Brief, beautiful Lavigne leaves fans hungry for more
Fans can't seem to get enough of Avril Lavigne at her only gig in Hong KongA near-capacity crowd cheered to their hearts' content as Lavigne burst on stage with a crystal-studded mic. She opened with Black Star, aptly dressed in a black tank top (most likely from her Abbey Dawn line), matching tights and tall shiny Dr Martens laced halfway. She looked her typical punk-rock self, smoky-eyed with tinges of green in the platinum blond hair. Someone should've told her the tour was called Black Star; she waved a green neon star in the air.
The opener was followed by What the Hell, the lead single off her new album Goodbye Lullaby. But Sk8er Boi, from her debut album Let Go in 2002, was the one song that really got the crowd hopping and bobbing their heads to the beat.
The opening bars of I'm With You produced loud cheering. Lavigne held the mic out and urged everyone to sing parts of the chorus. Those who knew the words happily obliged; those who didn't, tried their best. But no one cared much about accuracy; it was, after all, a pop concert and everyone was letting their hair down, something that Lavigne reinforced by saying: "It's fun to be back in Hong Kong." Of course, she was here in late February for her album launch.
Certainly, the night wouldn't be complete without Complicated, the single that launched her into the world of pop. With the fans demanding an encore, the band reappeared with the girl-power-inspired Girlfriend. The show felt really brief, but looking at the setlist, she had sung a very respectable 18 songs. Fans just couldn't help being hungry for more.
The music was great, but the most fascinating part of the night was seeing Lavigne in person. Her flawless skin seems to defy age. Now 26, she looks exactly as she did when she was 17, minus the tie and wristbands, I suppose.