August 23, 2024 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ
Review & Photography by Estelle Massry
Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne performed at PNC Bank Arts Center on August 23rd, 2024 as part of “The Greatest Hits” Tour. Lavigne achieved great success as a teenager and paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. The “Pop Punk Queen” has been nominated for 8 grammy awards.
Starting off the night was pop-punk duo girlfriends, consisting of Travis Mills on vocals/guitar and Nick Gross on drums. They had a great look and even without knowing their songs, you still caught yourself wanting to sing along. A great way to start the night!
The crowd was ready to go as fellow Canadian pop-punk band Simple Plan opened with 50 minutes of pure fun. Formed in 1999, the band’s current lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier, Chuck Comeau, Jeff Stinco, and Sébastien Lefebvre. They jumped right into ‘I’d Do Anything“, the song that started it all. They performed with absolute joy and looked like teenagers performing with so much energy and liveliness. Beach balls filled the venue halfway through the set and had the fans a bit distracted but it didn’t stop them from singing to every word of their catchy hits including “Shut Up!”, “Welcome to My Life” and “Perfect”.
As I looked around anticipating Lavigne’s entrance, the venue was filled with fans wearing her signature clothing style – hot pink, skulls, plaid skirts, chunky black boots and white tank tops with neckties. Lavigne emerged on stage on a high platform with a pink skull flashing in the background, kicking off with her high-energy anthem “Girlfriend”. Her style has remained the same, fishnet stockings with high black boots with a short pleaded skirt and black hooded jacket covered with white and silver skulls.
Songs like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” transported the audience back to the early 2000s. Prior to the show I read some reviews that stated that she lacked energy. Did she jump around with the energy that she had when she was 17 years old? She certainly did not. Maybe the fast paced Lavigne that we used to know wasn’t displayed but It was evident that her vocals were still very strong and she was very engaging with the audience.
Returning for her encore in a flowing white robe complete with zippers, studs and chunky white lace-up boots, she stood on a platform at the back of the stage as she sang “Head Above Water” and making her way down to the front of the stage ending with “I’m With You”. To have 17,000 fans on their feet singing along to your “Greatest Hits” is a testament to Lavigne’s long lasting career.
For more info, please visit http://www.avrillavigne.com