A new live concert venue was finally added to the Ottawa music scene with the grand opening of Hard Rock Live, part of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino that has transformed the old Rideau Carleton Raceway. To launch the venue in style, Hard Rock brought in none other than Canadian pop-punk queen Avril Lavigne.
Wrapping up a two-month Greatest Hits Tour that featured multiple festival appearances, with crowds nearing 100,000 on some dates, Avril added one final show for a venue with a capacity of just over 2,000, allowing fans to see the icon in a much more intimate setting.
First up was Toronto’s Renforshort, making a rare appearance in Ottawa. After opening for Valley back in November at the Bronson Centre, she took to the much larger stage with a sparse backing duo, but commanded the room with her indie pop hooks. With a short 30-minute set, she left fans wanting more, and hoping she’ll make the trek back to Ottawa soon.
The only drawback for concertgoers was that many missed her set, as the lineups to get into the building stretched out on both sides of the building, delaying many well past her 8pm start time. Thankfully, the cascading effect of the outdoor lineup meant the indoor queue to get into the actual venue was fairly short and moved quickly, so the vast majority had made it in by the time the lights went down at 9pm.
Avril Lavigne. Photo: Finn Dubord.
While the venue might have been smaller than the festivals Avril Lavigne has been playing, she took advantage of Hard Rock Live’s massive stage, with the big screen projection, risers, confetti cannons, streamers, smoke machines and even pyro. It felt like a stadium-level production.
Quickly running through some early hits, including “Girlfriend,” “What The Hell,” and “Complicated,” the Napanee native was enjoying herself, given it was the final show of her tour. The celebratory mood included popping champagne (some of which may have been sprayed on the crowd), and knocking back a tall boy of Canadian beer mid-song, as the songstress continually interacted with the crowd throughout her set.
Avril Lavigne. Photo: Finn Dubord.
By the time she introduced her latest single, “Young and Dumb,” a duet with Simple Plan, which had been touring with her and joining her for that performance, she instead brought up a fan from the crowd to sing Pierre Bouvier’s part, and then brought up another smattering of fans to join them on stage as well, singing along to the chorus, and rewarding them afterwards with autographed skateboard decks.
And if that wasn’t enough, she walked along the front row barricade, high-fiving fans, signing autographs and posing for selfies, before finishing off her set with an energetic rendition of her signature hit, “Sk8er Boi” with a rapturous crowd singing every word.
Avril Lavigne. Photo: Finn Dubord.
After a wardrobe switch, Lavigne came out for an encore that truly showcased her vocal prowess, with ballads “Head Above Water,” “When You’re Gone,” and “I’m With You” performed amid fireworks and confetti. If there were any doubts about her voice, it’s only grown more powerful with time.
As far as venue launches, Avril has certainly set the bar quite high with such a memorable night. And beyond the artist, Hard Rock Live showed fans what kind of events we can expect coming to the city. Other than a few minor issues, such as the aforementioned lines to enter, Ottawa can now hope to see many more artists willing to add a stop between Toronto and Montreal in a venue that can compete with the best of them.
Avril Lavigne. Photo: Finn Dubord.
Avril Lavigne’s next show is in Las Vegas on Oct. 18. Check out our coverage of the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel opening.
