Avril Lavigne

Bonez Tour; Wembley Arena, Sunday 10th October 2004
I took the kids (or the kids came with me) to see Avril Lavigne as we’re all fans. Wembly Station is closed at the moment, so we had to go by car and it took 2 ½ hours to get there!! It was just constant congestion on the roads, so unfortunately we missed nearly all the of the support act, Simple Plan, who actually seemed to be pretty good! Most support acts are usually incredibly crap, so it was just my luck that I missed most of a good one. I’d definitely check them out again if I had the chance.
Anyway, on to the main reason we went: Avril Lavigne. She came on, playing her guitar and singing ‘He Wasn’t’, from her album, Under my Skin so none of us won the guessing game of which song she’d sing first! She began with a load of rocky songs where she played the guitar, then she did a few just singing; then she sat down for some acoustic guitar, and ended with more rocky ones, and a couple on the piano thrown in! I think she pretty much played the whole of the new album, and the hits and a couple of others from Let Go.
It all sounded much rockier live, and I hope her next album will be produced differently to show that. I have to say I was amazed by the power and quality of her voice. The last track on Under My Skin is a live acoustic version of Nobody’s Home, and there several notes sung flat, and I don’t know why it’s left on the album. So I wasn’t expecting her singing live to be all that great, but it was more than great, and by far one of the best talented singers I’ve heard in a while.
Avril didn’t introduce many songs, and she often spoke too quickly so no one could understand what she was saying, and it seemed to me that she felt uncomfortable speaking at all and was just repeating lines she’d learnt because she was told she had to. Some people are born stars and are comfortable in front of the camera, whether they’re singing or acting and it doesn’t matter what. But I feel that she loves the music but hates being a star.
The only thing I wish was different about the show was that there’d been a couple of cameras on her and the guitarists and had close-ups shown on a big screen. I could tell you she had her new blonde hair, but I couldn’t say whether or not it suited her or anything, and it just would’ve been nice to see her face!
Oh – worth mentioning: just before the encore Avril played drums and a band came on singing Blur’s Song 2. The people next to us said it was Sum 41, but to be honest I wouldn’t know!
And if you’re going to see her – don’t hand over £10 for a necklace – they’re completely crap; but do look out for the poster sellers – they were only £3 and massive!