2024 Concerts – Avril Lavigne, Lindsey Sterling and Daughtry!

Getting out of our shells a little bit this year we decided to go to a few concerts!

There is an awesome outdoor theatre in Phoenix, Talking Stick Ampathetere, which hosts artists every weekend and some days during the week. Plus a concert at Footprint Center.

Table of Contents

• Avril Lavigne, All Time Low
• Duality – Lindsey Sterling
• Daughtry and Staind, Lakeview

Avril Lavigne

~ Use arrows on the left or right to see the full album, or select “Open in new window” to view in Google Photos ~

In June, we were able to get last-minute lawn tickets to see Avril Lavigne, with opening shows including All Time Low and someone else that I have never heard of and wasn’t a big fan of so I am not too sad I didn’t catch the name.

Since this was our first time at the facility it was fun to see the massive lawn that was used, drinks and food everywhere, and honestly, great access to bathrooms though most of them are porta-potties.

We brought blankets and sat out on the lawn before the concert started and during the two opening shows. Once Avril started then everyone stood up and we finished off the concert standing. It was a great combination so you weren’t tired of standing and you could relax beforehand, especially in the heat.

The facility did offer chairs to rent, though they were expensive and the blankets worked great. The only downside is not all concerts allow blankets, like Breaking Benjamin, so that might not be as good of an experience.

I was grateful that it wasn’t too hot yet. It was still high 90s – 100 when we got there, but it cooled down as the sun set and I didn’t feel like I was a sweaty mess. Later in the summer that may be an entirely different story. 😳

We pretty much ignored the first act, but All Time Low was pretty good. I realized I had heard, and liked, one of their songs which I didn’t realize was sung by them (Dear Maria, Count Me In). So that was a nice surprise!

Then it was time for Avril Lavigne! Everyone stood up and we rocked it to the “Best of” selection!

In preparation for going to the concert, I started to listen to Avril Lavigne again to familiarize myself with her music. I was shocked at how many of her songs I remembered! I thought it would be a handful that I would recognize, but I ended up knowing at least 1/2 of the songs from the concert!

People weren’t too rowdy or drunk so all in all, it was a great concert and I would happily do it again!

Getting out of the parking lot after the concert was a little rough. There was very little coordination, especially from a facility which has sooo many concerts. It took us about 1.5-2 hours to finally leave once the concert had ended.

We decided to wait on the lawn for a bit to be more comfortable which I think was a good choice. Plus we parked close to the exit instead of close to the doors, which is a must-do now that we know how the exit process works.

During the concert, we found out that they sell season passes to go to all the shows, and I am excited to research that for 2025 and see who will be coming next year to get the passes.

Duality – Lindsey Sterling

~ Use arrows on the left or right to see the full album, or select “Open in new window” to view in Google Photos ~

I always feel like Lindsey Sterling is a “If you know, you know” kind of artist. Not only is she an incredible violinist and entertainer, but her music is on at least once a week in my headphones as I am focusing on work or whatever at the moment. It is the perfect combination of a boost but subtle not distracting from whatever I am working on.

We had a second chance to see her, this time in a true concert and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity!

Duality is her current tour, and it included a lot of her new music from this year which was fantastic to see. Plus plenty of older classics.

The only downside to this concert was that it was on a weekday so we had to leave early to try and get home at a reasonable time. Plus there was an accident on the train coming to the concert so we wanted to make sure nothing crazy happened on the way home.

Daughtry and Staind

~ Use arrows on the left or right to see the full album, or select “Open in new window” to view in Google Photos ~

We lucked out with what will probably be the last concert of the year and the weather sort of cooperated! For the first time in months, we had a rather chilly day in the 70’s with rain. Unfortunately that meant a storm so it rained all morning and was super windy all evening but much better than being hot outside!

The opener, Lakeview, was MUCH better than the Avril Lavigne concert so that was fun!

It was also surprising how long these concerts are an how much they pack in. The full schedule was Lakeview, Daughtry, Staind and then Breaking Benjamin. It’s crazy to have 3 headliners in one show but you got your money’s worth!

Daughtry was pretty good and played a few classics, though no Superman which was sad. I think he was trying to mix older hits with the new album he just released and have a good mix.

Now, I personally wanted to go to this concert for Daughtry and knew that I liked a song or two from Staind and Breaking Benjamin. Nathan was happy to go along with whatever! What I didn’t account for were all the other songs you would have to listen to in the meantime and screamo for the sake of screamo is not my jam. Nathan and I agree rock is great for the ballads, and I can take screamo if there is a good beat… think Coming Down from Five Finger Death Punch, but otherwise, it’s just loud noise.

At the same time, we had already been out for a few hours and while the lawn is great for pricing and flexibility, it means everyone is smoking especially at a concert like this. Add in grass and allergies and Nathan was having a rough time being comfortable. Plus I had gotten like two hours of sleep the night before.

So after a couple of songs from Staind, we decided to call it early and head home.

While we were sad to cut the night short with friends, it meant there was no traffic and we were home and ready for bed before Staind even finished their set! This was another comfort because I don’t think we could have stayed another 1.5 hours to get to Breaking Benjamin as well.

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All of the concerts this year gave us something new to do and gave us an experience to talk about! I don’t know that I will ever love a concert as much as the album but that is because I love music and I want it loud but clear and clean, plus I want to repeat my favorites as much as I want 😜.