I made a critical mistake.

Halfway through watching Avril Lavigne's 'The Best Damn Tour - Live in Toronto', I stopped it and slipped U2's 'Go Home: Live from Slane Castle' into my DVD-player instead.

I know, I know — making comparisons with what is arguably U2's best live DVD is not fair, but this is indeed the benchmark that any artist should aspire to.

Instead, let's compare Lavigne's 'Live in Toronto' DVD with her live show when she was here in Cape Town (don't shoot me; I used to be a big fan before she went pink).

Her Cape Town show had terrible sound, which was only matched by Lavigne's complete lack of stage presence (she literally walked back-and-forth on the stage while belting out her songs.)

Compared to that, 'Live in Toronto' was an exponential step in the right direction. Considering that live DVDs usually fail to capture the electric atmosphere of a concert, then one can only conclude that the Toronto show must have been quite an experience.

Thanks to proper recording and mastering, the sound on the DVD is very good. 'The Best Damn Tour' also features better direction, with backup dancers, good lighting and Lavigne doing more than just walking around on the stage (although there is still a fair bit of that).

Song-wise there's a good selection of her hits, with some profanity added to some of the lyrics.

Although it's not exactly in the same league as U2's 'Slane Castle', it's a vast improvement on Avril Lavigne's previous live DVD excursion, 'My World'. Get it, if you're a fan. But if the pink is too much for you, move along.