Paramore at QCOTG

 Rawk Shows   

OMG, after three years of trying to track this band down to see, I finally got to revel in the glory of Hayley and the boys. Hooray. I’m gonna say right now that Hayley is the Gwen Stefani of her generation. Maybe I will expound on that theory another time, but for now, let’s get to it…

Paramore
Qualcomm Concerts on the Green
8/1/08

Encore:
Misery Business

Yes, there were large, neon letters spelling out “RIOT”. No, they weren’t trying to be disorderly, Riot! is the name of their latest album of which Hayley and the boys ripped through along with some old favorites for a crowd pleasing set. Yes, the tween girls were out in full force, and yes, there was a lot of singing along. But Hayley. She is a performer through and through. Living up to the fiery redhead stereotype for sure. Hayley kept up the stage banter throughout the set and especially was encouraging fans to sing and clap along. She didn’t really need to do that because we were already there. She cracked me up when she asked everyone to put up their hands. She shook hers around and then said “jazz hands”. And all of us geeks giggled with her.

The songs came at you in a fast and furious pace until we got to “When It Rains”. She dedicated the next song, an acoustic version of “My Heart” to the band’s livejournal community. I was stoked when she dedicated “Pressure” to the fans of the first album (me! me!) That song was really one of my faves. Another highlight of the show was when she started “Hallelujah” with a haunting tease of the “Leonard Cohen” version. I’m sure that was lost on some people, but it wasn’t on me. Very cool. Of course, the encore was “Misery Business”. How could it not be?

Such a great show all around. I’m way stoked I spent my night under the stars experiencing the joys of show. That is all.