The queen of pop-punk graced the DMV with a sold-out show at Jiffy Lube Live this weekend. Avril Lavigne is traveling on her Greatest Hits tour, which began in May and will run through this month, with 46 dates across North America and Europe. All Time Low, Royal & The Serpent, Kraj Programa, Phem, Simple Plan and Girlfriends are serving as openers on this tour, with the latter two slated to grace the stage in Bristow. Inclement weather before the show caused set changes, with Girlfriends sacrificing their set and Simple Plan performing an abridged version of theirs.
Simple Plan opened the show by running through some of their most-known songs. They riled up the crowd with hits like “Welcome to my Life”, “I’m Just a Kid” and “What’s New Scooby Doo?”
The Canadian rockers couldn’t play their full allotted time, but they made the most of their time on stage. During “I’m Just a Kid”, they welcomed Travis Miller of Girlfriends to join them for a verse. Girlfriends is the musical project of Travis Miller and Nick Gross. Formed in 2020, the American rock duo have released a string of singles and a self-titled album. Simple Plan
Despite the rain, the crowd showed up and showed out for Avril. Several people in the audience donned outfits straight out of the “Complicated” music video. Plaid skirts, colorful hair and fishnets dotted the audience throughout the evening. Fans of all ages were in attendance, with several families in attendance. The show was a celebration of pop-punk music and culture, and a little rain didn’t stop anything.
The storms were long forgotten by the time Avril graced the stage. She opened with her hit “Girlfriend”, before jumping into more hits. The seventeen-song setlist perfectly lived up to the “Greatest Hits” title of the tour, and the entire crowd sang along with her. Avril Lavigne showcased her decades-long discography in true pop-punk princess fashion. She wore a black and pink baseball jersey with the fittingly witty tagline “Mother F***in Princess” graffitied on the back. Her crowd work was on another level entirely. At one point in the show, she brought out Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan to perform the band’s song “Addicted”. During the song, she invited fans onstage and gave each of them a branded skateboard deck that she signed as she sang. She then brought out Travis Miller to perform a cover of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things”. The emo karaoke was a hit with the crowd, with everyone jumping and singing along.
Avril Lavigne showed that 20 years in the industry has turned her into an expert performer. Her voice was incredible and her stage presence was larger than life. The Greatest Hits Tour showed off the best of her discography and her star power. The Avril Lavigne: Greatest Hits Tour continues across the midwest for the next few weeks and will wrap up in the singer’s native Canada. Simple Plan will stay on the tour until September 12th, and Girlfriends will finish out the remainder of the tour.
Final Grade: A
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