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Avril Lavigne Criticized for ‘Bare Minimum’ on Tour, Fans Demand More Songs

Bintano
9 Min Read

Avril Lavigne revamped her setlist on her Greatest Hits Tour, which kicked off last Wednesday in Vancouver, following backlash from fans over its original length. 

After getting slammed with complaints over failing to include certain songs and how ‘short’ the concert was, the diamond-certified Canadian artist, 39, added a snippet of her 2007 track, Hot, The Best D**n Thing (2008), and a shortened version of her Losing Grip, which was released in 2003, to the setlist.

Going from 15 to 18 songs increased the length of her show from 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

Still, social media users criticized Lavigne’s lack of energy toward the show and setlist, which many complained was stale and too similar to past tours. 

For reference, she performed the same same encore and only five different songs on her Love Sux Tour, which she wrapped last May. 

Avril Lavigne revamped her setlist on her Greatest Hits Tour, which kicked off last Wednesday in Vancouver, following backlash from fans over its original length (seen last week)

Avril Lavigne revamped her setlist on her Greatest Hits Tour, which kicked off last Wednesday in Vancouver, following backlash from fans over its original length (seen last week)

‘I have never seen anyone with less stage presence than Avril Lavigne and she’s clearly reading the lyrics of a teleprompter,’ one X user wrote.  

Another complained that she has been ‘singing the same 14-15 songs with no passion at all’ and was ‘sadly doing the absolute bare minimum with no stage presence.’

‘We want to see the same effort that you put on recreating your iconic looks on the way that you perform,’ the disappointed fan tweeted. 

Numerous others asked why she looked ‘so bored’ or like ‘she doesn’t want to be there.’

‘She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else but there,’ one wrote beneath footage of Lavigne performing The Best D**n Thing.

Another quipped, under the same post: ‘My grandmother has more energy in the grave.’

Some fans defended the performer, who suffers from Lyme disease, as they asked if the video was taken at the ‘end of the set.’ 

‘Maybe having a bad day? Sheesh!’ one wrote amid the sea of angry comments.

After getting slammed with complaints over failing to include certain songs and how 'short' the concert was, the diamond-certified Canadian artist, 39, added a snippet of her 2007 track, Hot, The Best D**n Thing (2008), and a shortened version of her Losing Grip, which was released in 2003, to the setlist

After getting slammed with complaints over failing to include certain songs and how ‘short’ the concert was, the diamond-certified Canadian artist, 39, added a snippet of her 2007 track, Hot, The Best D**n Thing (2008), and a shortened version of her Losing Grip, which was released in 2003, to the setlist

Going from 15 to 18 songs increased the length of her show from 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes

Going from 15 to 18 songs increased the length of her show from 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes

'I have never seen anyone with less stage presence than Avril Lavigne and she’s clearly reading the lyrics of a teleprompter,' one X user wrote

‘I have never seen anyone with less stage presence than Avril Lavigne and she’s clearly reading the lyrics of a teleprompter,’ one X user wrote

Overall, X users described Lavigne as looking ‘bored’ and ‘exhausted’ while writing that her performances were ‘lackluster.’ 

Lavigne has been adding to the setlist seemingly in response to the backlash in her comment section on Instagram after fans sounded off about the length of her show. 

Some fans even threatened to sell their tickets after seeing her initial setlist. 

‘I wanna sell my ticket after seeing that horrible setlist for you first show,’ one wrote under one of her Instagram posts. 

Another pleaded with her to ‘STOP making the same setlist always.’ 

‘I love you, but this setlist is disappointing. It’s too short and feels almost identical to the Love Sux Tour,’ a third chimed in. 

Another complained that she has been 'singing the same 14-15 songs with no passion at all' and was 'sadly doing the absolute bare minimum with no stage presence'

Another complained that she has been ‘singing the same 14-15 songs with no passion at all’ and was ‘sadly doing the absolute bare minimum with no stage presence’

'We want to see the same effort that you put on recreating your iconic looks on the way that you perform,' the disappointed fan tweeted

‘We want to see the same effort that you put on recreating your iconic looks on the way that you perform,’ the disappointed fan tweeted

Numerous others asked why she looked 'so bored' or like 'she doesn't want to be there'

Numerous others asked why she looked ‘so bored’ or like ‘she doesn’t want to be there’

'She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else but there,' one wrote beneath footage of Lavigne performing The Best D**n Thing

‘She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else but there,’ one wrote beneath footage of Lavigne performing The Best D**n Thing

Some fans defended the performer, who suffers from Lyme disease, as they asked if the video was taken at the 'end of the set'

Some fans defended the performer, who suffers from Lyme disease, as they asked if the video was taken at the ‘end of the set’

Her setlist includes Girlfriend, What The Hell, Complicated, Smile, Here’s To Never Growing Up, Hot, My Happy Ending, He Wasn’t, Don’t Tell Me, Losing Grip, When You’re Gone, Fake As Hell, Bite Me, Love It When You Hate Me, The Best Dam Thing, Sk8er Boi, Head Above Water and I’m With You. 

According to Concert Addicts’ review, Lavigne’s show was much more than a nostalgia trip. 

The site claims fans at the show were ‘absorbed by the star from start to finish’ and that the pop-punk princess ‘delivered what she set out to do.’ 

The review also noted that ‘the production would have benefitted from another rehearsal or tech check’ and suggested she could have ‘explored even more corners of her back catalogue to round out the show.’ 

Lavigne has been adding to the setlist seemingly in response to the backlash in her comment section on Instagram after fans sounded off about the length of her show

Lavigne has been adding to the setlist seemingly in response to the backlash in her comment section on Instagram after fans sounded off about the length of her show

Some fans even threatened to sell their tickets after seeing her initial setlist

Some fans even threatened to sell their tickets after seeing her initial setlist

While Lavigne has not addressed the comments directly, she has previously shared that she suffers from Lyme disease, which has previously left her feeling ‘achy’ and, on some days, unable to get out of bed. 

In 2018, while talking about battling Lyme disease, she said she felt like she was ‘drowning’ and ‘had accepted death.’ 

In a letter, published to her website, she told fans that she had ‘spent the last few years at home sick fighting Lyme disease’ and felt like her body was shutting down. 

‘I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going underwater and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current. Unable to breathe,’ she wrote.

At the time, she said she prayed to God to keep her ‘head above the water’ and to help her ‘see through the stormy weather.’ 

While Lavigne has not addressed the comments directly, she has previously shared that she suffers from Lyme disease, which previously left her feeling 'achy' and, on some days, unable to get out of bed (seen in 2002)

While Lavigne has not addressed the comments directly, she has previously shared that she suffers from Lyme disease, which previously left her feeling ‘achy’ and, on some days, unable to get out of bed (seen in 2002)

Earlier this month, the Complicated hitmaker promoted the tour on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast.

‘It’s 22 years into my career now which is super gnarly to even think about,’ the singer raved.

She continued: ‘I’m releasing a greatest hits album in June and going on the Greatest Hits Tour. It’s pretty great to be going back on the road and doing one of the biggest tours of my career at this point so far, just celebrating my catalogue.’ 

‘I feel super stoked and lucky to still be doing my thing and loving it more than ever,’ the eight-time Grammy nominee gushed. 

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