Ohio has been hit by numerous storms of late, one of which occurred during the sold-out Avril Lavigne concert at Blossom Music Center this past Friday (September 6, 2024). With next to no one staying home to avoid the rain, traffic was as expected, and many people used wooded backyards as restrooms while in the crawling traffic line to the parking lots. Nevertheless, the pavilion and lawn were overflowing with skaterbois, girls, and everyone in between, many adorned in plastic ponchos.
After a reel of Avril through her starlight era played, the pop-punk princess herself emerged on the stage, lit in bright pink for “Girlfriend” fitting not only for the classic song but also the namesake of the night’s opening band.
Following with “What the Hell,” the intro to Avril’s Greatest Hits tour stop at Blossom Music Center promised nothing less than the best of her lasting discography, enhanced by the blowup heart skulls and purple confetti.
Avril gave the audience the mic for many of her songs, allowing everyone to join in the reminiscence. Taking a photo with the crowd, the night was truly rooted in memories. Avril’s performance on the guitar and middle fingers took us back to the era of her first few of seven studio albums. With sparklers raining down and lively guitar solos, the weather and wait were well worth the experience.
As expected from a tour centered around the best of Avril Lavigne’s record archive and accompanying her ‘Greatest Hits’ album, songs like “Complicated,” “Here’s to Never Growing Up,” and “Losing Grip,” led her setlist. Part way through the show, the screen lit up to show a FaceTime from Avril to direct support act, Simple Plan, who were chilling backstage. Simple Plan returned to the stage to perform their hit“Addicted” (with Avril!) as well as a cover of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” (with Girlfriends joining the fun).
The crowd was fully immersed, sprayed with champagne, and awed by pyrotechnics. Picked right from the pit, a few lucky fans were invited on stage and given skateboards as they danced with the musicians. T-shirts flew into the crowd, and the only patrons attached to a seat used it as a step stool.
The end was luckily not so as Avril returned to the stage following her smash hit “Sk8ter Boi” for an encore of “Head Above Water” and “I’m With You,” dressed in elegant white. Conversations of the performance and songs sung through laughter carried through the crowds as they trekked back to their cars. The journey home was not as enjoyable as the show, though all was part of the experience of a memorable night at Blossom.
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