People fill the floor of the arena, others are filing into their seats on the outer sections. You can feel the energy radiating off of everyone in the building. Many have been waiting for years to see the band live again, and others, this is their first time. The stage is set, drums are uncovered and microphones are ready. All that is left is for the band to take the stage. 

The music playing throughout the arena stops, the lights get dark, and the crowd begins to scream, ready for the show to begin. The members begin to fill the stage, they begin to play, and as the lead singer takes the stage and begins to sing, the show begins. 

Paramore brought their This Is Why Tour to Cleveland, Ohio at the Rocket Mortgage Arena on June 4, 2023. This tour is in support of their February 2023 album This Is Why, the first album release from the band since their 2017 album After Laughter. Needless to say, this tour and album was highly anticipated for fans who have been waiting years to finally see this amazing band live. 

I think it goes without saying that Paramore is a fantastic live band. The energy they bring to the stage is unmatched. Hayley Williams commands the stage with her presence and nails every single song. She uses the whole stage, interacts with the crowd, dances and just brings every single song to life. Her use of facial expressions, vocal delivery and just overall presence brings out the emotion in every song and makes the audience even more engaged. Obviously her vocal performance was on point, but it is Hayley Williams. We know she will always bring it on stage.

Williams encouraged everyone to be themselves and let loose, and that is what everyone did. I know I was dancing in my seat and singing every word at the top of my lungs. There was no such thing as bad dancing at the show. Looking into the crowd, you see people having the time of their lives, hearing songs that they have loved for years. It was a positive, loving, and welcoming environment.

The feeling of love and being welcomed with open arms was evident not only from the crowd, but from the band themselves. Williams repeatedly talked about Paramore as a family. She mentioned that if this was your first show, you are now a part of the Paramore family. That everyone in the family makes up Paramore, because without the fans and support, they would not be able to do what they do. The fans have watched the band grow up and become who they are today. They have stuck by them even through the tough times. They would not be able to be on stage, and they are extremely grateful for that. 

The set list consisted of songs that span the band’s entire discography. They played songs off of their new album like “Running Out Of Time,” “The News,” “Figure 8,” “Big Man, Little Dignity” and “Crave.” They also played songs from the previous albums like, “That’s What You Get,” “Ain’t It Fun,” “Rose-Colored Boy,” “Playing God,” “Last Hope” and “The Only Exception.” 

A favorite moment of the show was when the group played “Decode.” This classic song brought out the early 2000’s angsty teen in the whole crowd as we screamed the classic line “how did we get here”. If you were not already losing your mind, when this song began, you were screaming the lyrics and headbanging for sure. The heavy drums, guitars and Williams killer voice brought the song to life and the crowd was living for it.

Not only was the band fantastic, but so was the stage set up and visual effects. Behind the band was a large screen that provided visuals for each track, to further bring the song to life. Some of my favorite ones were the ones that had the lyrics of the song. For “Decode,” it was the chorus with the words splattered around the screen. Others were just different color visuals to match the vibe of the song and some was just the band being broadcasted with a filter or effect added, like some sort of distorted effect during “This Is Why.” Whatever it was, added another level of creativity and life to the performance. Even if you could not see the band, you still had something to see at all times. 

Confetti and streamers were shot off into the crowd throughout the night. Many fans scrambled to gather as much as they could hold to take home as a souvenir. As well as some gold sparkler pyrotechnics that go off from the ceiling behind the band during “The Only Exception.” They lit up the stage as they fell from the sky as Williams belted out the last notes of the loved acoustic love song, adding to the beauty of the already beautiful Paramore classic. 

A stand out moment in the show was around half way through the show the band exited the stage and the back portion rose up until it was around the middle of the screen. It became a small stage and the lights came back on slightly, but they were still dark. All you could see was just silhouettes of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro, and Taylor York. The screen was lit up with clouds and the sky, with orange lights providing the soul lights on the trio. There was no introduction: they appeared on the stage and began to play. The crowd was silent and just took in the beautiful moment in front of them. Here, they played “Liar” off This is Why and “Crystal Clear” off Williams’s solo record Petals For Armor. 

That part of the set was a beautiful and memorable moment. It was so simple and personal. It felt like it was just you and the band, and not like you were in an arena full of others. There were no crazy effects, or over the top choreography. It was just instrumental and vocals. You could not help but watch and be the moment. Williams’ vocals soared and filled the arena magnificently, allowing for the whole crowd to feel the emotion and be in the moment with the band. It was a time to sit back and admire the talent that is Paramore. 

Drummer Zac Farro also played a song by his band HalfNoise titled “Baby,” which was so cool. It allowed fans who may have not been familiar with Farro’s work outside of Paramore to hear his other music and was a bonus for those who are fans of HalfNoise. It also showed how supportive the group is of each other’s work outside of the band, just further cementing how amazing Paramore is. 

Of course, a Paramore show would not be a Paramore show without the major hit and favorite of many “Misery Business.” This song absolutely goes off every time. It is loved not only by Paramore fans, but many others who grew up in the 2000’s. Everyone screams every lyric, dances, headbangs, does whatever they want. Williams feeds off the energy of the crowd and goes just as crazy, jumping and dancing all around the stage. Of course, there is the part of the song right before the bridge when they invite a lucky fan on stage to sing the rest of the song with the group, and this show was no different. They brought a lucky fan on stage who was so happy and shocked. She absolutely killed it. They nailed the bridge and owned the stage. It was such a fun moment to watch from the crowd. 

You can find dates and tickets for upcoming shows on Paramore’s official website. You can also stream their new album This Is Why on all major streaming platforms.