On June 4, I stood for a total of five hours in a crowded general admissions pit just to see the unbeatable and high-energy band almost all listened to at least once if you grew up during the early-2000s: Paramore. Performing at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, the two-hour set was full of fan-favorites and new songs from the trio’s latest album, “This Is Why,” which was released back in February.
After being a fan of Paramore since middle school, I was incredibly excited to see lead vocalist Hayley Williams in particular, as she’s known for pulling out elaborate dance moves and impressive dives up and down the vocal octave while she’s performing. With an off-white blazer set and black fishnets, the singer instantly brought her swagger out within minutes of the band’s opening number, “You First.”
Next came “The News,” one of the lead singles from “This Is Why.” A song all about the spread of misinformation, as well as the imminent rise of technology, Paramore amped up their guitars as Williams belted, “Every second our collective heart breaks / All together, every single head shakes / Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away / Turn on, turn off the news.”
These two songs definitely helped the band start on the right foot, but fans were even more eager to hear one of their biggest songs, “That’s What You Get.” Nostalgic of early-2000s pop-punk, the whole arena shook as everyone shouted its lyrics in unison. Following a high point in the set came the only low point of the night, “Playing God.” While this song is a classic, it seemed like the band just wasn’t as into it as the previous three songs, but maybe acted as a cool down for Williams instead.
Luckily, the energy instantly was lifted when Paramore whipped out songs from their beloved 2017 album, “After Laughter.” Being some of my personal favorites, “Caught In the Middle” and “Rose-Colored Boy” were iconic parts of the set, especially when Williams did her famous kung-fu-esque dance alongside guitarist and partner Taylor York. Seeing the two be playful on stage was a heartfelt moment early on, which left fans swooning by the end of the tracks.
Paramore jumped back to another lead single from “This Is Why” called “Running Out Of Time,” which saw the crowd light up again as the stage lighting moved from bright pastels to colors such as orange and black. Before the song, Williams explained the writing-process behind it, saying that the band wrote it for “all the times they’ve been late to something.”
If you’re a Twilight fan, the trio thankfully played “Decode” afterwards, a song that Williams proved her extensive vocal range on as she belted confidently throughout the four-minute ballad. Reminiscent again of their early days as a band, it was cool to see Paramore’s growth since its release in 2008.
Arguably one of the best moments of the night was when the band sang “Last Hope,” which I will admit is my all-time favorite song by Paramore. Once again, Williams gave a speech before this track, reflecting on the meaning behind it, as well as their last arena tour in 2013. With tears streaming down my face, the whole crowd put up their phone flashlights to sing about holding onto hope, especially when faced with life’s randomness.
“Big Man, Little Dignity” was a new track added to the setlist after the band recently finished touring throughout the United Kingdom, and as the stage turned to an emerald green, it felt like Williams was finally getting comfortable with the Cleveland crowd. Singing of narcissism and ignorance, this was another track that everyone easily could relate to.
As Paramore transitioned into the second half of their set, the stage grew dark as Williams climbed up to a new stage above the audience to sing “Liar” and “Crystal Clear,” two songs that all fans suspect to be about her relationship with York. As the three sat in their own shadows, it was an intimate part of the set that saw the singer at her most vulnerable.
Once again, the band snapped out of their lusty haze to perform more songs from “After Laughter,” including “Hard Times” and “Told You So.” These two songs were straight time portals back to the sounds of the 1980s, with Williams even integrating Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” into each song. Personally, hearing the singer scream, “Throw me into the fire / Throw me in, pull me out again” was a moment I had been waiting to hear live since I was 14, so she definitely did not disappoint.
“Figure 8” was another highly anticipated song fans wanted to hear from the band, and Williams made sure to hit some of the highest notes of the night. Upbeat and similar in sound to “Decode,” this new song from Paramore reminded me of songs from previous albums, “Riot!” and “Brand New Eyes.”
While the night was coming to a close, Paramore took a moment to thank the audience for their loyalty to them as a band, as well as their energy and compassion. Thus, this transitioned into one of the best love songs of all time, “The Only Exception.” As the band all sang together, fans could be seen hugging, crying, and kissing their friends and loved ones, making it a tender and wholesome experience to hear live.
Being that it was drummer Zac Farro’s birthday, he then came out to play one of his own songs, “Baby.” It was a silly and fun time to see Williams and Farro harmonize together as the drummer encouraged the audience to do a call and response with him, showing off his charisma and laid-back energy as a performer.
“Crave” and the iconic “Misery Business” came next, getting roaring applause from the crowd as fans jumped up and down violently to both songs. Bringing up a fan from the crowd to perform the latter, Williams looked so excited and happy to be singing alongside her biggest supporters.
Paramore swung into their Grammy-award winning song “Ain’t It Fun” following those songs, which was another energetic and nostalgic moment in the show. The whole arena knew the words to this song, and the visuals alongside Williams’ dance moves caused everyone to get up and dance once more.
Finally, the band’s encore consisted of “Still Into You” and “This Is Why,” and while Williams was sad to almost reach the curfew for their set, she signed off with Paramore’s mantra: “We love you, we love you, and we are Paramore!” These final moments made me realize how much this band loves their fans, as well as how the energy rarely died on or off stage.
Overall, if you haven’t seen Paramore live yet, you simply need to. With so many eras in their musical catalog, it’s hard not to find a song by this band that isn’t a banger, especially when they have so many. The trio is on tour throughout the rest of the summer, ending on Aug. 2 in Saint Paul, MN., so go see them now or never witness the absolute powerhouse that this band is.
Rating: 5 / 5
