Avril Lavigne to Tour for the First Time in Five Years

Parx Casino®, Pennsylvania's #1 casino, announces Avril Lavigne will bring her "Head Above Water" tour to the Philadelphia region on Friday, October 11, 2019. The performances will take place in the Xcite Center with doors opening at 7:00pm and showtime at 8:00pm. This show is the first time the "Sk8er Boi" and "Complicated" singer will perform in Bucks County. Lavigne joins the growing "A-list" roster of entertainers who will take the stage at Parx this year, including Reba McIntire, Wayne Brady, Jay Leno, Foreigner, Sinbad, Leeann Rimes, Toby Keith and many others. Tickets are $60-100 each and are on sale now. One dollar from each ticket will be donated to The Avril Lavigne Foundation.

Avril Lavigne is a Grammy® nominated, global recording superstar who has sold over 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide. Among countless accolades, she garnered eight GRAMMY® Award nominations and took home eight Juno Awards. She stands out as "one of the Soundscan-era's top-selling artists releasing albums in the U.S". and "third best-selling Canadian female artist of all-time". Billboard placed her in the Top 10 of its "Best of the 2000s" chart. Lavigne also set the Guinness World Record as "the youngest female solo artist to top the UK chart" and made history with "Girlfriend"--which became the "first music video to reach 100 million views on YouTube."

Outside of music, she gives back at every turn via The Avril Lavigne Foundation. Since its inception in 2010, The Avril Lavigne Foundation, Avril and her fans around the world have been impacting lives for the better. The Avril Lavigne Foundation supports people with Lyme Disease, serious illness or disabilities. Through programs and grants, it provides funding, education and encouragement for its beneficiaries.

In 2018, she released her first new music in 5 years with the gut-wrenching single "Head Above Water", which details the personal side of Avril's journey through her widely reported on battle with Lyme Disease. Vogue Magazine praised the track "a fierce piano ballad that documents a culminating moment in Lavigne's years-long struggle with Lyme disease".

Her highly anticipated sixth studio album and debut for BMG, Head Above Water, was released on February 15, 2019. Rolling Stone praised the album writing, "Lavigne's never sounded stronger or more vocally confident," and Idolator applauds it, "a triumphant return... vocally and lyrically, the release contains some of her best work to date"

"Parx Casino is thrilled to welcome Avril Lavigne and her Head Above Water concert tour," said CEO Tony Ricci. "Audiences will really be able to see the Canadian superstar soar in our intimate and state-of-the-art 1,500 seat showroom. Lavigne returns to the stage with an important story to share about her battle with Lyme Disease. We are honored to be her final stop in the United States. One dollar from each ticket will help fight the disease through her charity."

Tickets for Avril Lavigne are on sale now for $60-$100. One dollar from every ticket sold to her show at Parx will be donated to The Avril Lavigne Foundation. For more information on Parx Casino® and the Xcite Center, visit www.parxcasino.com or call (888) 588-7279.

Over the course of Avril's sixth full-length album and debut for BMG, she holds nothing back. She details each trial and tribulation from a perspective of triumph and emerges stronger than ever before. You're hearing the songstress as she was always meant to sound. "This is me and my fight," she affirms. "This album tells my story."

That story seems unbelievable from afar. One difficult night in particular while she fights for her life, a lyrical idea rushes through her body. Those words comprise "Head Above Water."

"I'm in a battle," she sighs. "One night, I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die. My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed 'God, please help to keep my head above the water.' In that moment, the song writing of this album began. It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on."

A year before, Avril's fight had just begun. Touring the world in support of her gold-certified Top 5-charting self-titled fifth album, the artist's health rapidly deteriorated. She can recall "barely making it" through 2014, while traveling from country to country and seeing numerous doctors on the road. No one could figure out what was wrong until her December, 2014 Lyme Disease diagnosis. She graced the cover of People Magazine to tell her story in early 2015. In the midst of her battle, she sat behind a piano and sang past the pain, architecting the early framework for her new album. 2017 represented a turning point as she slowly, but surely recovered strength and started recording again, starting with the first single "Head Above Water."

"I fought Lyme Disease on antibiotics and herbs for two years. I tried to have a life, but was in bed the majority of the time, and it was very up and down with good days and bad days. "When you're in bed for the better part of two years, you lose muscle mass," explains Avril "and your entire body gets weak. I've had to work to get my endurance up. 'Head Above Water' was the first song that I sang. I was fresh off not singing for two years. I thought my voice would be weak, it ended up being stronger than ever. The break happened to actually be good for my vocal cords."

In this headspace, she hit the studio with a bevy of collaborators, including Stephan Moccio, Chris Baseford, Johan Carlsson, Lauren Christy of The Matrix, Ryan Cabrera, Travis Clark, Bonnie McKee, JR Rotem, Mitch Allan and more.

"I really took my time to dig deep. Lyrically I pushed myself to be the best I possibly could and pulled from my experiences. Because I had so much quiet downtime, I was able to stay in the zone and get in touch with myself. Titles came from phrases I was saying that rang true to my experiences. Subjects were things that weighed heavy on my mind and heart. I sat at the piano and wrote my life."

Over the course of nearly two decades, her global sales have eclipsed 40 million albums and 50 million singles with five albums bowing in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200 and two at #1. Among countless accolades, she garnered eight GRAMMY® Award nominations and took home eight Juno Awards. She stands out as "one of the Soundscan-era's top-selling artists releasing albums in the U.S." and "third best-selling Canadian female artist of all-time." Billboard placed her in the Top 10 of its "Best of the 2000s" chart. Lavigne also set the Guinness World Record as "the youngest female solo artist to top the UK chart" and made history with "Girlfriend"-which became the "first music video to reach 100 million views on YouTube".

Additionally, she gives back at every turn via The Avril Lavigne Foundation. Since its inception in 2010, The Avril Lavigne Foundation, Avril and her fans around the world have been impacting lives for the better. Charitable beneficiaries including Easter Seals, Global Lyme Alliance, LymeLight Foundation, Make-A-Wish, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, Race to Erase MS, Special Olympics, Toronto Sick Kids, UNICEF and more have benefitted from the funds and awareness generated from these global efforts. The Avril Lavigne Foundation supports people with Lyme Disease, serious illness or disabilities. Through programs and grants, it provides funding, education and encouragement for its beneficiaries.

"Your support of The Avril Lavigne Foundation allows us to raise awareness and aid prevention of the Lyme epidemic and other diseases," explains Avril. "We directly impact the lives of individuals and families affected by Lyme through treatment grants administered by our charitable partners; and we've recently created an alliance to accelerate scientific research. All proceeds raised through our initiatives enable us to expand the number of lives we're able to transform." For additional info on The Avril Lavigne Foundation, visit http://www.TheAvrilLavigneFoundation.org

Avril is on the board of Race To Erase MS, and is engaged with the work of both LymeLight Foundation and Global Lyme Alliance. Her impact extends far beyond the worlds of music and philanthropy into business, fashion, film, and television as well. Following an entrepreneurial instinct and lifelong passion for fashion, she introduced Abbey Dawn in 2008. Defined by her edgy aesthetic, fashion-forward perspective, and attitude, it continues to thrive with new launches seasonally as well as presence at New York Fashion Weeks and more. Expanding her influence and furthering her passion for performance, she starred in Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation, DreamWorks Animation's film Over the Hedge, Fast Food Nation, The Flock, and more.

"I went through a lot to get here," she leaves off. "The positive side is I didn't stop living my life. Having music while I was healing and in recovery definitely pulled me out of my darkness. I had a goal to work towards and a purpose. I hope the album touches people. We all go through challenges in life. Some unfortunately are more serious than others. Having gone through the battle of my lifetime, I'm stronger than ever and looking forward to sharing my renewed voice and energy for my life with my fans through this new music."

The Xcite Center is part of a recent $50M expansion that included the opening of the new poker room, and two new restaurants (Oliveto and Liberty Bell Gastropub). The showroom was designed as a top quality music venue that would attract top caliber entertainers like Elton John, Chicago, Rascal Flatts, Wayne Brady, Dane Cook, Third Eye Blind, Snow Patrol and many others. The space is 30,000 square feet large and features over 1,500 seats, state-of-the-art sound and technology, 26 automated crystal chandeliers, gold fabric on the walls, three 16 ft x 9 ft IMAG giant video screens, and a 65-foot-wide and 30-foot-deep stage. Every seat in the house is designed to provide an excellent view - even the last row of seats provides a perfect view of the stage. Stay tuned for more shows to be announced through the fall and winter.

Parx Casino® is owned and operated by Greenwood Racing, Inc. and is the #1 revenue generating casino property in Pennsylvania. Parx Casino® is conveniently located 20 minutes north of center city Philadelphia, I-95 exit 37 or PA Turnpike exit 351 (westbound), exit 352 (eastbound) on Street Road in Bensalem Bucks County. Parx features over 200,000 square feet of gaming; 3,270 slot machines; 148 live table games; 40 poker tables; live racing & simulcast action; and Parx Sportsbook for on-site sports betting. Ample food and drink options include Liberty Bell Gastropub, farm-to-fork inspired menu; Oliveto, New York City style pizza and Italian Classics; Parx Grill, an upscale signature restaurant; Foodies quick service dining; Chickie's & Pete's Crab House and SportsBar; Jax sports bar; Circle Bar; Bambu Noodle House; The Lucky Cheese, gourmet grilled cheese eatery; XLounge, luxury casino lounge; and Parx Beer Garden, all-season patio and sports bar. For live entertainment, the Xcite Center draws the biggest names in comedy and music from across the country. Parx has ample space for parking for up to 5,000 cars. Parx Casino® continues to grow and entertain the region with the launch of the new Parx Sportsbook through a $10M expansion. For more information on Parx Casino®, visit www.parxcasino.com.

Photo credit: David Needleman

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