Photos By: Nancy J. Dagata
Setlist:
- Girlfriend
- What The Hell
- Complicated
- Smile
- Here's To Never Growing Up
- Hot (Chorus Only)
- My Happy Ending
- He Wasn't
- Don't Tell Me
- Losing Grip
- When You're Gone
- Addicted (Simple Plan Cover) (Performing With Simple Plan)
- Bite Me
- Love It When You Hate Me
- Sk8er Boi
Encore:
16. Head Above Water
17. I'm With You
On Wednesday evening I saw Avril Lavigne’s “Greatest Hits Tour” live in concert at Xfinity
Theater in Hartford, CT. Opening for her were Girlfriends and Simple Plan. As I was walking to the venue,
I could hear people playing Avril’s music in their cars, which put a smile on my face. The venue was
packed with a crowd of 17k people seeing the show. I arrived at the venue wearing my Abbey Dawn
clothing from Avril Lavigne’s clothing line ready to rock.
The show started right on time at 8:00pm. Girlfriends was the first to open, and let me tell you I
was impressed. They reminded me of a lot of the pop punk bands I would listen to in the late 90’s and
early 00’s as a kid. During the second to last song “Tattoo” which Travis instructed for the audience to
sing the chorus “I’ll get a new tattoo, cause it reminds me it reminds me of you.” And a fan screamed
they have a “girlfriends” tattoo, which the band seemed to dig! With catchy tunes and energy, I really
enjoyed seeing the band live. I would love to see them again! The main singer Travis Mills expressed the
band’s gratitude for the opportunity to be able to live their dream.
The next up was Simple Plan. Ever since I first heard them on the radio in my youth, I always
wanted to see them live. Watching them live really brought me back to when I would ride my bicycle in
my neighborhood with my Walkman as a kid. The band opened with the song “I’d Do Anything” which is
one of my favorites, and the crowd of course loved it too. I really liked when “What’s New, Scooby-
Doo” a bunch of Scooby Doo’s were dancing on the stage. During the show the band wished Jeff Stinco,
lead guitarist a happy early birthday and presented him a with a cake, while the crowd sung happy
birthday. All the band members gave it their all and kept the crowd entertained. I was not expecting the
drummer Chuck Comeau to crowd surf, I even got a high five!
Avril, what can I say about the MFP? She always puts on an incredible show. She has passion, the
drive to put on a great performance, and keep the crowd wanting more. Her outfits are always well put
together as well as the stage. When she sang the song “Complicated” she dedicated it to everyone who
has supported her since her first album Let Go. She interacted well with the crowd, and even brought
Simple Plan on stage and sang their song “Addicted” with them. Avril and Pierre mentioned to the crowd
they toured together over 20 years ago and are so glad they are again. Throughout the show there
were lots of special effects and videos of Avril throughout her career. From little children, to teenagers,
young and older adults it looked like everyone was enjoying the show. Avril’s vocals were incredibly
strong, but especially closing the show with “Head Above Water” and “I’m with you” WOW!
I have been to quite a lot of shows this year, and this one has to be my favorite. It was well put
together, all the songs I wanted to hear were played. The staff were also nice, which I feel makes a big
difference when seeing a show. After the show I stopped by the merch table. There was a lot of nice t-
shirts for purchase, and it was well organized. While you’re thinking of enjoying a night out I hope you
will consider attending this show, you will not regret it!