Throughout the night, Hayley Williams was left speechless.
Whenever she spoke or interacted with the Detroit crowd, the fans would match her energy and then some, leaving smiles on the faces of the members of the band.
Paramore made their Detroit stop on Wednesday, June 7 at Little Caesar’s Arena. Whether it was the performance, the music or the crowd — or a combination — it was a contender for “show of the year.”
Supporting acts featured opener Genesis Owusu and Bloc Party. The Australian artist laid the foundation for the energy felt throughout the event, with a fun performance mixing elements of hip-hop, R&B and rock. Bloc Party kept it going, setting the stage for Paramore.
The headliner took the stage as ‘Note To Self’ was played, a poem written by Williams. Paramore’s performance opened with two songs of the new record This Is Why — ‘You First’ and ‘The News.’ The band quickly followed with the classic ‘That’s What You Get’ from 2007’s Riot! as fans belted their hearts out in unison with Williams. As the band played the song, pyro went off to loud cheers from the crowd.
Another classic in ‘Playing God’ was performed next before Williams addressed the fans, telling them that this was their show and it was time to make some memories.
Following the monologue, Paramore went into ‘Caught In The Middle’ — featuring Williams’ iconic dance — and ‘Rose-Colored Boy.’
Williams addressed the fans again before the band played another new track, the single ‘The News.’ This time, Williams spoke of the bands strong roots in Detroit, having played at The Shelter nearly 20 years before and now playing in the home of the Red Wings and Pistons.
@thepitmedia #paramore on 🔥 in Detroit! #thisiswhy #hardtimes #hayleywilliams ♬ original sound – The Pit Media
“We always had good shows here, we always met people we really loved hanging out with,” she said. “And so, you know, we created a lot of moments here that we’ll never forget — and this is another one of them.”
During ‘The News,’ Williams seemingly forgot part of the words to the new song. Whether it’s because she actually forgot or was just overwhelmed by the fans singing along, she said with a wink: “You know it better than me!”
Next, Paramore played ‘Decode’ and as Hayley Williams sang, she was nearly drowned out by the 20,000 fans singing along. ‘Last Hope’ and another new track, ‘Big Man, Little Dignity’ were played before the first short intermission. Following that, the three full-time members of the band were raised above the stage on a smaller stage for performances of ‘Liar’ and ‘Crystal Clear.’
After that, the band was back on the main stage and jumped right into the hit ‘Hard Times.’ That led into five more songs, new and old — including ‘The Only Exception,’ which Williams describes as the first love song she ever wrote.
Before the band played their first hit ‘Misery Business,’ Williams again spoke on the band’s roots in Detroit. She said the first time they had heard the song played over the radio was while sitting on a their tour bus in Detroit with the windows opened. They ended up meeting Papa Smurf, a local legend, and as such they dedicated the song to him. Additionally, during the performance of ‘Misery Business,’ Williams singled out a fan in the crowed named Rai to come on stage and finish the hit with her. Rai killed it, by the way, as fans celebrated his opportunity and the love of both band and city.
The performance seemingly ended with ‘Ain’t It Fun’ before the band took a short break. (Does anyone else hate these faux encores?)
Paramore ended the night with ‘Still Into You’ and, finally, the title track off the new record This Is Why.
It was an energetic, fun and passionate night of music that celebrated nearly 20 years of Paramore as well as the city of Detroit and its role in the bands upbringing. Paramore weaved in and out of songs new and old. In all, the show featured eight of 10 new tracks from This Is Why while hitting on hits from every record and era of Paramore. It was a night to remember, for sure.
