Lavigne brings older, wiser star power to Vegas

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 | 9:04 a.m.

It's time to take the ever-present "teen star" descriptor out of Avril Lavigne's biography.

The Canadian singer/songwriter remains a star, with an album and a single high on the charts. She's just not a teen anymore, having turned 20 in September.

The older Lavigne brings her awkwardly titled "Bonez Tour 2004 -- Eyes" arena tour to the Thomas & Mack Center at 7:30 on Tuesday night.

The show will mark the official full local debut for Lavigne, who has performed at various Las Vegas events in the past, including the 2002 "Billboard Music Awards" and this year's "World Music Awards."

Lavigne, who signed with Arista Records at age 16, had her first No. 1 hit at age 17, when "Complicated" reached that position on Billboard's Top 40 chart.

Hailed by critics as the "anti-Britney" for refusing to rely on sex appeal to sell records, Lavigne also found No. 1 success with "I'm With You" and "Sk8er Boi," two other singles from debut album "Let Go."

Lavigne's sophomore disc, "Under My Skin," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in May and is No. 32 this week. Latest single, "My Happy Ending," is No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Butch Walker, who producer and co-wrote tracks on Lavigne's second album, opens Tuesday's concert.

Who: Avril Lavigne.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Tickets: $36.75.

Call: 739-3267.

Opening act: Butch Walker. Personnel: Avril Lavigne (vocals, guitars), Matt Brann (drums), Charlie Moniz (bass), Evan Taubenfeld (guitar), Craig Wood (guitar).

Latest release: "Under My Skin" (2004, Arista).

Album feedback: "Lavigne hasn't only shed her trademark ties for thrift-shop skirts, she's essentially ditched the sound of 'Let Go' too, bringing herself closer to the mature aspirations of fellow young singer/songwriter Michelle Branch." (All Music Guide, 3 stars); "What hasn't changed is her meticulous delivery: She pronounces every syllable individually, avoiding the slurred consonants and distended vowels that singers often use to convince us that their lyrics mean something." (Rolling Stone, 3 1/2 stars).

What to expect: Just about every cut from Lavigne's two albums, "Let Go" and "Under My Skin."

Recent set list: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Oct. 31: "He Wasn't," "My Happy Ending," "Take Me Away," "Freakout," "Sk8er Boi," "Anything But Ordinary," "Who Knows," "I'm With You," "Naked," "Losing Grip," "Together," "Forgotten," "Tomorrow,' "Nobody's Home," "Mobile," "Don't Tell Me," "Unwanted." Encore: "Complicated," "Slipped Away." (from www.comcast-spectator.com).

Says Lavigne: "I definitely don't consider myself to be a punk-rocker. I have mainstream music ... I want my music to be played on the radio. I want to make videos. I want to sell out stadiums. And that's the kind of thing I'm doing now." (Detroit Free Press, October)