Avril Lavigne performs on stage during her ‘Greatest Hits Tour’ at Rogers Arena on May 22, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Andrew Chin/Getty Images
The pop-punk renaissance was on full display during Avril Lavigne’s set at the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Tuesday thanks to the San Francisco Bay Area crowd, which fully committed to the bit. Unfortunately, the audience powered its punk rock energy in spite of, not because of, the headlining act.
The crowd skewed surprisingly young for an artist who hasn’t had a top-10 hit since the Bush administration. But the fact that many of the audience member’s were younger than tracks like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” didn’t diminish their enthusiasm or outfits.
Avril Lavigne performs during her ‘Greatest Hits Tour’ at Rogers Arena on May 22, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Andrew Chin/Getty Images
Vans, eyeliner and skinny jeans abounded; there were too many neckties over T-shirts to count; and, as one fan pointed out to me, “there’s no white sneakers in sight.”
The crowd was already on its feet for opener All Time Low, including singing along to every word of the 2007 emo hit “Dear Maria, Count Me In.”
They were in an absolute tizzy by the time the pop-punk princess herself took the stage.
“Holy sh-t, there’s a lot of people here,” said Lavigne upon seeing the amphitheater, which teemed with concertgoers packed all the way to the very top of the Shoreline lawn.
If only she could have matched their energy.
From the first lines of Lavigne’s opening song “Girlfriend,” it was clear the singer wasn’t going to commit as fully as her audience. In some ways, this worked in her favor. Being a try-hard is the antithesis of Lavigne’s brand.
But at other points — like during hits “What the Hell” and “Here’s to Never Growing Up” — the show felt like Avril Lavigne karaoke. And if you asked me under oath, I couldn’t tell if her guitar was actually plugged in during a rendition of “My Happy Ending.”
Lavigne was at her best on the slower, power ballad songs like “Complicated,” “When You’re Gone” and the double-encore of “Head Above Water” and “I’m With You.” These songs don’t require a frenetic energy to succeed. Plus, Lavigne can still belt when she wants to, even after 22 years of touring.
The sweetest moment of the night came towards the end when Lavigne was chatting with the crowd and spotted a surprising sign.
“In 2004, you were my mom’s first concert. Fast forward to 2024 and now you’re my first concert,” read Lavigne from the sign. An overjoyed Lavigne then welcomed the young fan on stage to dance with her.
The feel-good moment elicited cheers from the crowd but also a few lighthearted groans as fans realized they’ve been with Avril for a literal generation. Similarly, a video montage of Lavigne’s early concerts and MTV VMAs were from such a different era that they might as well have been in black and white.
Still, these moments didn’t dampen the show; instead, they proved the staying power of Lavigne’s music.
During “Sk8er Boi,” Lavigne stepped away from the mic to let the concertgoers, who had the lyrics memorized at a brain-stem level, sing the final lines. It was clear what Lavigne had meant to the 22,000 attendees.
