I literally screamed when I found out I had the opportunity to see Avril Lavigne in concert! Seriously. I grew up listening to her classics such as “Sk8ter Boi” and “Complicated.” And I know you guys did too, as every one of my friends went through that “Avril Lavigne phase” in life. Also this being my very first concert experience, I wanted to see up close one of my favourite singers of all time.
October 11 in Calgary was the last leg of Avril’s Black Star Tour and the concert experience was exhilarating and unforgetable! Bringing along my sister, we were instantly swamped on the floor of the Saddledome by teenage girls who tried to push their way to the front of the gates, making for a dizzying first five minutes. (Beware of the overzealous, they will trample you!) Openers played for two hours before Avril appeared on stage.
The opening band I especially enjoyed were “The New Cities,” with their songs contagiously upbeat and wild, particulary “Hypertronic Superstar.” You could compared them to the style of “Down With Webster” – funky (the lead singer had an interesting buzzcut) with unrestrained, electrical energy that frenzied the crowd, causing you to jump and scream at the top of your lungs! One of the best parts of the concert was when the lead singer jumped off the stage and manveured through the crowd with a camera, recording all the crazy fans at the concert.
When Avril finally came on, the image I had of Avril then- dark eyeliner, signature gothic skater clothing, and straight blond hair- was who walked onto the stage! With a pink checkboard styled guitar at hand, she opened the concert with “Black Star.” Her vocals are simply amazing! I can’t describe to the full extent just how chillingly emotional her voice is, throwing the crowd into a loud feeding frenzy of crazy fist pumping and dancers. She followed with “Alice” and a classic, “Sk8ter Boi,” and rolled out a grand piano (she sat on it!) for “Happy Ending.” With the songs rolling out one after the other, I was roaring the song lyrics along with the crowd and Avril Lavigne, excitingly dancing and jumping to the exhilirating beats of her music. After watching the animated singer owning the stage, my sister and I left the sweaty, hot crowd after she sung my favourite song, “Girlfriend.”
Thanks so much to Kids Up Front for giving my sister and I a chance to rock out at a concert I believed was a once in a life time experience! Kids Up Front gives kids and teens the wonderful chance to experience shows that they would never be able to attend!