Avril Lavigne (With The New Cities & Evan Taubenfeld) Thursday Brandt Centre No longer a pop-rock princess, Avril Lavigne's evolution as an adult artist is still a work in progress.
Lavigne isn't the brash teenager who exploded onto the music scene in 2002 - after all she turned 27 on Sept. 27 - and Thursday's show at the Brandt Show demonstrated she's still in transition.
It's unrealistic to expect Lavigne to remain the 17-yearold who sold 16 million copies of her debut album Let Go. Yet it's obvious she still has one foot firmly planted in that world - when working her way through earlier hits like Sk8er Boi and My Happy Ending she morphed back into a rebellious teen.
Yet there were signs that Lavigne is moving toward the adult pop mainstream. While her material is still a little immature, her voice has undergone some noticeable changes. Criticized early in her career as being whiny and shrill, Lavigne's voice now has a deeper and richer tone. She did struggle from time to time with her voice but for the most part Lavigne delivered a strong vocal performance.
The adult Avril was also evident during Wish You Were Here, which will be released next month as the third single from Goodbye Lullaby. "This song really represents the record, I wrote this song about missing somebody ... It's about looking back and remembering the good times," explained Lavigne.
The crowd hasn't forgotten the younger Avril - during I'm With You the fans lustily sang the chorus a number of times. They sang loud and long and it was obvious the song had a deep connection.
A large portion of the sparse Brandt Centre crowd consisted of fans in the 10-to 15-years old range and Lavigne was still able to relate to these youngsters. The problem on Thursday night, and one that will follow Lavigne in the coming days, is the absence of fans who were involved with her first wave of success with Let Go. To maintain a prosperous career, Lavigne has to convince adults that her music has something to offer them.
In the middle of the Canadian leg of her Black Star tour, Lavigne also mentioned her love for the Great White North numerous times during the nine-minute, 16-song show. "I love coming to Canada because I can get Tim Horton's, Swiss Chalet and ketchup chips. They're all my favourite foods."
Lavigne made good use of her five-member band - Al Berry (bass) guitar, Rodney Howard (drums), Steve Ferlazzo (keyboard), Jim McGorman (guitar) and Steve Fekete (guitar) - with the highlight coming during the intro of Alice. The combination of piano, organ, drums and guitar was almost orchestral. It was a big sound that led perfectly into the song.
Evan Taubenfeld, described by Lavigne as "my best friend," opened the show with a 30-minute acoustic set. The mix of original songs and Avril covers from Lavigne's former lead guitar player was OK but certainly wasn't anything to motivate those in attendance to rush to the merchandise booths to buy his CD.
The energy level in the facility improved dramatically when The New Cities took to the stage. The Montrealbased electro-rock group powered its way through an entertaining 30-minute set that included Heatwave, a single that samples Baltimora's 1985 dance hit Tarzan Boy.