This year's Glastonbury Festival was for sk8r boys and tie-wearing girls. In a female-dominated lineup (which featured two female headliners for the first time), Avril Lavigne stole the show with a run that spanned June 30.
The “Girlfriend” singer drew such a huge crowd that organizers had to block off the field, a rare feat for a performer who insists she's “just a girl from a small town in Canada.” as he told the singer. BBC. “I can't believe it's taken me 22 years to finally play Glastonbury, but it was amazing.”
In the midst of her Greatest Hits tour, Lavigne spent her set taking the massive audience on a trip down pop-punk school memories, wearing a red plaid skirt with mesh fishnets and a cropped black jacket with a distressed Union Jack. On the back. Although it was booked on the festival's other smaller stage, the overcrowding couldn't stop top artists like Cara Delevingne and Anya Taylor-Joy from attending.
At one point, Lavigne asked if anyone in the crowd used to own her seminal debut album Let go on CD, causing great joy. In fact, even though it's been nearly two decades since its release, tracks like “Complicated” and “I'm With You” sparked massive sing-alongs. “Everyone is still very excited [the music] — I think that's what connects me and my audience, it's the composition and the songs,” explained Lavigne. “I'm writing about things I went through in high school, like falling in love with a boy for the first time, experiencing love and what it feels like.”
The “What the Hell” singer wasn't the only iconic Canadian singer in the lineup: In the legends slot was Shania Twain, who Lavigne performed with in 1998 after winning a contest. “I sang on stage with her when I was 14, so [to be] here tonight, that personally means a lot.” Lavigne said.
He'll spend the rest of the year reliving his teenage angst alongside the All Time Low and Simple Plan with The Greatest Hits tour, which runs until September.
