So Avril Lavigne filled up the Smart-Araneta Coliseum to the rafters~

I was very surprised to see the photo above~ Avril left my musical consciousness sometime in 2004, a couple of years after "Complicated", and I really thought that her career had gone south, and a bit underground like Alanis.

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Turns out, Ms. Lavigne still has a massive following in the Philippines~ and she's not even considered to be a "nostalgia act" like Tears for Fears or Rick Astley, the kind of '80s acts that really have built up humongous fan bases over the past 25 years or so.

Manila has really become a must-visit stop now~ I mean, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars, who graced the Grammy stage just last week, have both performed here in the past year!

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Maybe music piracy really has something to do with it~ artists earn less now due to very low digital and CD sales, so they have to shore up their income with performances, as their royalties just aren't as high as they used to be, thanks to the MP3 democracy.

James Ingram, for example, can make a career just by singing "Just Once" here ever year!

And Icons who have never been to the Philippines are more than welcome, no matter how long it's been since their last hit record~ I'd watch this lady just for her "Grease" songs alone, and she's got over two dozen more to sing!!!

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