On Tuesday, August 20th, 2024, Avril Lavigne brought her powerhouse "Greatest Hits Tour" to the Darien Lake Amphitheater in Darien Center, NY. It was the 11th stop of the twenty-seven-date North American tour. I highly anticipated this show, as I have never seen any of the three bands in the lineup perform live. Fans of all ages filed into the venue, eager for the show to begin.
girlfriends
The power-pop band girlfriends kicked off the show promptly at 7:00 p.m. Although the band is relatively new to the genre, having formed in 2020, they hit the stage hot right from the start. From the beginning of the 8-song set, the band hooked the fans with their catchy songs and set the tone for the evening. The audience was excited, with many fans dancing and singing along to the music. Frontman Travis Mills informed the fans that this was their first time playing here, and the crowd erupted in cheers. He added that it wouldn't be their last!
girlfriends are Travis Mills (vocals & guitar), and Nick Gross (drums).
Setlist: Shut Up and Kiss Me, Over My Dead Body, Jessica, Where Were You, I Thought About You While I Was Taking A Shower, Life's A Brittany, Tattoo, California (per setlist-fm)
Simple Plan
Taking the stage at 8 p.m., Simple Plan ramped up from where girlfriends left off. No strangers to the stage, the Montreal, Quebec-based band is celebrating its 25th anniversary, bringing a party-like atmosphere. Frontman Pierre Bouvier kicked off the 12-song set with infectious energy and got the crowd on their feet. The performance began with "I'd Do Anything." The entire band brought a playful, fun vibe to the stage, interacting with the crowd and making them feel like a part of the show. The fans ate it up. Keeping the energy, the next song up was "Jump." The band and crowd were jumping around like jumping beans. It was fun to watch. During the song "Summer Paradise," the band threw out ten large beach balls for the crowd to play with. As the song wound down, Bouvier said, "Thank you so much for playing with our balls," and the fans erupted with laughter. The fun continued with six costumed Scooby Doo's coming on stage and firing T-Shirt cannons into the crowd during the song "What's New Scooby Doo?". Feeling nostalgic, Bouvier told the fans, "This song came out 22 years ago. Can you believe it?" and broke into "I'm Just A Kid." He explained that we are "almost neighbors being from Montreal" and gave a shout out to the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres sports teams, sending fans into a thunderous cheer. The band closed out their 40-minute set with confetti cannons and the song "Perfect." Joining the band onstage was Travis Mills, the lead singer of the band girlfriends, who shared the vocals with seemingly the entire venue joining in. It was the perfect ending to an entertaining performance!
Simple Plan are Pierre Bouvier, lead vocals; Jeff Stinco, lead guitar/backing vocals; Sebastien Lefebvre, rhythm guitar/backing vocals; Chuck Comeau, drums; Nicholas Kennedy, bass (touring)
Setlist: I'd Do Anything, Jump, Welcome to My Life, Where I Belong, Summer Paradise, Iconic, Untitled, Shut Up!, All-Star/Mr. Brightside, What's New Scooby-Doo? I'm Just a Kid, Perfect, per Setlist-fm
Avril Lavigne
At 9:00 p.m., the house lights dimmed, and a video showcasing highlights of Avril Lavigne's career started to play on giant screens. This tour celebrates the Canadian singer's extensive career, which began in 2002. You could feel the anticipation in the air as twenty thousand screaming fans filled the venue with cheers of appreciation. Poised high up on a platform, she broke out into "Girlfriend," the first of a seventeen-song set, setting the tone for the show. The energy coming from the crowd was undeniable, and suddenly, you felt swept back to a younger age. With a commanding stage presence, Lavigne held the fans in awe from the beginning of the set. Following "Girlfriend", were the songs "What the Hell" and the smash hit "Complicated." Fans were singing along the entire time and waving their hands up in the air. Lavigne strapped on a red glitter guitar and started to play "My Happy Ending," to the fan's delight. The band then performed a cover of Simple Plan's song "Addicted" and was joined on stage by members of Simple Plan to sing along, much to the crowd's surprise.
During this song, Lavigne invited two fans on stage to take selfies with her and gave them autographed skateboard decks! Lavigne paused several times during the set to share personal stories and thanked the fans for their support. She enthusiastically introduced her band members, saying that keyboardist Steve Ferlazzo has been with her for 17 years and saying, "I love you, Steve." Following with, "Everybody, this is David Immerman on guitar; I love this motherf*cker, Cameron on guitar." "Matty on the bass guitar, hey Matty, you're from Buffalo, Yes, Matty's hometown; let's go." The crowd cheers loudly; Buffalo is only 30 minutes from the venue. Lastly, "My incredible drummer all the way from Australia, Chris Reeve," Lavigne gave a big shout-out again to her fans, saying "I love you so much," and left the stage to give fans high fives along the pit fence! The closing song, "Sk8er Boi," was an experience to witness. It's a grand finish with confetti cannons, smoke and fire, and an entire venue singing with the band! As the song's last notes faded, the crowd erupted into a loud ovation, the fans refusing to let the night end! Avril Lavigne returned on stage for a memorable encore performance of "Head Above Water" and "I'm with You." The show was a highlight reel: three perfectly matched bands with fantastic energy and a remarkable performance by the Queen of pop-punk, Avril Lavigne!
Avril Lavigne: vocals/guitar; Steve Ferlazzo, keyboard; Cameron Hurley, lead guitar; David Immerman, rhythm guitar; Matt Reilly, bass; Chris Reeve, drums
Setlist: Girlfriend, What The Hell, Complicated, Here's to Never Growing Up, Smile, My Happy Ending, Addicted (Simple Plan cover with Simple Plan), Losing Grip, Hot, Bite Me, Love It When You Hate Me, When You're Gone, Don't Tell Me, He Wasn't, Sk8er Boi, Encore - Head Above Water, I'm with You, per Setlist-fm
