Avril Lavigne kicks off Mountain View’s summer concert season

Tuesday, May 28th marked the kickoff of Shoreline Amphitheatre‘s summer concert series in Mountain View, CA — starting with Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits Tour! Opening the night at 7pm and playing a half-hour set was Royal & the Serpent from Los Angeles. Fresh off opening for Demi Lovato and then Fall Out Boy, Royal & the Serpent’s set mostly consisted of new music set to release soon.

They also played a fun cover of Green Day’s “Good Riddance”, prompting a sing-along. 

After Royal & the Serpent was a pop punk band All Time Low. Formed in Maryland in 2003, All Time Low is still going strong with lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth at the helm. Gaskarth and lead guitarist Jack Barakat brought tons of energy this night, with Barakat doing high jumps with his guitar throughout the set. These two were so fun to watch. All Time Low played many songs from across their eclectic discography, including “Weightless”, “Lost in Stereo”, “Poppin’ Champagne”, “Perfect Day (Hoku Cover)”, “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)”, Something’s Gotta Give”, “PMA”, “Dark Side of Your Room”, “New Religion”, “Sleepwalking”, “Monsters”, and, finally, the hit everyone should know — “Dear Maria, Count Me In”.

After a quick set change, it was time for the punk princess herself, Avril Lavigne.

The stage was outfitted with over 20 TV screens, including little hot pink ones displaying behind-the-scenes footage and music videos from the past. The production also included fire sparks and confetti that also went off occasionally. Avril Lavigne launched into her hour-and-a-half headlining set with “Girlfriend”, “What the Hell”, “Complicated”, “Smile”, and “Here’s to Never Growing Up”. At this point, Lavigne took the first of a few costume changes, while a video montage played. The set then continued with “My Happy Ending”, “He Wasn’t”, “Don’t Tell Me”, “Losing Grip”, and “When You’re Gone”.

For Act III, Avril brought out All Time Low to join her on “Fake as Hell” — an All Time Low song that she’s featured on. Tossing shirts into the crowd, Avril and Alex Gaskarth brought up two fans to take a selfie with onstage, who also received signed skate decks. All Time Low low then left the stage as Avril continued on playing with “Bite Me”, “Love It When You Hate Me”, “Best Damn Thing”, and “Sk8er Boi”. For the encore, she sang “Head Above Water” and “I’m With You”.

All in all, it was a fun night and a great way to kick off the summer.

I loved hearing these nostalgic songs and hearing the PACKED crowd singing along to all their favorite Avril Lavigne and All Time Low songs. Royal & the Serpent were great, too, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. This tour is just getting started, so don’t miss out if you love these bands if they’re coming to a city near you!

Photography by Katey Schoenberger

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