Avril Lavigne's New Tour Is An Uncomplicated Parade Of Hits

Avril Lavigne has been a lot of things. You probably think of her most because the necktie-rocking, eyeliner-inked rebel who skated onto the scene in 2002 and shook up the Britney-dominated pop landscape. In 2007, immediately after an emotionally intense second album, she injected a burst of bubblegum into her music, putting pink streaks in her hair and cluttering her aesthetic with skulls and hearts. In 2011, she emerged as a brooding, lullaby-singing romantic, and in 2014, she was gone. And thus, once Lavigne returned last year immediately after taking a long break from music to battle Lyme infection, the artist we'd known for almost two decades was, suddenly, a mystery. Although not for long — her sixth album, released in February, introduced us to a self-proclaimed "warrior"; someone older, wiser, although yet still down to rock.


All of these distinct sides of Avril come out to play on the singer's Head Above Water tour, which kicked off last week and marks her first headlining trek in five years. At L.A.'S Greek Theatre on Wednesday night (September 18), she acknowledged that fact while encouraging the crowd to "lose yourself in the music and have the perfect time." That wasn't hard to do, as the next hour was a total hit parade — just two songs from Head Above Water made the setlist, starting with the soldier-on title track, which opened the show in stunningly emotional fashion. From then on, Lavigne flew through a career-spanning set of angsty jams ("My Happy Ending," "Don't Tell Me"), party-starters ("What the Hell," "Here's to Never Growing Up") and stirring ballads ("Keep Holding On," as soon as You're Gone").


the initial curveball of the night came once Lavigne flexed her songwriting résumé by belting "Breakaway," a hit she wrote for Kelly Clarkson in 2004. Several minutes later, her musical group took over with an extended instrumental of "Hello Kitty," twisting the EDM-pop thumper into a hard-rock banger. And in another head-scratcher, Lavigne hopped beyond the drums for a cover of Weezer's "Beverly Hills," with first act Jagwar Twin taking lead vocals.

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And obviously, there was the song that began it all. "This next song is special to me because it was my first single ever, 17 years back, Whenever I was 17," Lavigne mentioned, dedicating complex to her day one's while reminding us that she's been at this for half of her life. She busted out a goofy high kick before the final chorus, because the song's early-aughts video played on the big screen beyond her. In it, she and her buddies perform at a skatepark and wreak havoc in a mall; a concept miles away from the cinematic, sweeping drama of "Head Above Water." Even so, Lavigne isn't an artist who scoffs at her older, much less mature material; rather, she revels in it and celebrates it. She had a goddamn blast with "Girlfriend," dancing around the stage while singing, "Hell yeah, I'm the motherfucking princess" with the same gleeful brattiness she had 12 years ago.


"Sk8er Boi" ended the main set still-effective punch as well as a blast of confetti, yet it was back to serious organization for the two-song encore. Wearing a red-caped gown that made her look like a goth Little Red Riding Hood, Lavigne manned the piano for her most recent single, the melodramatic "I Fell In Love With the Devil." The 2002 power ballad "I'm With You" ended the show on a poignant note, with the big screen showing scenes from that video mixed with water imagery à la "Head Above Water"; a mixing of old Avril and new Avril. Lavigne may have once vowed to never grow up, yet she's definitely continued evolving, especially within the past few, transformative years. Thankfully, she hasn't abandoned her old selves behind; the hit-packed show is a fun-loving celebration of her legacy. There's nothing complex about it.