There was something under the tree for everyone at Kiss 108’s Jingle Ball 2006. 

  Well, sort of. 

    Maybe metalheads and hard-core rap fans would have found fault with Thursday night’s lineup, but teens and their chaperones at the sold-out Tsongas Arena were ecstatic about the roster of pop-radio artists. Twenty-minute sets gave fans enough time to go hoarse, but not enough time to get bored. And an impromptu autograph session with Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling in a corner of the arena added to the night’s ambiance. 

    Scotland’s husky-voiced KT Tunstall delivered a worthy opening performance featuring her hit “Suddenly I See,” mixing pop with folk-rock and setting things up nicely for ex-“Newlywed” Nick Lachey. 

    Lachey kept his set monochro matic, and the color was loneliness: The hunky 33-year-old has mastered the art of the forlorn stare and the half-crouching plea, and used them liberally on slow, post-Jessica Simpson breakup tracks including “I Can’t Hate You Anymore” and “What’s Left of Me,” which even had adult males singing along. 

    The Pussycat Dolls showcased more than skimpy outfits and provocative choreography. The sextet gave a high-energy, hair-whipping set that capitalized on lead singer Nicole Scherzinger’s charisma as well as her pipes on the India-flavored “Buttons” and pulsating “Don’t Cha.” 

    Nelly Furtado gave the most interesting and unusual performance of the night: an ethereal, electronic set that featured interpretive dance, an ’80s vibe and Furtado kicking it to Timbaland-produced tracks “Maneater,” “Promiscuous” and the spooky “Say It Right.” 

    Fans got a break in the pop mix from Fall Out Boy, which showed what happens when you combine a shirtless, tattooed drummer,supertight pants, a manic guitarist and bassist and a good singer, especially on the hit “Dance Dance.” 

    The Fray, which closed the show, pick up nicely where Coldplay leaves off, delivering piano-driven, melodic rock without tricks. “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life” were stunning, but even singer Isaac Slade had to give it up to the preceding act, Chris Brown. 

    Whether pulling up a stool for the ballad “Say Goodbye” or back-flipping his way through “Gimme That” and “Run It,” teenage r & b star Brown blended schoolboy charm, sex appeal, heartfelt vocals and astonishing choreography. 

    Just ask the Fray’s Slade. He paused between his group’songs to praise Brown with probably the night’s only understatement: “That guy’s got some moves.”

Baby Safe Haven Sponosrs Avril Lavigne Concert at the Tweeter Center

August 29, 2005

Baby Safe Haven New England Foundation cofounders Jean and Mike Morrisey attended the Tweeter Center Avril Lavigne concert along with the MA Baby Safe Haven law spokesperson, actress, Sarah. 

The Tweeter Center displayed Baby Safe Haven law posters and information in strategic locations.