Avril Lavigne Performs Pop Without Pomp

Jon Bream of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reviewed the Avril Lavigne concert on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, calling it “more convincing than the first headline Twin Cities appearances by either Britney or Christina.” Bream says, “Much has been made of whether she co-wrote the songs on her blockbuster album ‘Let Go’, as she claims. That didn’t matter in concert. She showed a clear, strong, unburnished pop voice, girlish in the higher register, mature in her midrange and bold enough to belt it out. Her presence was befitting her persona. Generally, she carried on like a cheerleader, pumping a fist in the air or exhorting the fans to sing, clap or jump along with her. Occasionally she strummed a guitar, which seemed little more than a prop.”