I introduced Paramore to my daughter back in 2008. This was the 4th show that I have taken her to since then. As the years have gone by and the difficulty the band has had recently I wasn’t sure what to expect.
We did get your new album and had been listening to it a lot since release. While it is great in it’s own right, I was nervous on how the new sound was going to be live. This show put those nerves to rest.
You opened with “Moving On” then rolled right into the always popular “Misery Business”. This set the mood of mixing old with new. Which as I watched and listened mixed very well. The new music that seemed to sound so different than the old via the album came alive and punked up appropriately with the old. The driving drum beats and bass continued to drive the party forward. For it did feel like a celebration of sorts. A celebration of being Paramore and being alive.
This party atmosphere was enlightened further by the new and improve staging, lights and effects. This was much more of an arena feeling show then in the past (even having seen you on Honda tour).
Your energy was contagious and we as an audience fed off it as much as you fed off us.
In the end we were exhausted even though it was still early for a night out.
Now for some constructive criticism. You walked a fine line of celebrating the continuation of the band and the bashing of the drama. While I felt the show had matured, this attitude was showing a lack of maturity. This was most present if the first half of the concert and thankfully diminished.
I still feel though that you guys are working through your feelings and are not 100% sure on where your going. For example, I was disappointed that your drummer, backup guitarist, keyboard players were treated like studio musicians. To me Paramore needs to be a full band. I hope you can move forward and bring those guys into the inner circle and make it the ensemble that we know and love.
Lastly I can’t write this without mentioning Kitten. What a great choice for an opening act. I felt bad in that Chloe stated they were there only to open for you. They in themselves did so much more than that. The energy they brought held us over during your setup and left us wanting more. While i had been listening to their music these past months, seeing them live was a whole new experience. I hope they find the production that can really let their music be heard. The current mix is just not right for them and doesn’t leave us with the fullness their instrumentals and vocals deserve. I’m looking forward to hearing great music from them in the future.
Thanks for the party and enjoy your tour!!!!!
– Ben
