At the beginning of summer, on May 30 this year, my friends and I got the opportunity to go to a Paramore concert at Madison Square Garden! It was such a fun experience and was a great way to kick off the summertime.
I ended up buying two Paramore shirts at the merch table, a black one with Hayley Williams wearing stilts on it, and a white one that was exclusive to Madison Square Garden. I also wanted to buy a white tote bag with an apple on it that was also exclusive to the venue, but when my friends and I got to the front of the line, they were all sold out. On our way to our seats, we found another merch table area, and they had the tote bag this time, but we didn’t feel like waiting in the long line.
The first opener of the night was Genesis Owusu, an indie and alternative artist from Australia. He was very energetic and enthusiastic while performing, and he set the mood for the rest of the concert. He performed songs such as “Leaving the Light,” “Void,” “GTFO,” “Get Inspired,” and more. Although his setlist for May 30 hasn’t been updated, you can find his setlist for May 31 here, since I believe his setlist is the same every time when he opens for Paramore.
The second opener of the night was Bloc Party, an indie rock band from East London. They performed songs such as “In Situ,” “High Life,” “Banquet,” “Blue,” and more. I enjoyed the band’s sound, and out of the songs that they performed, my favorites were ‘“Hunting for Witches,” “Song for Clay (Disappear Here),” “Traps,” “Helicopter,” and “Ratchet.” I can definitely see myself listening to more of their music in the future. You can find their entire setlist here.
Then, it was finally time for Paramore to take the stage. They started off their setlist with “You First,” which is one of their songs from their new album “This Is Why” which was released this past February. This song got everyone’s blood pumping, and I felt like it was an excellent song to start their setlist with.
They also performed some of their popular older songs, such as “That’s What You Get,” “Rose-Colored Boy,” “Decode,” “Hard Times,” and more. My favorite songs that they performed were “Playing God,” “Caught in the Middle,” “Running Out of Time,” “Last Hope,” Crave,” and “Still Into You.” You can find their entire setlist here.
One song that I wasn’t expecting them to perform was “Crystal Clear,” which is one of the songs off of Hayley’s solo album “Petals For Armor.” I was ecstatic about this because I adore that album of hers so much.
They also covered the song “Baby” by HalfNoise as a part of their setlist. I thought this was a cute song, and that it brought some of the energy back after performing “The Only Exception.” Zac Farro, the drummer of the band, was so upbeat during the cover. It was great seeing the band have so much fun with each other on stage.
Later on, Paramore picked a fan out of the audience to perform the bridge of “Misery Business,” something that they do at every concert. It’s always so fun to see who they’ll pick, and the fan who got picked had great energy while onstage. Everyone in the audience was clapping and cheering for them. Also, it’s kind of funny because the fan who got picked has the same name as one of my friends. (The night after our concert, Lil Uzi Vert went on stage with Paramore to sing during “Misery Business.” I wish I got to see that in person)
The last song that Paramore performed that night was “Still Into You,” which is the song that got me into the band during middle school. It was nice to be able to listen to that song live, as it brought back a lot of middle school memories.
Overall, getting to see Paramore perform live was an incredible experience, and I always look forward to going to concerts with my friends, no matter who the artist is. If you’re a Paramore fan and get the chance, I would definitely recommend that you see them live.