Avril Lavigne - State Theater - Minneapolis MN - September 24th 2019

Avril Lavigne brought her “Head Above Water” tour to the State Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday, September 24. Considering she hadn’t toured in five years (due to battling Lyme disease and being bedridden for two years), people were very excited. The fact that she was doing this show at the State Theater was pretty cool. I always enjoy shows at smaller venues than say, the Target Center or the Xcel Energy Center. There is something more personal about it because you’re that much closer to the artist and it’s like a big party versus a regular event. This was certainly the feeling at the Avril Lavigne show.

When the “Let Go” album came out, it was in my car for about six months. I remember driving around in a car that had no heat, jamming out to it when it was thirty below zero, as it was fun, so it seemed to warm me up. I love that memory. That’s one of the many reasons I was so excited for this tour. That, and she first became big right after I graduated high school, so it’s that whole nostalgia thing. I feel I wasn’t the only one that felt that way. The audience had a majority of women and girls in it, aged anywhere from twelve to mid-forties. You saw people dressed in the old wife beater and tie look that Avril made so popular. Others were dressed in her more pop punk manner and beyond. They were living out their Avril era and that added so much more to this show.

The setlist was good mix of older songs as well as ones from the newest album, giving the audience a good blend. I wish there had been more older ones (I wanted to hear “Losing Grip” so bad), but you can only do so much when you have released so many albums. Highlights of the list for me would be “Hello Kitty” and “Sk8ter Boi”, based off of audience reactions. For nostalgia factors, “Complicated” gets a very first runner up. Her music changed considerably since the early years, so you could tell from audience engagement who was into which era. Overall, I hope she doesn’t have to take another five year break. For her health, of course, but also because she’s really fun live. It would be wonderful to see her again soon.

Review Tracy Hansen photos Kyle Hansen