Simple Plan, 3OH!3, and Bowling For Soup Brought the Energy (and Heat) To NYC

A little bit of dancing, a lot of bit of singing.

SummerStage, Central Park, NYC | August 19, 2026
Dylan Marino

I gave myself a 15-minute buffer as any good New Yorker does, so naturally, I was still 20 minutes late. Where to, you may ask? None other than Simple Plan’s The Bigger Than You Think! Tour featuring nostalgic favorites Bowling For Soup and 3OH!3.

It was a crisp summer evening, mosquitoes buzzing, drinks flowing, sun shining. This was my first time at Central Park’s SummerStage, a venue that is tucked mid-park, giving bystanders a free show (without the view) should you happen to be strolling by. 

In my case, this was quite convenient, as train delays set me back from visually seeing the first few songs of Bowling For Soup’s set. While I was not in the venue for their first four songs: “Girl All The Bad Guys Want”, “High School Never Ends”, “Almost”, and “Ohio (Come Back To Texas)”, I was still serenaded by the sounds during my (power) walk through the park to the venue. Though my own singing was perhaps louder than the music itself. 

I entered the venue during “Getting Old Sucks (But Everyone’s Doing It)” and was reminded of the talent Bowling For Soup possesses. 

Frontman Jaret Reddick sounds almost identical live as he does on track. His unique voice is simple but powerful, and it immediately transports me back to 6th grade (in the best way possible). I remember buying Bowling For Soup’s A Hangover You Don't Deserve record at my local FYE (and by me, I mean my parents) and not quite comprehending the title, but obsessing over tracks like “1985” (which the band of course closed their set with). I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can remember blasting this album on my Walkman daily. Life is funny like that. 

Needless to say, Bowling For Soup brought energy, fun, and joy to SummerStage and kicked off an evening of good vibes, singalongs, and other thirty-something-year-olds living the same truth as me: It was never a phase.

Full Setlist:

Girl All The Bad Guys Want
High School Never Ends
Almost
Ohio
Getting Old Sucks
Today Is Gonna Be A Great Day
Turbulence
Punk Rock 101
Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus cover)
1985

There was only a short break before the second act came on, a goofy duo known as 3OH!3 (who have gone triple platinum on my iPod/iPhone for the last 15+ years).

There is something about the WANT album that never gets old, despite its silly demeanor and offbeat lyrics. 

3OH!3 opened with “PUNKBITCH”, a song that brings energy, the urge to dance, and lyrics that question how you were formerly belting them at the ripe age of 14. Still, every fan in the park was singing along in unison with a big smile on their face. 

Popular tracks like “STARSTRUKK”, “Double Vision”, and (newly viral-again) “RICHMAN” followed, with members Sean Foreman and Nat Motte keeping the vitality alive and well throughout the crowd. Perhaps it was the matching highlighter outfits, perhaps it was the synchronized dancing, or perhaps it was the sheer fact that we were watching two 40-year-old men party on stage like they were fresh out of college. No judgement, of course.

The duo played their new single, “My Friends”, which features a very special guest: none other than Motte’s daughter. Pretty big flex for a three-year-old if you ask me.

3OH!3 ended their set with the extremely viral fan favorite “DONTTRUSTME”. They began the song covering Nickelback (which sums up their fun antics) and transitioned into the actual song, with every single person in the venue singing along word-for-word, start to finish. They tossed a setlist into the crowd aligned with the lyric, “And the setlist that you stole off the stage…,” and went on their merry way. As someone who has seen 3OH!3 live four times this year (oops), I have still yet to be sick of them. #Blessed.

Full Setlist: 

PUNKBITCH
STARSTRUKK
Double Vision
RICHMAN
HEAR ME NOW
Touchin On My
My Friends
My First Kiss
COLORADOSUNRISE
IMNOTYOURBOYFRIENDBABY
DONTTRUSTME

Another brief intermission (which consisted of my friends and I sprinting to the closest bar for none other than water) and it was time for Simple Plan.

Simple Plan was my first “emo” concert, ironically. It was a one-off holiday show with Boys Like Girls— K104's Not So Silent Night at the Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, to be specific. I ended up backstage (TL;DR: my best friend’s mom took us, someone had a medical emergency in the entrance line, she saved their life, and as a “thank you,” they brought Nikki and I backstage to meet the band). I distinctly remember lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier being so friendly to us. Rather than being irked that two 13-year-olds were lingering in their personal space, he was kind, took a photo with us, asked about our favorite songs, and gave us a hug before sending us to the crowd (all under the supervision of Nikki’s mom, of course).

So all that to say, I have a special place in my heart for this band. And they deserve it, because aside from being incredibly kind, they are also incredibly talented. Bouvier's vocals are exactly the same in 2026 as they were in 2007, if not better. 

They brought a vibe of comfort and simplicity (pun intended, I suppose). Opening with their hit “I’d Do Anything”, the band set the tone for a singalong evening with hits like “Addicted”, “Shut Up!”, and “Welcome To My Life”, (a song I thought I could relate to at age 10). 

The 18-song setlist kept the crowd engaged start to finish. From a dramatic rendition of “Untitled” (How Could This Happen To Me?) to lighthearted covers of “All Star” (Smashmouth), “Sk8er Boi” (Avril Lavigne), and “Mr. Brightside” (The Killers), it became apparently obvious that I was going to wake up with no voice the next day.

As the evening came to an end, Simple Plan brought us the perfect two-song encore: their (viral again) hit “I’m Just A Kid”, which can be seen on TikTok now as heavily as it was featured on TRL in 2002, and “Perfect”, a song that affirmed to many of us in childhood that we were, in fact, emo. 

Full Setlist:

I’d Do Anything
Nothing Changes
Jump
Shut Up!
Jet Lag
Addicted
Promise
Welcome To My Life
Your Love Is A Lie
Summer Paradise
Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)
Can’t Keep My Hands Off You
Astronaut
All Star — Sk8er Boi — Mr. Brightside (covers)
What’s New Scooby Doo?
Where I Belong
I’m Just A Kid
Perfect