the festivities, Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau says, "We're also thinking about some other places in the world [for the tour]. As far as Canada, we haven't gotten there yet. We'd love to, obviously. It would be great to come home to the home and native land and do the run, but there's no plans in place for that just yet, but we'll definitely be talking."
Adds Bouvier, "I think part of it is, you know, this first leg, which is going to be the American leg, it's kind of like a test run. I know the fans are gonna love it, but if it does well and we get along, which we will, and we feel it's a good tour, it's a good package, I could see us definitely taking this around the world — Canada, Europe, Australia."
It's Simple Plan's second blow to Canadian fans this year after they and the Offspring cancelled their winter tour due to COVID-19. Perhaps the two bands will make amends to their home country in time for the 20th anniversary of Sum 41's Chuck and Simple Plan's Still Not Getting Any... in 2024. Until then, check out the Canada-less tour dates below, and then read Exclaim!'s interview with the bands about their new team-up and how they moved on from their old feud.
Sum 41 and Simple Plan 2022 Blame Canada Tour Dates:
04/29 Raleigh, NC - Ritz
04/30 Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
05/02 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
05/03 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
05/04 Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore
05/06 Worcester, MA - The Palladium
05/07 Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
05/08 New York, NY - Pier 17 - The Rooftop
05/10 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
05/11 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
05/13 Cincinnati, OH - Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
05/14 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles
05/15 Chicago, IL - Radius
05/17 St. Paul, MN - Myth
05/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown
05/20 Council Bluffs, IA - Harrah's Stir Cove
05/21 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
05/22 Nashville, TN - Marathon
05/24 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
05/25 Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock
05/27 New Orleans, LA - Orpheum
05/28 Dallas, TX - So What?! Music Festival
07/29 Tulsa, OK - Cains Ballroom
07/30 Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater
07/31 Houston, TX - House of Blues
08/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
08/5 San Diego, CA - SOMA
08/6 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
08/9 San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
08/10 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
08/12 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
08/13 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
08/14 Spokane, WA - The Knitting Factory
08/16 Garden City, ID - Revolution
08/17 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
08/18 Denver, CO - The Fillmore
The two bands will head to the United States for 36 shows between April and August, each playing their debut albums — Sum 41's All Killer No Filler and Simple Plan's No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls — in celebration of their 20th anniversaries. Set It Off will open the first leg in April and May, with Magnolia Park taking over that slot for the July and August dates.
In an email to Exclaim!, Whibley says, "We've known each other over the years and have played shows and festivals together but have never done a tour. It's actually been talked about a lot over the years between our two bands, but timing has never quite worked out until now."
Over the phone with Exclaim!, Simple Plan's Pierre Bouvier reveals that the Blame Canada tour has been in the works for a few years, and was one of the catalysts for their collaborative single. "We have so many fans that that are cross-pollinating on both sides here, that love Simple Plan and Sum 41, and we figured, if we're gonna go on tour together, how cool would it be if we had a song where we were featuring on theirs or they're on ours or whatever, so we can get on stage together and do something cool?"
He adds, "We're both Canadians. They're from Eastern Ontario, Ajax area, and we're from the western part of Montreal. We grew up a four-hour drive away from each other, so we're excited to finally do some stuff together, touring and a song and a lot of stuff. And I think the fans are gonna be stoked too, because, you know, I can't tell you how many times we look out in the crowd and see a Sum 41 T-shirt at one of our shows. And I'm sure [the reverse] happens a lot of their shows."
Says Whibley, "The best thing about this tour is going to be the fans. The reason I play music in the first place and what always keeps me touring is seeing the excitement on people's faces when you play songs that really mean something to them. And now, to have two bands bringing that kind of excitement and joy to people every night is really the best part about us touring together. And the fact that we're both celebrating the 20th anniversary of our first records, All Killer No Filler and No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls is going to make it extra special."
On Canada's omission from the festivities, Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau says, "We're also thinking about some other places in the world [for the tour]. As far as Canada, we haven't gotten there yet. We'd love to, obviously. It would be great to come home to the home and native land and do the run, but there's no plans in place for that just yet, but we'll definitely be talking."
Adds Bouvier, "I think part of it is, you know, this first leg, which is going to be the American leg, it's kind of like a test run. I know the fans are gonna love it, but if it does well and we get along, which we will, and we feel it's a good tour, it's a good package, I could see us definitely taking this around the world — Canada, Europe, Australia."
It's Simple Plan's second blow to Canadian fans this year after they and the Offspring cancelled their winter tour due to COVID-19. Perhaps the two bands will make amends to their home country in time for the 20th anniversary of Sum 41's Chuck and Simple Plan's Still Not Getting Any... in 2024. Until then, check out the Canada-less tour dates below, and then read Exclaim!'s interview with the bands about their new team-up and how they moved on from their old feud.
Sum 41 and Simple Plan 2022 Blame Canada Tour Dates:
04/29 Raleigh, NC - Ritz
04/30 Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
05/02 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
05/03 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
05/04 Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore
05/06 Worcester, MA - The Palladium
05/07 Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony
05/08 New York, NY - Pier 17 - The Rooftop
05/10 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
05/11 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
05/13 Cincinnati, OH - Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
05/14 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles
05/15 Chicago, IL - Radius
05/17 St. Paul, MN - Myth
05/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown
05/20 Council Bluffs, IA - Harrah's Stir Cove
05/21 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
05/22 Nashville, TN - Marathon
05/24 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
05/25 Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock
05/27 New Orleans, LA - Orpheum
05/28 Dallas, TX - So What?! Music Festival
07/29 Tulsa, OK - Cains Ballroom
07/30 Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater
07/31 Houston, TX - House of Blues
08/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
08/5 San Diego, CA - SOMA
08/6 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
08/9 San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
08/10 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
08/12 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
08/13 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
08/14 Spokane, WA - The Knitting Factory
08/16 Garden City, ID - Revolution
08/17 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
08/18 Denver, CO - The Fillmore