Avril's Concert In Sg (taken from MTVasia webby)

I don't really agree with what she said on it not being the Best Damn Concert; cause it was to me despite the fact it was short. Cause Avril has talent and she's the shy type. So I'm not suprise that she didn't talk much like usually how the stars do in concert. It was all about her performance as a singer/performer and she did AWESOME!

XOXO
JenN


By Cheryl Leong

Singapore
Singapore Indoor Stadium
September 07, 2008

'Pretty in Punk' was definitely the order of the day, as scores of teenyboppers dressed up in the style of their favorite punk princess, Avril Lavigne. Think: skinny ties, knee-high socks, and the ubiquituous skull-and-crossbones. Oh, and plenty of the hottest pink around, of course.

After an hour and fifteen minutes of waiting, the pint-sized rocker finally deigned to make an entrance at 9.15pm (about time...), with her rousing crowd-pleaser "Girlfriend." The patient audience was treated to pink overload as the backdrop of the stage revealed Lavigne's pink, signature skull-and-crossbones banner. With every few songs, Avril would flash a cheeky grin, and flit backstage, presumably for a touch-up, clothing change, a gulp of water, who knows? But in her stead, would come dancers to entertain the crowd with a spot of breakdance.

Let it be said, once and for all, that Avril Lavigne can sing. Oh, she's no Mariah Carey, that's for sure. And she does play safe by not stretching her vocals just in case she doesn't hit the notes the way she does in the studio. But for all the criticism panning the young punkster for her less-than-perfect vocals, Avril has indeed improved by leaps and bounds.

She handled screamy, girl-power anthems like "The Best Damn Thing," "He Wasn't" and "I Can Do Better" rather admirably. Her vocals were steady, at least, and not as pitchy as expected. It was also a pleasant surprise to have a grand piano (pink, duh!) wheeled out, where Lavigne launched into a laudable effort at the heartrending "When You're Gone."

Although there wasn't much interaction with the crowd beyond the usual "Hello Singapore!"-"How are you doing?"-"Are you having fun?" routine, Avril did display a relatively warm stage persona. At one point, she was even playfully directing her band and the crowd with hand signals, which was actually pretty endearing.

There was an even mix of songs from all three of her albums. But one gripe among several was that Lavigne only sang a few songs to completion. A lot of them were just verse-chorus snippets. A disappointment for some, who like me, wanted to hear our favorite hits in full. The fact that there was even an encore also escaped our notice.

Lavigne last disappeared backstage yet again, and a change of backdrop and outfit later, came out spouting the rap for the remixed version of "Girlfriend." Suffice to say, I'm not the only one who didn't realize that this was the implicit signal of an encore performance. With the mother of all tracks, for skater boys out there who fall hopelessly in love with snooty brats, Lavigne closed the Singapore leg of her concert with happy "Thank You's" and "I Love You's."

As much as Lavigne is perky and adorable, there was a sore lack of the adrenaline high which usually followed after a good, stimulating concert. Instead, a feeling of dissatisfaction settled in as the concert ended after a mere hour and fifteen minutes, just when you're about to hit the high.

Avril Lavigne might be the reigning punk princess, but this was certainly not the best damn tour around.


Set List:
1) Girlfriend
2) I Can Do Better
3) My Happy Ending
4) Don't Tell Me
5) I'm With You
6) I Always Get What I Want
7) When You're Gone
8) Innocence
9) Hot
10) Losing Grip
11) The Best Damn Thing
12) Everything Back But You
13) I Don't Have To Try
14) Complicated
15) Runaway
16) He Wasn't

Encore:
17) Girlfriend (Remix)
18) Sk8er Boi

More News On Avril (taken from ABS-CBN News Online)

Review: One rocking night with Avril

By Mark Vincent D. Telan
abs-cbnNEWS.com

Usual Wednesday morning. Workday. I really had nothing exciting to look forward to. Not until my officemate told me as soon as I arrived at the office that she has 2 tickets for the Avril Lavigne concert.

And the better part of it was that she asked me to go with her! I had no choice but to say YES. (As if I was forced to!) Who am I to turn down such an unexpected blessing to witness “The Best Damn Tour Concert”?

In an interview before the concert, Avril Lavigne promised a more “upbeat”and “fun” type of performance for the night, as she selected her favorite songs from three of her albums. And with the inclusion of back-up dancers, she’s confident that the Filipino crowd will love her comeback concert, she added.

I wasn’t able to watch Avril’s first concert three years ago, but I must say that as early as the first song, I began to feel that I was in for a fun and energetic treat.

Energy and talent

People screamed and shouted as the lights went out. Excitement filled the air. And as soon as the band started playing, people forgot the fact that the show started 30 minutes late. (The show was supposed to start at 8 pm.)

My night with Avril started as she performed the hit song “Girlfriend” with her back-up dancers. Most of the crowd stood up to catch a better glimpse of the "punk princess" on her first song.

Pinoys love Avril for her radio hits. On Wednesday night, Avril proved that she’s worthy of the punk princess title simply because she knows how to rock in more ways than one.

Aside from watching Avril’s hip and energetic song-and dance numbers, the audience was able to get a glimpse of her talent in playing various musical instruments.

She serenaded the crowd with her song “When You’re Gone” while playing the piano. Then soon after, she rocked Araneta Coliseum as she sang “Runaway” while playing the drums.

More than her talents in performing, it’s her rapport that captivated the audience. There was never a dull moment during the concert, thanks to the interaction between Avril and the fans. People enthusiastically cheered and clapped and shouted. And as expected, people sang with the punk princess, especially when Avril sang “Complicated” and “Sk8r Boi”.

More! More!

People screamed their lungs out when the lights went out. The change in stage backdrop (from a pink skull to a red star) added more thrill to the wailing crowd. Soon, dancers took center stage, with Avril, donned in red top, following them.

Like everyone else, I was ready, waiting for another round of Avril’s performance. Like everyone else, I was at the hype, and in no way will I stop wanting more.

With the previous backdrop and costume change, people expected more from the Canadian punk princess.

But after performing the remix version of “Girlfriend”, she started to thank everyone and said her farewells. Off she went, waving at the audiences who yelled and begged for more.

More News On Avril Lavigne (taken from the star online.)

Tuesday September 2, 2008

Goody two shoes

By IAN YEE

The people opposed to Avril Lavigne’s concert here would be pretty embarrassed when they find out she’s actually more Miley Cyrus than Alanis Morissette.

Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?

This writer thinks that should be our anthem the next time people try to manipulate a concert for their own political agenda because after watching last Friday’s Avril Lavigne concert at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, those people who were opposed to it would feel pretty embarrassed once they find out what Avril is really like.

Bundle of energy: Avril Lavigne giving her all on the stage of Stadium Merdeka during her concert in Kuala Lumpur last Friday. – Photo by GLENN GUAN/The Star

It could be our way of reminding them, like “hey you remember when you botched up over that Avril Lavigne concert? Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?”

The thing is, some obviously uninformed people seem to have this impression of Avril as the angst-ridden teenager, the guitar-trashing punk-rocker or a head-banging junkie.

Oh, please. Don’t tell me you actually thought Avril was like that. Doesn’t mean that because she whacked her Les Paul into some poor guy’s windshield in the Sk8ter Boi video that she’s really some violent, dangerous musician in person? And sorry to shatter all you guys’ dreams out there, but no, she probably doesn’t really skate either.

But I’m telling you, once the 23-year-old Canadian star took to the stage at Stadium Merdeka, the first thing you’d notice was how charming this young lady is. Her voice is almost as sweet as the way she looks, and she never really yelled or screamed to get the crowd going – just cajoling us to sing or wave along.

And when someone as charming as that, singing those annoyingly infectious tunes, asks you to go along with her, you really can’t help but feel compelled to. The 15,000-strong crowd, mostly teens and young adults, were raring for a good night out.

And it really was, a very uncomplicated concert – very simple setting, few musicians, and a few back-up dancers for certain songs. In other words, it was really Avril, which I’m sure was great fun for the throngs of Avril supporters who were there screaming as she went through hits from her three albums.

It started out with a surprisingly subdued, but fun rendition of Girlfriend, and I have to say – Avril is just so adorable! I can’t believe some of those people who protested against her could actually bring themselves to label someone as cute as her, as a threat to our culture and National Day celebrations.

For that first song, she did some of those dance moves fromthe MTV video, and it was just, so, cute! That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the concert as she remained slightly subdued, but yet charming and extremely likeable throughout the night.

I particularly enjoyed the acoustic set in the middle where she showed a bit more of her sensitive side, singing songs like Don’t Tell Me and When You’re Gone. The intimate feel of that part of the concert highlighted Avril’s vocals a bit more, and she managed to deliver pretty well.

Which is why I still don’t really get where this whole assumption that Avril can’t sing comes from. Maybe there’re some YouTube videos of her handling a show badly or something, but on the night, she acquitted herself rather decently. I won’t say she’s a great singer, but she’s definitely good enough to be on stage.

The acoustic set in particular, seemed to be more of Avril’s comfort zone, as she is after all more of a self-taught singer than a professional stage vocalist. The odd difficulty in some big notes aside, I thought she was every bit the accomplished performer. Maybe if she focused more often on her vocals like she did in the acoustic set rather than her jumping around breathlessly to those rock hits, then there’d be fewer accusations of her being a poor singer.

But all in all, I’d have to say this concert was more Miley Cyrus than it was Alanis Morissette in terms of rock factor. And by Alanis Morissette, I mean angry, Jagged Little Pill Alanis. Honestly, I think Miley even packs a bigger punch in her concerts, while Avril is surprisingly, much more intimate, working the crowd by relating with them and talking with them like just another girl next door.

That’s probably the reason why she’s outlasted so many of her peers like Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch. She’s into her third album, and she’s still a bankable star. And that’s because while other female solo artistes out there are more intent on overplaying their celebrity status by being tailed by the paparazzi, or seen at exclusive clubs, Avril prefers to keep it real. And judging by her performance here in Malaysia, that’s something that won’t be changing anytime soon.

If you asked me, that’s the best thing that she can do.

So now tell me again, why’d you have to make things so complicated?

Avril's concert in M'sia 29/8/08

More News On Avril Lavigne

Taken from The Electric News Paper

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,175021,00.html

SHE had to change a couple of words for a few songs, and limit her wardrobe changes.

--TNP DESIGN: PRADIP --PICTURES: REUTERS, UNIVERSAL MUSIC

So out went the skirt. Ditto the shorts.

The pop-punk princess stuck to long pants for her concert in Kuala Lumpur last night.

Explained Avril Lavigne: 'We are not allowed to wear tank tops, skirts or shorts. It will be hot... but we will do whatever they ask us because we are respectful of the country we are playing in.'

Indeed, respect was a topic that kept cropping up when The New Paper spoke briefly yesterday with the Canadian singer, who kicked off the Asian leg of her The Best Damn Tour in Malaysia's capital.

The Grammy-nominated 23-year-old made it a point to repeat, throughout the interview, how she was very respectful of the country's rules and was quite happy to abide by them.

It'll be hot, but we must be respectful

'I am really glad to be able to make it as it is important for me to perform for my fans here,' she said diplomatically.

However, she confessed she was surprised by the controversy and said she had 'never experienced anything like it before'.

COVERED UP: Avril Lavigne at her concert in Kuala Lumpur last night. --PICTURES: AP, REUTERS

The concert at Stadium Merdeka came after weeks of uncertainty over whether the Malaysian government would ban her show.

But three hours before she took to the stage, Lavigne sounded chirpy and laidback over the phone.

Never mind that the youth wing of the conservative opposition party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), had threatened to hold protests at the concert venue last night.

A few days ago, the PAS youth wing even called for Malaysia's religious leaders to issue a fatwa (religious edict) on Lavigne's concert, saying that her 'too sexy' image was immoral.

In a memorandum given to the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage on 8 Aug, the youth wing said that 'rock and punk is (sic) not suitable for the young generation and especially so during Merdeka (independence) month'.

The ministry initially cancelled the show, saying it was unsuitable for Malaysian culture and could not be held two days before Malaysia's independence day celebrations on Sunday.

However, the government did an about-face earlier this week and announced that Lavigne could go ahead, reported the Associated Press.

The Malaysian concert organiser, Galaxy Group, had apparently told the government that it had sold thousands of tickets and the cancellation could hurt tourism.

When asked how she felt about the 'sexy' and immoral tag, Lavigne - who is known for her skater punk image and doesn't show that much skin on stage - didn't really know how to respond.

'I wear a lot of hoodies. I typically don't show my midriff a lot,' she said.

She's hardly like other international female artists such as Gwen Stefani, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and the Pussycat Dolls who have come under fire from the authorities in Malaysia for their sexy performances and risque outfits.

Stefani covered up for her performance in KL while Beyonce and Aguilera skipped the city on their world tour last year.

The Pussycat Dolls' 2006 performance caused such a ruckus that the concert promoter, Absolute Entertainment, was fined RM10,000 ($4,300).

Lavigne herself has no problem complying with Malaysia's dress codes and performance restrictions for international artists - hence, the changes.

But her gig at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 7 Sep will not have those changes, she assured us.

This will be her third world tour and third visit to Asia.

Lavigne, who is married to Deryck Whibley, the frontman of pop-punk band Sum 41, performed here in 2005.

She was also in Singapore in 2003 for the MTV Asia Awards.

She said her fans here will get to hear all her old hits from her successful albums like Let Go and Under My Skin, as well as her new ones from the 2007 CD, The Best Damn Thing.

When asked if the controversy in Malaysia had left a negative impression about the country and Asia in general, she emphatically said no.

She added: 'I love Asia... I am very happy that people in this part of my world know my music.

'This is my best show ever.'

I was at THE BEST DAMN CONCERT!

"The Best Damn Tour was the best damn 1 hour of my life!" quote from sis Jo; and I couldn't agree MORE! Although my sis and I was sitting in front of a bunch of freaking annoying young teens and the worlds biggest diva! In the form of a geek with cracking voice and has a tendency to keep kicking ur ass as you sit! It definitely wasn't enough to spoiled our moods once Avril started preforming. Avril wore a Black T and black pants and curled her whole head and pin the side of her hair and made her current pink highlights thicker and she looked FABULOUS, later she changed into a white T and for her final song Sk8ter Boi she wore a red with black stripe and a little heart pattern behind and cat ears hoodie and I remember my sis and I screaming in excitment cause we love that jacket of hers! One that I found a pic of her wearing it as she headed for the pool that I posted on my blog just that one was purple. She played the guitar, piano and the DRUMS! And she sounds FANTASTIC! She's gorgeous, she's real, she's talented and she can sing! Whoever says she can't sing well BOO YOU HATERS! She can damn well sing better than you guys! She writes all her songs! And even Breakaway for Kelly Clarkson! She showed off her lalent during the concert and she sang her lungs out as the crowd sang along and cheered with her. She flirted with the crowd, kept the crowd full energy and dance along and she RAP! Yes she did! And that was during her Girlfriend remix her dancers; mind you all female dancers who free-styled and breakdance better the guys, dance to thhe begining of the song where LilMama raps and then Avril walks out to sing her part and to rap the rest of LilMama's part she sang 17 songs but not all of them she sang the complete song due to lack of time due to the protest going on outside that also caused few fans to make it for the concert but Oh well, their lost.

Avril started the show with her hit song Girlfriend, and her song Runaway caused everyone to wave their hands up in the air and sing along to the chorus "I just want to scream and loose control, throw my hands up and let it go..." Avril dedicated I'm With You to all the fans who came for her concert. And my sis and I we sang the original lyrics of Everything Back But You we found out about it while watching her concert in Hong Kong "The postcard that you wrote with that stupid lil note; that something wasn't quite right about it, it smelled like cheap perfume and it didn't smell like you and there is no way you can get around it. Because you wrote "I wish you were her" you left out the e and now your somewhere out there with a bitch, slut psycho babe! ...." which caused the diva behing us to go in his cracking whinny voice "Did they just sing bitch, slut, psycho babe?" Well boy hell yes we did! We had such an awesome time at the concert and it's really hard to put into the words the experience we had all I can say is you have to be there to know how it truly feels; to sing along with the singer you love and to cheer her on.

Her other songs were Complicated, Happy Ending, Innocence, I Don't Have to Try and a new song not in her album about her always getting what she wants and not caring about her reputation or others.

She's going for AVRIL LAVIGNE'S CONCERT!!!

You got that right! Avril Lavigne the sexy and talented punk-rock pop princess is coming to Malaysia! And I am so totally going! It would be the crime of a century for me to miss seeing her live in Malaysia in the flesh! And I'm going to pay big bucks to see her! Oh yes I damn right am!