Canadian rock band Simple Plan already knows its fans ahead of the Shanghai concert. Provided to China Daily

Members of Canadian rock band Simple Plan have had such close ties with fans that the two sides have even collaborated on a song.

This Song Saved My Life was one of the most popular songs on the band's latest album Get Your Heart On. Fans in Shanghai will be able to hear it live at the Mixing Room & Muse of the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

The band from Montreal has five members: Pierre Bouvier as lead vocal, Jeff Stinco on guitar, Sebastien Lefebvre on rhythm guitar, David Desrosiers on bass guitar and Chuck Comeau on drums and percussion.

"We always make sure to meet and hang out with all of our fans before and after our shows," Simple Plan says in an e-mail interview. Members of the fan club will be invited to the band's traditional "Soundcheck Parties", where they have a chance to meet the band members, watch them get ready for the show, and take pictures.

"It has become a tradition and a trademark of the relationship between us and our fans," says Simple Plan.

Last year when Bouvier and Comeau were writing lyrics for a track in the new album, Comeau posted a message on Twitter, asking fans to report back on "how our music has made you feel through the years".

"Within seconds, the responses started coming in," Comeau recalls. "It was a deluge, like a hurricane of answers." Based on those Tweets, Bouvier and Comeau constructed what is perhaps the first song ever written entirely via Twitter: This Song Saved My Life.

"Every word is taken from the hundreds of messages we got from our fans," Comeau says. It's a tribute to these loyal followers of the Canadian quintet since its inception in 1999, through three studio albums, two live albums, and tours all over the world.

Simple Plan's previous concerts in Beijing and Shanghai were great successes, says Michael Craig Enoch, the general manager of Mercedes-Benz Arena, so a return was inevitable.

"The tickets of the party sold out very fast and the fans were dancing and singing together with the band all night long," Enoch says. "This return will give all the fans that did not get a chance to see them live last year the opportunity to hear their favorite band live in Shanghai."

The Mixing Room & Muse at the Mercedes-Benz Arena can host 800 guests, so tickets may be gone quickly.

zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/10/2013 page15)