Haley Williams—aka Ms. “If you vote for Ron DeSantis, you’re fucking dead to me”—was in Orlando on Tuesday night as her revered rock and roll band Paramore played a sold-out show at Amway Center. Read a review from Gabrielle Reeder below.—Ray Roa
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A few weeks ago, Hayley Williams’s name was in “The News” for her comments on Ron Desantis. Last night, she spoke about her opinions without directly mentioning the politician’s name. Williams’ fearlessness about protecting humanity resonated with the 20,000 Floridians packed into Amway Center in Orlando.
Before she directed some of her hits, including “Big Man, Little Dignity” to a nameless man born in Florida, she opened the pop-punk show with a track off Paramore’s newest album. While some long-time fans tuned in to scream “Misery Business” and other tracks off older albums, about half of the arena knew every lyric to “You First.”
“Karma’s gonna come for all of us, and I hope, well, I hope, I just hope she comes for you first,” William sang in her unique soprano that beamed throughout the home of the Orlando Magic.
Following a boisterous explosion of applause from fans clad in “Misery Business”-themed skirts, mesh shirts, and graphic tees from past Paramore tours, the band, including OG members Zac Farro and Taylor York, launched into “The News,” a social (and political) commentary on what it means to live in modern society.
Each musical number features Williams’ stunning dance moves that crescendoed with the audience’s energy. During every show, she advises the audience that they are in a safe space where reality ceases to appear, and they can shine with their weird dance moves and eager excitement.
Of course, you can’t attend a Paramore show without some of the most influential Riot! tracks, and when the opening drum beat of “That’s What You Get” echoed through the arena, the audience filled the room with every ounce of sound they could produce. Thousands jumped to the catchy chorus, “That’s what you get when you let your heart win,” The audience raged in collective heartbreak. A stream of fireworks exploded from the backdrop, cementing the finale of act one.
Williams showed a little more love for her older projects, starting with the punkish vexation “Playing God” off her self-proclaimed angriest album Brand New Eyes, and two fan-favorites from The 2017 album After Laughter: “Caught in the Middle” and “Rose Colored Boy.” Williams concluded the latter by spitting straight up in the air, some of which landed on a security guard manning the front of the stage. She apologized, claiming that was disrespectful behavior, and promised to watch out for her saliva spittle landing on other humans for the rest of the show.
Williams blends comedy with gratitude seamlessly. After saying sorry to security, she paused to reflect on Paramore’s journey, thanking each and every fan in attendance for allowing the band to delve into experimental music and create a new space for music. She prefaced the following song about her inability to arrive on time, “Running Out of Time,” with a special thanks to those who continue to support the band no matter how wonky or experimental their discography may get.
One of the best moments of the spectacle highlighted Williams’ impressive vocal range. Fans know that woman can hit the notes in “All I Wanted,” though she doesn’t sing that tune much due to the pressure on the vocal cords, and she doesn’t shine any less through the 2008 single “Decode,” penned the hit for the vampiric universe of “Twilight.”
Decode’s lyrics splayed on the backdrop behind Williams, urging every concert-goer to belt the chorus alongside her crushing the vibratos near the song’s denouement.
The fearless frontwoman asked the audience to raise two pinkies in the air and said, “I wanted to dedicate [this song] to someone from Florida, but I can’t remember his name.” The audience chuckled, decoding the recipient of her indirect message as none other than DeSantis. Throughout the concert, Williams called back to her comments dissing the governor at a New Jersey festival, saying she only wishes to speak to those who matter, and those who matter are the audience and humanity. She encouraged the crowd to vote for humanity, including people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and kids.
Lights diminished on many pinkies struck in the air as Williams, Farro, and York climbed up to the suspended B stage for a short, silhouette acoustic set. The original three members entered with “Liar” and a Williams original “Crystal Clear,” with an impressive acapella intro. Several hundred crowd members sat and swayed to this soothing set. A few kids even nuzzled into their chairs and got some shut-eye.
The audience needed a few songs to crawl back into the upbeat energy present during the first half of the show. However, Williams knows what to do to command a crowd.
She introduced Paramore’s Grammy-nominated 2008 ballad with an anecdote surrounding the inception of “The Only Exception.” She noted that the band struggled with performing this song for a few years due to its inability to fit the ballot for rock. Yet, she admitted the song forms its own space and is a great ballad, so they reclaimed its roots and added it to the setlist. Almost as if on cue, the music enthusiasts flipped on their phone flashlights and waved the spotlights through the air to the sweet love song.
To keep up the lovestruck energy, Williams told drummer Farro to move to a front mic and sing one of his band, HalfNoise’s latest releases, “Baby.” With a dedication to his family in attendance, Farro and Williams harmonized over a captivating chorus, “I don’t wanna go to sleep even if you’re in my dreams. I don’t wanna be without my baby.”
Back to business, the business of misery, perhaps? Williams humored the audience, imploring it to take a trip down memory lane. The majority knew what that meant. Halfway through “Misery Business,” the powerhouse halted singing to bring up a lucky audience member to come up and sing the remainder of the No. 1 hit.
The chosen one happened to be a girl, Lacey, who sang “The Only Exception” to Williams 10 years ago. Security helped Lacey on stage, and Louise Bartle, the drummer from one opener, Bloc Party, ran on to stage to duet with the ecstatic fan. In true rockstar fashion, Lacey tripped on stage but stayed on the ground, kicking her feet into the air as Williams dove onto the floor with her and hugged her. After the awe-inspiring duo sang the final notes, confetti cannons blasted into the air.
The set ended with the titular album track “This is Why” and more confetti and fireworks, but aside from the musical performances, the most exceptional moments came from Williams’ ability to speak out and for humanity. A couple in the front row got engaged during Crave, attracting Williams’s attention and applause. Kids in the audience clapped when Williams touched on political matters and urged the audience to sign a petition to put abortion back on the ballot.
In these “Hard Times,” we live in, bands like these may be our “Last Hope.”
