Fresno - November 21st, 2004 by musicrocker2004 - Bonez Tour

[elastics.]

Concert: Fresno
Reviewer: musicrocker2004
Date: November 21st 2004


November 21 proves to be an overwhelming night for Fresno county Avril Lavigne fans. Eager Avril lovers stood in line for hours preparing to stampede into the soon to be alive Save Mart Center.
The seats filled up quickly, sitting impatient bodies, ready to rock the night away.
The show kicks off as Butch Walker and American Hi Fi launched the night with their guitar screaming melodies, fist pumping and audience electrifying songs. They played for a while, with Butch talking to the audience out of the blue every now and then, and obviously winning over a lot of fans.
After exiting the stage, the Avril Lavigne Bonez Tour 2004 Eyes banner dropped, causing thousands of people to jump to their feet in cries of excitement.
It took Lavigne about half an hour to finally show up, but when the minor keyed intro of the her band filled the air, the audience was more perked up thaan ever and screaming at the top of their lungs. With a twist of modern technology, Avril's shadow faces us, her hair worn wavy and down, and her petite frame rocking with the catchy intro of "He Wasn't". When she gets to the line of, "What happened to my Saturday?" the curtain is dropped, revealing what the audience has been wishing for so long.
The rocker's voice previously already exceptional voice has changed immensly, and is now a crystal clear pop-rock voice, glazed with a light Canadian accent, her signature trademark. She leads the audience into Under My Skin's second and perhaps hottest single, "My Happy Ending", which drives the fans nuts.
Matt Brann, the drummer, backs up the band, setting up the foundation for the guitars of lead guitarist Devin Bronson, bass player Charlie Moniz, and rhythm guitarist Craig Wood. The band trails through a set up of about 16 songs, from Let Go's hits songs such as sk8er boi and the powerful "I'm With You", to the non singles such as Tomorrow, where Avril goes solo in a beautiful acoustic performance, and "Mobile", where she introduces as a song about "life's many changes", while mixing in some songs from the new record including the piano driven "Together", the expressionistic "Who Knows", where she urges the crowd to get out their and do their own thing and the hit song "Don't Tell Me", where the girls are screaming out rock on and holding up signs of support when Avril states, "Get out of my head, get off of my bed" or "I'll have to kick your ass and make you never forget".
Midway through the show, she asks, "Are you having a good time?" and the energetic fans jump up and give her rock on signs. A good time? What a question! Avril also continuially grins, "Thank you so much!" and tells the audience that this is an incredible opportunity and she's living her dream and thanking them for making it possible. The fans scream in respond, and the beat goes on.
The concert is about to finish, and Butch Walker comes back on with varied band members including Avril on (you guessed!) a drum set. She's tiny and you can barely see her, but she plays with enthusiasim and obvious skill and knowledge, especially because tonight she has proved that she can play acoustic, electric, piano, and drums, with if not reasonable talent, excpetional talent. The song is off a Blur record and everyone obviously enjoys it. It comes to a close when Avril strikes her drum set in unision with the powerful guitar chords and they all dissapear back stage.
The fans are frantic now but they have all read reviews of Avril's concerts and they're not fooled. Avril skips over and in seconds the band is up and playing again to her first ever single, "Complicated". The audience chants along to the ever so familiar tune of a young 17 year old girl who complains honestly of people acting now like themselves. She doesn't invite anybody on stage, as opposed to the Try To Shut Me Up Tour, but none the less, we all have a great time. Avril then sits once again on her piano bench, and begins the powerful piece of Slipped Away, a sensetive song written about her very loved Grandfather who recently passed away. The chords are heard more than the melody, and she takes her vocals to a high but soft octave. The last notes ring through the arena, and Avril thanks the audience, leaving them gracefully and with a memory that they will never forget.
The following days are filled with shared stories of the concert, rumors from people that dislike Miss Lavigne and then the honest and real comebacks from true Avril fans.
The thing about Avril that is so different from her first impression on Let Go, is that her fans, instead of taking the message "be yourself and don't give a damn of what others think" and then wearing ties over shirts, and baggy pants, now dress how they want, and they don't care what others think. I counted abut three ties including mine, because Avril has shown us that even though she pretty much brought the ties to a trend with her first record, who hasn't fished a tie out of their Daddy's closet?
Avril Lavigne is an incredible person and musician, who writes, sings, and plays with exceptional talent, especially during this period of music, when young stars lip sync (because they either can't carry a tune or they are fake), when they don't write their own songs, and when they are more of a pasted picture than a role model to their fans. Avril is not this. She is real, and will continue to be real. It's not a command or an opinion. It's a fact. Regardless of what others may think, Avril Lavigne has set up an image in both pop, rock, and young inspired stars that will be around for a very long time. Long live Avril Lavigne!

By Calliope Holingue (musicrocker2004)

[guitargurlie04]

sweet show made my first semester at fresno state awesome! whats better to find out avril is perfoming on your college campus