Many of us grew up listening to Avril’s debut album with classic hits such as Complicated, Sk8er Boi and favorite rock ballad I’m With You.  And we know most of you guys did too, or should we say everyone went through that “Avril Lavigne era” in life.  Last night, our pop/rock queen, proved again that 5 studio albums down the road, she can still own the concert stage. The Big Dome was packed with fans of all ages that were brimming with excitement to witness her return after 3 years since her last visit.

The stage set up for Avril was simple but she and the band were more that enough to get everyone on their feet singing and dancing throughout the show. A now grown and happily married Avril took the stage with massive energy and smiles. Wearing a Hello Kitty dress, she started the night with an intro video and then performed “Hello Kitty”. Standing at around 5’2 with long blonde hair, the 29-year old singer managed to stay true to her pop rock image from the beginning of the show up to the encore set.

One of her many outfit changes of the night preceded her performance of “Girlfriend” followed by her latest hit “Rock N Roll.” Avril wasted no time to run around on stage with palpable energy and excitement. A few songs into her set, she also sang another smash hit, “Here’s To Never Growing Up.”

Avril Lavigne and her husband, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger wrote a duet, “Let Me Go” which is on her self-titled new album and Manila was surprised to welcome him in the flesh as they performed the song together live. Everyone went wild when another voice came out during the second stanza. It was an unbelievable moment to see the man behind hits like “Far Away” and “Hero.” Just as the song ended, Chad managed to sneak in a kiss before leaving the stage.

It was a blast from the past when Avril performed “My Happy Ending,” “Complicated,” and “Sk8ter Boi,” whose lyrics can never quite be forgotten. It was proven to be so as the audience roared the song lyrics as one.

She ended the night with a power rock ballad “I’m With You,” the performance was a crowd pleaser and a perfect song to end the show on a great note, which reminded us all just why Avril Lavigne is a true pop rock icon.

Avril Lavigne Tour in Manila, which was lasted for about 90 minutes worked through her entire catalog, from her “Let Go” record to the self-titled album Avril Lavigne. Most us jammed to all of the albums, especially her first 2. We admired her success and it’s good to say that the Canadian singer is true to who she is and evolves in the style she chose. Her 4th concert in Manila was definitely an enjoyable one; she missed other favorites like Wish You Were Here, Keep Holding On and If You’re Gone, but still kept a good balance of her old songs and tracks from the new album. It was nice to see her many different outfits to show us her signature sense of style, not to mention as good promotion for her clothing line Abbey Dawn too.

Avril seemed genuinely happy to be back in the Philippines, repeatedly yelling “I love you, Manila!” There wasn’t a moment’s doubt, judging from the roaring reply, that Manila loves her too, and can’t wait to have her back.

Special thanks to Midas Promotions Philippines

midaspromotions.com

Avril Lavigne live in Manila 2014 Setlist

1. Intro (video)
2. Hello Kitty
3. Girlfriend
4. Rock N Roll
5. Here’s to Never Growing Up
6. Always Get
7. Hush Hush
8. Let Me Go
9. My Happy Ending
10. Don’t Tell Me
11. Complicated
12. Bad Girl
13. He Wasn’t
14. Losing Grip
15. Sk8er Boi
16. What The Hell (Encore)
17. Smile (Encore)
18. I’m With You (Encore)

Write up by: Cen Sulit

Photos by Carla Barretto and Cen Sulit