My First Concert?: Avril Lavigne

My first concert is somewhat up for debate. In my current list of 90 concerts, I include a festival called 'Doheny Days.' 'Doheny Days' is a festival put on inside Doheny State Beach. If you're unfamiliar with Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA you shouldn't be. You might be familiar with the classic Beach Boys' song "Surfin' USA" you may recognize the lyrics   

"And down Doheny Way...
...Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A."

The band Everclear headlined.
Everclear is actually a band I got the opportunity to see perform a couple more times, years later. I saw them at a Jack FM concert and on the first Summerland tour that they now do annually. It's a fun 90s nostalgia tour. They were touring with Gin Blossoms, Lit, and Sugar Ray when I went.
Everclear "I Will Buy You A New Life"
I was there, so I'm counting it...

However, I'll have you know that the first concert I can actually remember is

Avril Lavigne! I was a 6th grade kid diving head first into music. This was the first concert I anxiously awaited. My first ticket stub to ever arrive in the mail. (Sadly a ticket stub that was lost in a tragic iron on ironing board accident. Where I thought I had the brilliant idea to iron my wrinkled ticket. Which resulted in a blacked out ticket.) One of 3 concerts I have no stub for. Doheny Days, Avril Lavigne and David Bowie.

Did I just say David Bowie???!!!
I did...
but we can get to that in another post.

I must have told just about everyone and their grandma the fact that I was going to see Avril Lavigne. I was going to see Avril Lavigne! The thought really resonated and I was stoked. It's when I first was acquainted with all the ritual of a concert.
May 1st 2003 (thanks Wikipedia for that date)
I went to see Avril Lavigne with my cousin Anna and a girl named Taylor who was Anna's neighbor that she babysat.  The openers were G.O.B. and Simple Plan. Honestly I barely remember the openers because I was a hardcore Avril Lavigne fanboy super #1 and my only business being there was to see her.

I was just a 12 year old, not quite that influenced by what my friends thought yet. Unfortunately, I had to let go of Avril Lavigne as I got older because I wanted to be "cool" and Avril Lavigne was not something that I was allowed to like if I wanted to be cool.

Since the days of Jr. High rejection and worrying about what people think, I have grown to love and appreciate her music again. I don't care what people think anymore. If it sounds good to me I'm listening to it! And so can you!
And at the time I saw her I really really liked what I heard. Even now I feel slightly embarrassed to face that she was an inspiration and even a celebrity crush. I remember at 12 I was as tall as her; just 5 feet tall and during the performance of her show she ended up on some guys shoulders... 5 foot tall 12 year old me was so jealous. You know... because I had so much going for me with my sprayed red hair and ugly green button down shirt. I think I even painted just my pinky nail black. To be fair this was a fashion statement my homie Ozzy Osbourne makes. He probably pulls it off better than me. I'm a big Ozzy Osbourne fan, and was back then as well. I kept a binder dedicated to just pictures of Ozzy. I was also proud of my Ozzy shirt in 6th grade. I was "that kid," the best kind of kid! I've even shaken his hand... and no, not just once... but again something for another post. I've already said too much.


 
Yeah, I may of not had that much going for me, but she's married Chad Kroeger of Nickleback now (eww). Her loss. Besides, Alex A.K.A. Partner In Crime A.K.A. Biscuit is much prettier than Avril Lavigne. Who by the way coincidentally happened to be at that concert as well. We were both floating in the pit of an Avril Lavigne concert almost a decade before we met each other. A Mission Viejo boy and a Huntington Beach girl together at a Long Beach show. How wild is that? It's no wonder she became my concert buddy!!! 

Avril Lavigne pretty much played her entire first album with a sprinkle of cover songs to kill time. It was only her first tour. So all she had was her debut album 'Let Go'. Beyond her first album I continue to like some of the music that comes out of her. I'd like the opportunity to check out one of her concerts again. It would be super nostalgia.