Live Review

Paramore – Liverpool Echo Arena

• 24th Nov 2010

Liverpool Echo Arena might be a relatively new arena, but it’s not so different to others – ticket prices, food prices and merch prices are out of the price range of most of the adolescents milling about the corridors before the shows. (Luckily, their chaperones are on-hand to stump up the cash for tshirts, tote bags, wristbands emblazoned with PARAMORE and/or frontwoman Hayley Williams’s elfin face) Despite paying these elevated prices, it seems a lot of people are happy to pay just to see one band, as the arena is still around three quarters empty when the show opens. It’s a shame, as there’s a diverse array of acts tonight that all have something different to offer.

It’s hard to count how many members there are in New York indie/rock act fun. as they explode onto the stage to start proceedings. (They’re actually a 3-piece, but their tour family needs to man a myriad of instruments to recreate their inimitable sound live.) The average age of this band is probably a few years higher than the headliner’s, and they aren’t in-keeping with the overpowering “emo” image of the evening (most of the audience can barely see out from under their side-fringe), but somehow within just minutes they have won the room’s attention.
By the end of the first song, no-one in the seats is sat down, and no-one on the floor is scuffing their shoes, impatiently waiting to see Paramore.Ok, the arena might not be packed to the rafters just yet, but those who are there are swept up in the quirky display before their eyes. Emily Moore (guitar/keyboards) is a vision in a seductively short dress; it’s near impossible to keep up with singer Nate’s movements as he twitches and twirls barefoot across the stage; and every time you look at full-time band member Andrew Dost behind his keyboard, he seems to be playing a different instrument!
The band establish an excellent rapport with the already hooked onlookers and reel them in with “At least I’m not as sad (as I used to be)” that has a memorable sing-a-long chorus which everyone warbles along to merrily, under Nate’s instruction. It’s a short set, but the irresistibly upbeat and utterly unpredictable sounds of ‘All The Pretty Girls’ and ‘Walkin the Dog’ stick in everyone’s minds. In fact, the atmosphere they create is so positive and awe-inspiring,their live set may even surpass the elaborate harmonies of album “Aim and Ignite”, released last year. The fans are fully-charged ready for B.o.B. and several are so taken with fun. that they climb over the seats to ask yours truly (potentially the only person who sang every line along with the band) what they were called! Fun. can be sure they have won themselves an entirely new fan base from sharing this stage tonight.

Hip-hopper B.o.B is a leap across genres. You could be forgiven for feeling dubious about how such a different act will be received by this crowd, but he’s as charming as he is talented. He himself spans several types of music in his set-list – there’s a little bit of soul, a little bit of r&b, a lot of rap. Many are surprised to see him playing the guitar himself – particularly when he busts out an MGMT cover! More still are surprised by just how many B.o.B songs they recognise (myself included) – “Magic” (on which single Weezer’s ultracool, ultra-alternative Rivers Cuomo sings) and “Nothin on You” (vocals by Bruno Mars) are met with particularly rapturous enthusiasm.
His two dancers, three backing singers and various other ‘crew’ turn this into something of a spectacle (especially when they all robot, and when everyone onstage dons their sunnies for “Past My Shades”) without being too much of a gimmick. The anticipation is almost tangible by the time the set finishes with – what else? Number one hit “Airplanes”, featuring none other than Hayley. Her outfit for later is concealed by a long parka, her hair is tied back, but she still looks adorable and screams echo throughout the building as she bounces along with B.o.B., who she appears to have a genuine bond with.

Soon, the wait is over. There’s a curtain still hiding the stage as the unmistakable opening riff to “Ignorance” blares out and from the moment the curtain drops, Paramore relentlessly deliver hit after hit with unmistakable passion. Meanwhile, the screens behind them (one screen per band member) mix live footage with video footage, which engage everyone further than the two standard screens either side of the stage can.
Hayley’s hair looks pinker than her trademark orange, and her ‘Beware Of Youth’ vest teamed with trousers and braces is pretty unusual, but the simplicity and modesty of her ensemble only serve to make her more likable. In fact, every member of the band looks presentable and dedicated to giving their fans their all tonight. After seven electrifying tracks taken from all three of their albums – which keeps old and new fans happy – they strip down for an acoustic set on a sofa they claim they stole backstage. They play an acoustic cover of a country song in homage to their home state of Tennessee, “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” and by some miracle, they make it cool.
A note hits the stage during this quieter section of the set. It’s from “the guy in the tiger suit” and his birthday wish is to rock out on-stage with Paramore. So of course, lovable Hayley has him plucked from the crowd and the disbelief on his face is just another point in the band’s favour. Paramore are even kind enough to introduce one another formally. Each member is greeted with raucous screams, but it’s only when Hayley herself is introduced the true extent of the fanworship here in Liverpool is revealed; it’s deafening!
All too soon, they’re playing their “last song” (you know, the one they play before they pretend to say goodbye). It’s “The Only Exception” and the raw emotion of the song is beautifully expressed by the huge voice pouring out of the tiny woman on stage. It’s an almost depressing moment as Paramore make their exit, so powerful is this song. Fortunately, they return with the anthemic “Brick By Boring Brick” (all together now: ‘ba da ba, ba da ba ba da…”) and finish with perhaps their best-known song “Misery Business.” Hayley pulls the birthday boy out of the crowd again, and a girl to sing with her, and it’s obvious that Paramore truly appreciate their fans as they make their dreams come true. Meanwhile, avid fans are actually pocketing the confetti that’s raining down on them as a souvenir – apart from those lucky enough to catch a pick or drumstick.
It might be easy to perceive them as a generic emo/pop-punk band if you’ve never experience them live, but Paramore have talent, poise and showmanship beyond their years that can only truly be appreciated in the flesh. That’s the reason fans are clamouring to see them in an arenas instead of the acadamies they started out in. Look out, because world domination is surely the next logical step for Hayley and co…