Avril Lavigne - Bonez Tour 2005 - Live at Budokan DVD Review
Posted by Tollah on 03.09.2006
How does Canada's finest's Japan-only release hold up?
Set List
1. He Wasn't
2. My Happy Ending
3. Take Me Away
4. Freak Out
5. Unwanted
6. Anything But Ordinary
7. Who Knows
8. I'm With You
9. Losing Grip
10. Together
11. Forgotten
12. Tomorrow
13. Nobody's Home
14. Fall To Pieces
15. Don't Tell Me
16. Sk8rboi
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17. Complicated
18. Slipped Away
Highlights
'He Wasn't' and 'My Happy Ending'
The show kicks off with two of the singles from Avril's latest album, Under My Skin. Av rawks the guitar on these two tunes. They're both rockers and a kickass way to get things going. They're not the best performances, but Av usually takes a couple of songs to get comfortable, especially when playing in front of cameras. This is because she's a precious gem.
'Take Me Away'
The first great performance of the night. I love the way that Av deilvers the verse. It's really dark and you can tell she's feeling the music (complete with microphone stand caressment). Then she just rocks out the chorus. Great stuff.
'Unwanted'
411 Music's Official Favourite Avril Song. The song goes along nicely until the pre-chorus "I wanted.. TO SHOW YOU!", which Avril delivers with such venom then proceeds to sing the chorus like any good frustrated, rejection-driven female should. The best bit is the bridge where Avril screams an elongated "my head aches". It's just awesome, she really gets into this tunes live. And who can blame her? It's a great song. Best performance of the night.
'Losing Grip'
Very similar to the previous two songs in that it's another hard rocker (for pop-rock standards anyway). This is also the heaviest single Avril has released and it's a great tune. Av could have let go (lol get it?) a bit more in this song like in 'Unwanted' and 'Take Me Away', although she performed it pretty well. You can tell that it's one of her favourites and she loves to sing it live.
'Together' and 'Forgotten'
The mid-show performance of these two songs, with Avril on piano, was a regular part of Av's concerts on the Bonez tour. The bridge and refrain of 'Together' are excellent but 'Forgotten' is easily the better song of these two. It's a dark, brooding tune verse that bursts into an angry chorus that Avril delivers sublimely here. Kind of a piano version of 'Unwanted', really.
'Tomorrow'
Just Av with the guitarist dude on acoustic. It's a very intimate performance which is pretty cool. She does some improv near the end which is a pleasant surprise. Solid track.
'Nobody's Home'
Next up is hit single 'Nobody's Home' with Av on her own playing acoustic, until the last chorus where the rest of the band kicks in. It works really well.
'Sk8rboi'
Whether you like this song or not (and let's face it, most of you don't), it simply rocks out live. It's just plain fun and has great energy. You can tell Avril is really fond of it - her facials and actions depicting the cheesey lyrics are spot on. 2nd best performance on the DVD.
'Complicated'
Av comes out with the devil horns (ala the video for 'He Wasn't') to sing a tune which really isn't that great. Avril herself has said she doesn't like the song. She performs it though, because she's noble and wants to please her fans. God bless her.
'Slipped Away'
Avril closes with a very emotional song that she wrote about her Grandad after he died a couple of years back. She plays it on the piano on her lonesome and it creates a very touching, beautiful picture. The piano work is a bit sloppy and the vocals could be stronger but that's just nitpicking, as this is a powerful and daring way to end a show.
The 411: Despite a few pedestrian performances of some of her weaker songs, this DVD is a fun time and showcases Av as a legitimate musical talent and a strong live performer. Plus she looks drop dead gorgeous, which is always enhances viewing pleasure.
