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03 Aug 2005 >>
Jam!
Showbiz |
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Avril Lavigne In Calgary >> |
So here's the deal. You're a
kid, right? And you're just
learning how to ride a bike.
Of course, you have training
wheels -- they keep you
safe. But attached to those
is a pretty serious ride.
I mean, it's a really cool
bike -- all of the other
kids think so and some of
them are even envious, going
so far as to get the same
set of wheels. But then, as
inevitably happens, you get
the hang of it, you learn
how to ride and you don't
need those training wheels.
So you take them off, and
you ride. You're no Lance
Armstrong, but you do pretty
well.
And that bike? It's still
the same bike it's still a
pretty cool set of wheels,
but it's still the same bike
everyone saw you learning to
ride on. They see it and
immediately, they see those
extra safety features.
Pardon the extended
metaphor, but it was hard to
watch Avril Lavigne's
Saddledome show last night
and not draw the parallel.
At the age of 20, the
Canadian pop star is
attempting to do what comes
natural -- grow. The problem
is, she's still stuck with
the same songs, tracks from
her debut, Let Go and its
already year-old sequel,
Under My Skin. Those songs,
material such as I'm With
You and Don't Tell Me were
fine to start out with, but
now she desperately needs to
move on and find a better
vehicle.
It didn't help that last
night, in front of a crowd
of 8,000 or so fans
screaming for that old ride,
Lavigne -- who looked
absolutely gorgeous in long,
golden locks and a tank top
-- seemed to be pedalling at
half speed. In fact, she
seemed to be coasting
towards that October tour
finish line.
You watch her and wonder if
she doesn't resent being
here singing those songs --
she smiles and she says the
right things, but it all
seems so hollow.
I mean, she started off her
woefully inadequate
75-minute set with arguably
her biggest hit, Sk8er Boi,
and did so with only minimal
enthusiasm, doing half
kicks, where last tour, she
fully extended.
Same with Happy Ending, this
album's big hit -- she
performed it as though she
were so far beyond it. And
part of you can forgive her
because, well, she is. But
another part of you thinks:
if you're going to do it and
accept money for it, at
least act as if some small
part of you cares and you
don't regret that person you
once were.
It was only when she sat at
the piano for a couple of
cuts including Together,
that she seemed remotely
comfortable, but again, was
that really who she is, or
was that her aping last
album's songwriting partner,
Chantal Kreviazuk?
Vocally, yes, Lavigne still
has incredible pipes -- the
one thing that will
ultimately ensure she's here
to stay.
But until she gets herself a
new vehicle, until she gets
a ride that not only suits
her now, but is one the
cool, older kids will dig,
Lavigne is just spinning her
wheels.
Along for the ride on this
tour was Atlanta
singer/songwriter Butch
Walker. Compared to Lavigne,
the former Marvelous 3
frontman who has co-written
with everyone from Pink to
Lavigne, seemed to be
pedalling his ass off.
Actually, the problem with
Walker was he was riding a
moped -- mediocre guitar
rock -- but acting as if it
were a Harley, sticking out
his tongue a la Gene
Simmons, cussing moderately
and bad-mouthing lip
synching artists, many of
whom the audience were no
doubt fans of.
It was ok, just overkill.
And hard to appreciate in
the context in which it was
presented.
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