The Best Damn Tour
Tour by Avril Lavigne
Promotional poster for the tour
Associated albumThe Best Damn Thing
Start dateMarch 5, 2008 (2008-03-05)
End dateOctober 6, 2008 (2008-10-06)
Legs4
No. of shows55 in North America
33 in Europe
22 in Asia
110 total
Avril Lavigne concert chronology

The Best Damn Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne. Supporting her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007), the tour played over 100 concerts in North America, Europe and Asia. The trek was recorded at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto for a live DVD set entitled, The Best Damn Tour: Live in Toronto.

Background

The tour was announced on November 6, 2007.[1] Lavigne performed a private concert at the West Hollywood nightclub Whisky a Go Go, where she announced her tour produced by Live Nation.[2][3] The singer stated the tour would be "bright" and "colorful" in contrast to her previous shows. Lavigne told the press she felt her previous tours were "stagnant" and "dark".[4] She continued to say she wanted her upcoming trek to be a big flashy production, with a party theme.[5] She would also attempt to sing her latest single, "Girlfriend", in different languages. Commenting on her tour announcement, Lavigne elaborated:

"We finally get to go out [on tour] after a year of promo, a lot of hard work, so I'm excited to go out and play live. There's gonna be dancing; it's going to be really upbeat. I'm taking my show to the next level. It's still gonna be very me, and rock-influenced … but it's also gonna be diverse. It's going to open with a bang and dancers, and in the middle of the set [we're] coming down and doing acoustic stuff and me performing by myself. Being that it's my third album, I feel like I'm a lot better now. And I've got, like, 10 singles to play now, which makes it so much easier and so much better. When you play the hits onstage, it's the most exciting part of the show. And I have more to work with now … I have slower songs, songs like 'Sk8r Boi' and 'Girlfriend,' which are more upbeat. There's a lot to it. It's definitely not going to be boring."[2]

The tour premiered in Victoria, British Columbia on March 5, 2008. On the same day, Kohl's launched Lavigne's clothing line, Abbey Dawn.[6] It ended in Beijing; she was the first western artist to do a full tour in China. The tour faced slight controversy when the political group, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party protested the concert. The group felt that Lavigne's "punk" image was not suitable for children and was not appropriate during Merdeka (Independence Day).[7] The concert was initially cancelled but resumed according to plan a few days later.[8] The tour faced additional troubles when Lavigne was forced to cancel the remaining nine shows on her North American leg. The singer cited laryngitis for the cancellations while news outlets cited poor ticket sales.[9] The singer posted an apology on her website and stated if possible, she would make the dates.

Critical reception

Lavigne performing in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The tour received mixed reviews from music critics in the United States and Canada. Mike Devlin (Times Colonist) gave the premiere concert in Victoria, British Columbia two and a half out of five stars. He says, "Granted, it was the opening night of her world tour—which includes 15 dates in Canada—but the so-billed Best Damn Tour wasn’t even the Somewhat OK Damn Tour; it was just plain disappointing. And with tickets in the range of $60, the 75-minute concert clocked in just shy of one dollar per minute. Methinks some parents are feeling the sting right about now".[10] Mike Ross (Jam!) gave the show at Rexall Place three and a half out of five stars. He explains, "I had the knives out last night, but was sadly disappointed that the show at Rexall Place wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. There is precedent: Last time through town, back in ought-five, Lavigne couldn't rock, couldn't sing and couldn't communicate with an audience".[11]

Jason MacNeil (Jam!) felt the show at the Air Canada Centre was one of the best concerts in 2008. He elaborates, "However, when Lavigne strapped on a guitar, as she did during 'My Happy Ending', she appeared to be in her comfort zone, strumming along as hordes of glowsticks and camera flashes dotted the arena. Later on when she sat behind a pink piano for 'When You're Gone', she looked quite at ease".[12] Miriam Ramierez (The Monitor) gave a positive review of the show at the Dodge Arena. She writes, "The excitement was hard to contain and any inkling of a struggling tour was put in the backburner here in the Rio Grande Valley. These kids were ready to party no matter what. I tried so hard to nit pick-tried so hard to find any slip up. And any which way she sang it was on point, full of energy (genuine or not) and super entertaining".[13]

Synopsis

The concert starts off with an anonymous source spraying "Avril" on the screen in black graffiti, and then is colored in with a bright pink. When its fully colored, pink lights shine, stars flash on the screen, and her back up dancers run on with pink flags displaying the logo of her third album. A short instrumental of "Girlfriend" plays, as the flags are waved across the stage. Lavigne comes up on an elevator to perform "Girlfriend". Lavigne briefly talks to the audience, and introduces the next track I Can Do Better. Throughout the concert, Lavigne plays acoustic and electric guitar, drums and piano. A selection of tracks include "Sk8er Boi", "My Happy Ending", "When You're Gone", and the remix of "Girlfriend" featuring Lil' Mama.

Commercial performance

The Best Damn Tour was one of the most successful tours by Avril Lavigne. It went very well in Europe and Canada, where more than 150,000 tickets were purchased for both legs. In United Kingdom 50,000 tickets were sold, and $2,666,258 dollars grossed. The concert in London had the largest audience of the European leg. In Canada, an extra concert was added in Toronto in August 2008. In Japan, beyond two concerts held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Avril played for 45,000 fans at Tokyo Dome, one of the biggest stadiums in the country. Although the tour wasn't so successful in the United States at first, on the second leg, joined with the Jonas Brothers, 160,000 tickets were purchased, with an average of $861,599 dollars grossed per concert.

Broadcast and recordings

Avril Lavigne: The Best Damn Tour – Live in Toronto was recorded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on April 7, 2008, and released on DVD on 5 September of that year. It was certified Gold in countries such as Argentina, Canada and the U.S. and Silver in the UK.[14][15]

Opening acts

Setlist

The following setlist is obtained from the April 7, 2008 concert in Toronto. It is not intended to represent all dates throughout the tour.[21][22]

  1. "Girlfriend"
  2. "I Can Do Better"
  3. "Complicated"
  4. "My Happy Ending"
  5. "I'm with You"
  6. "I Always Get What I Want"
  7. "Best Damn Dance Break" (Intermission)
  8. "When You're Gone"
  9. "Innocence"
  10. "Don't Tell Me"
  11. "Hot"
  12. "Losing Grip"
  13. "Bad Reputation" (Intermission)
  14. "Everything Back But You"
  15. "Runaway"
  16. "Mickey"
  17. "The Best Damn Thing"
  18. "I Don't Have to Try"
  19. "He Wasn't"
Encore
  1. "Girlfriend" (Dr. Luke Remix)
  2. "Sk8er Boi"

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue Opening Act Attendance Revenue
North America[2][5]
March 5, 2008 Victoria Canada Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre Boys Like Girls — —
March 7, 2008 Vancouver General Motors Place
March 8, 2008 Kamloops Interior Savings Centre
March 9, 2008 Kelowna Prospera Place
March 11, 2008 Prince George CN Centre
March 12, 2008 Edmonton Rexall Place
March 13, 2008 Calgary Pengrowth Saddledome
March 15, 2008 Regina Brandt Centre
March 16, 2008 Saskatoon Credit Union Centre
March 18, 2008 Winnipeg MTS Centre
March 20, 2008 Minneapolis United States Target Center 5,657 / 8,312 $195,643
March 21, 2008 Rosemont Allstate Arena — —
March 22, 2008 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
March 25, 2008 Pittsburgh A.J. Palumbo Center
March 26, 2008 Cleveland Wolstein Center
March 28, 2008 Atlantic City Borgata Event Center
March 29, 2008 Buffalo HSBC Arena
March 30, 2008 East Rutherford Izod Center
April 1, 2008 Boston Agganis Arena 3,606 / 4,683 $157,428
April 2, 2008 Montreal Canada Bell Centre Duke Squad 9,104 / 9,636 $472,144
April 3, 2008 Ottawa Scotiabank Place Boys Like Girls — —
April 7, 2008 Toronto Air Canada Centre
April 8, 2008 Kingston K-Rock Centre
April 9, 2008 London John Labatt Centre 8,968 / 8,968 $461,080
April 11, 2008 Uniondale United States Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum — —
April 12, 2008 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
April 13, 2008 Manchester Verizon Wireless Arena
April 15, 2008 Fairfax Patriot Center 4,964 / 6,691 $218,484
April 18, 2008 Atlanta Philips Arena 6,016 / 8,347 $171,294
April 19, 2008 Tampa Ford Amphitheatre — —
April 20, 2008 West Palm Beach Sound Advice Amphitheatre
April 22, 2008 Biloxi Hard Rock Live
April 24, 2008 Hidalgo Dodge Arena
April 25, 2008 The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
April 26, 2008 Dallas Smirnoff Music Centre
April 27, 2008 Selma Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
April 29, 2008 Las Vegas Pearl Concert Theater
Europe[23][24]
May 26, 2008 Glasgow Scotland Carling Academy Glasgow Jonas Brothers 4,839 / 4,839 $261,386
May 27, 2008
May 29, 2008 Manchester England Manchester Evening News Arena 9,938 / 11,000 $540,414
May 30, 2008 Birmingham LG Arena 9,477 / 10,000 $515,176
May 31, 2008 Cardiff Wales Cardiff International Arena 3,695 / 3,800 $201,476
June 1, 2008 Plymouth England Plymouth Pavilions 2,000 / 2,000 $108,192
June 3, 2008 Bournemouth Windsor Hall 4,657 / 5,662 $252,121
June 4, 2008 London The O2 Arena 13,535 / 15,000 $787,493
June 6, 2008 Dublin Ireland RDS Simmonscourt — —
June 7, 2008 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena
June 9, 2008 Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg Rockhal
June 10, 2008 Paris France Zénith de Paris
June 12, 2008 Bolzano Italy PalaOnda
June 13, 2008 Milan DatchForum
June 14, 2008 Monte Carlo Monaco Grimaldi Forum
June 17, 2008 Munich Germany Zenith die Kulturhalle
June 18, 2008 Düsseldorf Philipshalle
June 20, 2008 Amsterdam Netherlands Heineken Music Hall
June 21, 2008 Brussels Belgium Forest National
June 22, 2008 Mannheim Germany Mannheimer Rosengarten
June 23, 2008 Dresden Freilichtbühne Großer Garten
June 24, 2008 Berlin Columbiahalle
June 26, 2008 Copenhagen Denmark K.B. Hallen
June 28, 2008 Stockholm Sweden Annexet
June 30, 2008 Helsinki Finland Helsinki Ice Hall
July 1, 2008 Tallinn Estonia Saku Suurhall
July 2, 2008 Riga Latvia Arena Riga
July 3, 2008 Vilnius Lithuania Siemens Arena
July 5, 2008 Wrocław Poland Centennial Hall
July 7, 2008 Budapest Hungary Petőfi Csarnok Szabadtér
July 8, 2008 Prague Czech Republic O2 Prague
July 9, 2008 Leoben Austria Hauptplatz Leoben PBH Club
North America[23][25]
August 1, 2008[A] Bethlehem United States RiverPlace on Sand Island Demi Lovato
The Midway State		 — —
August 2, 2008 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 3, 2008[B] Toms River TR North Campus
August 5, 2008 Sudbury Canada Sudbury Community Arena 4,332 / 4,400 $224,312
August 6, 2008 Toronto Molson Amphitheatre 12,500 / 12,500 $429,580
August 8, 2008 Saint John Harbour Station illScarlett 3,855 / 4,283 $194,089
August 9, 2008 Moncton Moncton Coliseum 3,702 / 4,324 $187,414
August 10, 2008 Halifax Halifax Metro Centre 6,297 / 7,735 $313,627
August 12, 2008 St. John's Mile One Centre 11,475 / 12,249 577,039
August 13, 2008
Asia[20][25][26]
August 29, 2008 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Stadium Merdeka — — —
September 1, 2008 Seoul South Korea Melon-AX Hall
September 3, 2008 Quezon City Philippines Araneta Coliseum
September 5, 2008 Taipei Taiwan Nangang Exhibition Hall
September 7, 2008 Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium
September 10, 2008 Hamamatsu Japan Hamamatsu Arena Silverstein
September 11, 2008 Niigata Toki Messe
September 13, 2008 Tokyo Yoyogi National Gymnasium Ai Otsuka
September 14, 2008
September 16, 2008 Tokyo Dome Puffy AmiYumi
September 17, 2008 Nagoya Nippon Gaishi Hall Silverstein
September 18, 2008
September 20, 2008 Osaka Intex Osaka
September 21, 2008
September 22, 2008 Fukuoka Marine Messe Fukuoka
September 24, 2008 Hiroshima Hiroshima Sun Plaza
September 26, 2008 Macau Venetian Arena —
September 28, 2008[C] Guangzhou China Guangzhou Gymnasium
September 30, 2008 Chongqing Chongqing Olympic Sports Center
October 2, 2008[D] Lijiang Shuhe Sanduo Plaza
October 4, 2008 Shanghai Shanghai Indoor Stadium
October 6, 2008 Beijing Wukesong Arena
Total 269,276 / 299,124 (91%) $12,299,587
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A This concert was a part of "Musikfest"[27]
B This concert was a part of "Toms River Fest"[28]
C This concert was a part of the "Shenzhen International Summer Music Festival"
D This concert was a part of the "Lijiang Snow Mountain Music Festival"[29]
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
April 30, 2008 San Diego Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl Unknown[30]
May 2, 2008 Phoenix, Arizona Cricket Wireless Pavilion
May 3, 2008 Anaheim, California Honda Center
May 4, 2008 Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheatre
May 6, 2008 Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara Bowl
May 7, 2008 San Jose HP Pavilion at San Jose
May 9, 2008 Spokane, Washington Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
May 10, 2008 Everett, Washington Comcast Arena
June 15, 2008 Badalona, Spain Palau Municipal d'Esports de Badalona
June 30, 2008 Helsinki, Finland Hartwall Areena Moved to Helsinki Ice Hall
July 8, 2008 Prague, Czech Republic T-Mobile Arena Moved to O2 Prague
September 1, 2008 Seoul, South Korea Jamsil Arena Moved to Melon-AX Hall

Personnel

  • Stage Director: Jamie King
  • Assistant Stage Director: Carla Kama
  • Tour Manager: Dan Cleland
  • Choreographers: Lindsey Blaufarb, Craig Hollaman and Jamie King
  • Assistant Choreographer: Sofia Toufa
  • Production Manager: Dale Lynch
  • Lighting Director: Brent Clark
  • Musical Director: Jim McGorman
  • Video Screen Director: William Crooks
Crew[31]
  • FOH Engineer: Jim Yakabuski
  • Monitor Engineer: Matthew Peskie
  • System Engineer: Matt Blakely and Evan Hall
  • Video Screen Engineer: Daniel Deshara
  • Monitor System Technician: Shawn Shuell
  • PA Technician: Marco Giappesi, James Marcelek and Kevin Simmerman
  • Drum Technician: Ian O'Neill
  • Guitar Technician: Brian Kutzman
  • Director of Security: Derick Henry
  • Security: Matt Lavigne and Jon Zivcovic
  • Costume: Leah Smith
  • Wardrobe Supervisor: Louise Kennedy
  • Wardrobe Assistant: Amie Darlow
  • Hair/Makeup: Gabriel Panduro
Band[32]
  • Drums: Rodney Howard
  • Lead Guitar: Steve Fekete
  • Rhythm Guitars: Avril Lavigne and Jim McGorman
  • Bass: Al Berry
  • Keyboards: Steve Ferlazzo
  • Vocals: Avril Lavigne, Caity Lotz, Jim McGorman and Sofia Toufa
  • Dancers: Lindsay Blaufarb, Jesse Brown, Jaime Burgos III, Sara Von Gillern, Caity Lotz and Sofia Toufa

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ Ingrassia, Lisa (6 November 2007). "Avril Lavigne Announces Tour". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    2. 1 2 3 Montgomery, James; Hernandez, Liz (7 November 2007). "Avril Lavigne Promises 2008 Jaunt Will Be Her Best Damn Tour Yet". MTV News. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
    3. ↑ "Avril Lavigne Announces 'Best Damn Tour'" (Press release). PR Newswire. 6 November 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    4. ↑ Mervis, Scott (20 March 2008). "Music Preview: 'Girlfriend' put Avril Lavigne back on the charts and on tour". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    5. 1 2 Vineyard, Jennifer; Richard, Yasmine (26 February 2008). "Avril Lavigne Is Tickled Pink About Her Best Damn Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    6. ↑ "Kohl's Partners with Rocker Avril Lavigne for New Juniors' Lifestyle Brand to Launch July 2008" (PDF) (Press release). Kohl's Corporation. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    7. ↑ Teh, Jo (12 August 2008). "Groups slam call to ban concert". The Star. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    8. ↑ Aziz, Faisal; Miglani, Sanjeev (23 August 2008). "Malaysia allows Avril Lavigne to hold concert". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    9. ↑ "Singer Avril Lavigne cancels concert". KABC-TV. American Broadcasting Company. 4 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    10. ↑ Devlin, Mike (6 March 2008). "Hot topics – Avril Lavigne review: Best Damn Show? Not even close". Times Colonist. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    11. ↑ Ross, Mike (13 March 2008). "Concert Review: Avril Lavigne Rexall Place, Edmonton – March 12, 2008". Jam!. Quebecor. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    12. ↑ MacNeil, Jason (8 April 2008). "Concert Review: Avril Lavigne ACC, Toronto – April 7, 2008". Jam!. Quebecor. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    13. ↑ Ramirez, Miriam (30 April 2008). "'Best Damn' show ... no joke". The Monitor. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    14. ↑ US Billboard Top Music Video
    15. ↑ KohlsCorporation.com Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
    16. ↑ Grossweiner, Bob; Cohen, Jane (31 March 2008). "Jonas Brothers joining Avril Lavigne's upcoming tour". TicketNews. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    17. ↑ "Calendar". The New York Times. 13 July 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    18. ↑ Guimond, Vanessa (22 March 2008). "Quand jeunesse rime avec succès" [When youth is synonymous with success]. Canadian Online Explorer (in French). Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    19. ↑ News Staff (7 July 2008). "illScarlett replaces Boys like Girls on Avril Lavigne tour". The Telegram. Transcontinental. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    20. 1 2 3 4 "Avril Lavigne: The Best Damn Tour". Creativeman Productions (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    21. ↑ "Avril Lavigne - the Best Damn Tour - Live in Toronto". Discogs. 2008.
    22. ↑ "The Best Damn Tour: Live in Toronto".
    23. 1 2 "Tour Dates". Avril Lavigne's Official Website. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    24. ↑ "Avril's "Best Damn Tour" Dates". PopSugar. Sugar Inc. 25 December 2007. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    25. 1 2 "Tour Dates". Avril Lavigne's Website. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    26. ↑ Additional sources for The Best Damn Tour in Asia:
    27. ↑ "Twenty-fifth Musikfest under way in Bethlehem". The Express-Times. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    28. ↑ Lustig, Jay (31 July 2008). "'American Idol' alums to headline musical weekend in Toms River". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    29. ↑ "Midday Update". Pollstar. 4 August 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    30. ↑ Visakowitz, Susan (5 May 2008). "Avril Lavigne postpones six U.S. dates". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    31. ↑ Hall, Evan; Peskie, Matt; Yakabuski, Jim (October 2011). "On-the-Road Perspectives from The Best Damn Tour". Front of House. Las Vegas: Timeless Communications Corp. 7 (1): 22–23. ISSN 1549-831X. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
    32. ↑ Personnel for "The Best Damn Tour" at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2011c.
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