If Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo's performance at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival on Friday night (September 23rd) represented the power of women in rock during the 20th century (she even opened her sets by playing a cover of Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation"), Avril Lavigne's appearance the following night was the epitome of the new generation of women rockers. Embarking on her rise to prominence at the turn of the century, Avril has been a major influence on pop-punk since her debut album Let Go dropped in 2002.
Avril shared her 20-year-long discography of hits with the iHeartRadio Musical Festival crowd in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 24th. After performing at the Daytime Stage earlier in the day, Avril kicked off her set on the main stage with one of her biggest hits, "Girlfriend." As the lead single off her 2007 album The Best Damn Thing, the track became a mainstay of late 2000s pop music and the pop-punk genre in general.
Showing off her ability to write hard-hitting punk songs decades later, Avril flashed forward to the present day with a musical offering from her latest album Love Sux, released in early 2022. "Bite Me" marked Avril's debut on iHeartRadio favorite Travis Barker's label DTA Records.
Avril then grabbed her guitar and slowed things down with her 2004 song "My Happy Ending," from her second studio album Under My Skin, and her passionate 2002 ballad "I'm With You." And it's a good thing the singer gave the crowd a quick cool-down period because she finished out her set with two of her most popular songs. For her final track, Avril rocked out to the iconic "Sk8er Boi," which fans passionately sang along to.
In case you missed Avril Lavigne, or just want to re-live all of the amazing performances, The CW will air a two-night television special on October 7th and October 8th from 8:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. ET.