Still in awe of Avril

Even though it has been weeks since the Avril Lavigne concert, I am still at awe. What can I say? To me, it was the best concert ever. I could not ask for anything more after that awesome, cool and amazing night. Now I can tell everybody that I saw Avril Lavigne live, definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

I have always been a dedicated admirer of Avril. It is a wonder how a gorgeous 23-year-old like her manages to do what she does. Even if Avril has not finished high school, she makes a lot of sense. She talks to her fans through her songs. To me, she is one of the gems of this generation, musically.

Straight from school, I did my homework fast and went to the concert with one of my best friends, Regina. I came very prepared in my tube top and skinny jeans. With these shows, you never know what will happen. I was also ready with my jacket just in case Avril thought it would be cool to sprinkle water on her fans, something that is not uncommon. Even before the concert started, Regina and I were already overwhelmed by the number of people. We were starstruck by the celebrities who came. The six finalists from Pinoy Dream Academy were there. It was so wonderful to see them live and looking much better in person than on TV. With that, we knew that we could expect a great show.

The concert was perfect from start to end. Even in the beginning, I could already feel the energy of the fans. When Avril came out on stage, Regina and I screamed our lungs out because we could not believe the moment was finally happening. It was such a big dream come true for the two of us. All the people at the concert were standing the whole time. We were at first at the edge of our seats so we stood up not only to express our excitement and respect but more so to be able to see what was happening onstage. Some people were so electrified, they even jumped from the Lower Box all the way to Patron where we were seated. I got even much prouder of Avril’s musical talent. Can you believe she actually played three instruments in one night? Of course, we knew she played the guitar. But in the concert, she also played the piano and the drums, and very well at that! I am sure the rest of her fans were as impressed as I was. I remember everybody was screaming and cheering the whole time. The loudest would be in between her songs. I felt the adrenaline of everyone rushing! The most astonishing part of the night was when she actually rapped. I didn’t expect it at all. I have never heard Avril rap before. Hearing her rap inspired me to open up to other kinds of music. She really is my idol.

What I truly admire about Avril is she writes her own songs and plays them herself too. You can really see what she is like through her songs and how original she is compared to other musicians. The best songs she played that night were Girlfriend and When You’re Gone. Girlfriend was even better when I heard it live. It was the first song she actually sang in the whole concert. It started with pink lights and then the intro of the song began playing. I was surprised and got very excited when about four girls ran out, dancing, waving giant white flags with big black hearts around. Then after they ran out, I finally saw Avril! It was really one of the best parts of the whole night. When she waved her hands, I waved my hands along with the crowd. Everytime she jumped, I jumped, too! I think you could only really understand it if you experienced it like Regina and me. Avril and her back up dancers even did the dance in the music video. She was just too good to be true!

When You’re Gone is a slower, sadder paced song she played on the piano alone with plain white lights. I could really feel all her emotions as she performed the song. I got goose bumps as I sang along with her. There and then, I was happiest because even though there were thousands of people, I knew that in the span of that one song, I was singing live with Avril. It was just marvelous and I never would have imagined it to happen.

At the end of the show, Regina and I agreed that Avril’s songs proved to be The Best Damn Thing and her concert really proved to be part of The Best Damn Tour ever. I will never forget watching Avril live for the first time in Araneta Coliseum. This episode in my life is etched in my heart and I will always have fond memories of it. Truly, it is an unforgettable experience.

(The author, 13, is a Grade 7 student who is consistently in the honor roll. You may email her at [email protected].)