Lavigne can definitely do better

[Captain Barbossa]

Avril Lavigne's concert at the Air Canada Centre last night is best illustrated by the singer's mock discovery near the end of her 75-minute set.

"Oh, what's this up here?" asked the 23-year-old Napanee native, gesturing to a hulking assembly of equipment behind her.

"A pink sparkly drum kit. You guys want to see me play it? If I mess up, you can throw your glow sticks at me, or whatever."

Of course, there was no chance of either: every aspect of the show, her third and biggest production ever, has been polished to monotony – like the pink glitter eyeshadow that matched her highlights, guitar and mic stand. In any case, Lavigne has a committed following that doesn't seem to mind the gradual diminishment of the natural insouciance that marked her 2002 debut.

The young millionairess is straddling a pretty fine line these days as an L.A.-based missus glossy enough to make Richard Blackwell's Worst Dressed List (which didn't stop her from unveiling her own clothing line, Abbey Dawn, last month) while trying to remain relevant to a core audience of screaming eight- to 18-year-olds.

Proclaiming it "good to be back in my home country, Canada," the entertainer kicked off the show with "Girlfriend" and "I Can Do Better" from her third disc. The Best Damn Thing, followed by "my first single ever," "Complicated." The performance featured hits from her 2002 breakthrough, Let Go, and 2004's Under My Skin.

Lavigne's pleasant, robust voice has matured nicely and the songs she co-writes, from hard-rocking to pop punk, are neatly arranged singalongs. But the staging of the show was problematic.

The constant changes in tempo didn't allow for a single climactic moment. The highlight should've been when Lavigne, channelling Alanis Morissette, accompanied herself on piano complemented by guitar and percussion. But instead of bringing the song to its natural denouement, she abruptly got up, walked to the other side of the stage and segued into another tune so the crew could set up for the next song in her stead.

And she looked awkward executing basic choreography – marching, skipping – amongst the athletic dancers who did the heavy lifting.

Then there were the uninspiring costume changes (I see Blackwell's point), from black to denim and back to black, one of which left the stage empty save for video footage of Lavigne for about five minutes.

Given to brief, clichéd stage patter, Lavigne dedicated songs to "anyone who has been a fan of mine since day one" and "any girl out there who always gets what she wants."

The show's sole organic moment was when she announced that her mother, grandmother and mother-in-law were in the audience.

"It's my grandma's first concert," she said. Primly seated with legs crossed and giggling you could read her mind: "I hope she likes it."