Avril Lavigne Takes Over Pop Mantle For Teen Girls

Marty Hughley of The Portland Oregonian reviewed Sunday night’s Avril Lavigne concert at Memorial Coliseum. He writes, “Lavigne’s become the current face of teen-girl empowerment, and, truth be told, the young star earned her ovations. Her voice is powerful and pretty, even if not always both at the same time, and she took her singing seriously. As for her marketed image as a guitarist, that was only occasionally and incidentally true, but no one seemed to mind; her backing band’s sound was powerful and nuanced enough without her. But if her vocal skills were a refreshing change from the teen-pop template, she needn’t have provided quite such a contrast in terms of showmanship. Her only stage moves were a raised right fist and some occasional pogoing, and no matter what the mood or emotional thrust of the tune, she maintained the same blank facial expression throughout.”