Words: Miljan Milekić
If I would even begin to write about the significance and influence Avril Lavigne had on my generation during our formative years, I could ramble on for hours, and barely even scratch the surface. Ever since she broke on the scene as a 17-year-old, Avril successfully redefined what it means to be a pop star, broke all the well-established rules, and opened so many doors for artists, especially women, who came after her. Seemingly effortlessly blending genres, she was part of two completely different conversations, one involving punk rock heavyweights like blink-182, Green Day, The Offspring, Good Charlotte, and Sum 41, and one with pop divas of the time such as Christina Aguilera, Shakira, or Britney, not out of place in either one. And now, more than two decades later, the situation doesn’t seem any different.
Calgary’s Saddledome was packed solid way before the headline act when California’s Girlfriends were taking their place on the stage. Led by rapper, actor, and TV host, Travis Mills, the band is quickly gaining steam since their 2020’s self-titled debut, and they had quite a few fans of their own in the crowd as well. The trio opened their set with the most recent single ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me,’ followed up by fan-favorites like ‘Over My Dead Body,’ ‘Jessica,’ and a snippet of Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed A Girl.’ Songs like ‘Life’s A Brittany’ and ‘Tattoo’ both received fun and interesting intros in the form of backstories, while the final song of the set – ‘California’ receiving the biggest reaction of them all. Blending fun with serious topics, from heartbreaks to mental health, they reminded everyone going through struggles that “this world is a better place with them in it,” and that “it does get better, no matter how dark it seems.” The band has all the tools at their disposal to continue their growth, and being part of tours like this one can only help.
Fefe Dobson was the next to hit the stage and make it her own. Right from the get-go, it was obvious she was a much more familiar face to the Calgary crowd, as it didn’t take long for the first sing-alongs to break out. Kicking things off with ‘Ghost,’ and immediately following up with ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me,’ gave a pretty good preview of what the crowd could expect from her set. While her 2023 record ‘Emotion Sickness’ was the most represented one, Dobson made sure to mix in songs from every album, creating a solid collage of her career in about 50 minutes she had.
After a quick set change, it was time for the main act and the reason why most, if not everyone in the crowd were there. A video montage, consisting of various cutouts of interviews and TV shows, took over the three massive screens behind and around the stage. Most of them dated back to the early days of Lavigne’s career, with the central part of it being a prophetic announcement – “If you haven’t heard this name, remember it, as you will hear it A LOT.” Mere seconds have passed before the whole place erupted with the first few notes of set’s opener ‘Girlfriend.’ Dancing, and punching through the air, Avril announced her presence and the show could start.
If the 2007’s track, kicked off the set, it was another high-octane number – ‘What The Hell,’ that made sure everyone in the crowd was fired up, before a quick return to 2002, and her first ever single ‘Complicated.’ Followed by some old-school video clips, dating back to the early days of her career, the song felt more iconic than ever, deeply ingrained in the collective memory of everyone in the crowd. Here’s to ‘Never Growing Up’ came in next, extending the party vibes for a little bit more, before the scenery changed.
Starting off with a snippet of ‘Hot,’ just long enough for a quick change of both, Avril’s outfit, and stage design, the next part of the set once again brought the clock back to the first two records, with a bit more focus on 2005’s ‘Under My Skin.’ Back on the stage, this time with a guitar under her neck, she kicked off a powerful rendition of ‘My Happy Ending,’ followed up with ‘He Wasn’t,’ once again showing why these records are considered classics in pop punk realm. Switching the electric guitar for an acoustic one, Lavigne slowed things down, although for just a bit, with an especially emotional version of ‘Nobody’s Home,’ sung by every person in the arena. Right after, without skipping a bit, she brought out one more extremely powerful song – ‘Losing Grip,’ in all its glory. For a good reason, every single one of these songs is considered an iconic piece of music among pop punk fans, and hearing them back to back like this just further cemented that fact.
A snippet of ‘When You’re Gone’ once again slowed things down for a quick moment, before a fun gimmick in the form of a video call to Girlfriends, who quickly joined Lavigne on the stage followed by Fefe Dobson, before they all together played a cover of blink-182’s ‘All The Small Things.’ They also brought up a couple of fans to the stage, including a group with signs wishing Avril a “Happy Fucking 40th Birthday,” which comes in a couple of days. The fact that sounds so surreal, given how long and successful her career already is. The finale of the set started off with another fan-favorite – ‘Smile,’ followed up with two tracks of her latest record ‘Love Sux’ – ‘Bite Me,’ and ‘Love It When You Hate Me.’ The latter one especially made me happy, as Blackbear’s part was sung by guitarist David Immerman, instead of being played from the recording, which seems to be a trend in recent years when it comes to guest appearances. The very end came in the form of ‘Sk8er Boi,’ accompanied by all kinds of confetti and pyro.
The encore once more saw a brief stage design change, while Lavigne replaced her punk-inspired outfit with an extensive white dress, bringing a change of pace, with two slower, but incredibly emotional songs. ‘Head Above Water,’ while it might seem a bit out of place surrounded by all the fast and loud pop punk tracks obviously means a lot to Avril, documenting her fight with Lyme disease, which almost cost her her life. The very end, however, was reserved for one more iconic track from her debut – ‘I’m With You,’ another slower, but powerful and emotional song, one of the defining tracks of Lavigne’s career.
And this was the running theme of this whole tour – The Greatest Hits Tour, a quick run down memory lane to mark a huge moment in her career, but also to set up the scene for new music as, in her own words, she is “really fucking excited to go home and make a new record.” I’ve seen different comments, around this tour, most revolving about the shows being a bit too short, or Avril “not doing much” on stage. After seeing this show, and one more about a month ago – at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, I call bullshit. Sixteen songs may not be too many for someone whose career spans over two decades and seven albums, but after all she’s been thorough, I’d rather appreciate every song, every guitar chord, and every fist pump she sends our way. And for the critics, isn’t she used to shutting them up, pretty much her whole career?
