Paramore, You Me At Six, Twenty One Pilots @ All Phones Arena, Sydney (11/01/2014)
Something magical happened on January 11. Fans came together for one of the most unified displays of appreciation for music I’ve ever seen. We sweated. We cried. We sang. We lost ourselves.
twenty l one l pilots opened the show and it was immediately obvious the crowd were ready for a rock show. The musical duo from America have been making a name for themselves and they won Sydney over with their energetic stage presence. Lead singer Tyler Joseph declared they were going to “give you everything we have in our short time” and the crowd obediently ebbed and swayed along with the catchy tunes and prompts from Tyler for more energy.
The duo wanted only one thing – to call their mum and say “they loved us” but they knew they would have to work for it. A perfect rendition of their best known hit House of Gold, skilled drumming and a backflip off the piano from Josh Dun was just the start. Their set closed with drum kits centre stage and Josh and Tyler executing a choreographed set on the skins that left the crowd omitting deafening screams. There is no doubt twenty l one l pilots will be welcomed back into the country. Hopefully, this time it will be for a longer set. If this is what they produced as a supporting act, what could they possibly bring to their own tour?
I had not heard much about You Me At Six except internet chatter about how good this British rock band was. So I was excited to get my first taste of them live and witness them rile the crowd up to new levels of hysteria. There were definitely some You Me At Six fans in the crowd. Lead singer Josh Franceschi declared that this was "one of the best shows we've ever played" proving that an enthusiastic, responsive crowd will get you half way there in a perfect rock show. Their setlist was relatively short and was a mixture of old songs and new tunes off their upcoming album Cavalier Youth, out January 27.
The lights dimmed and my ears shattered with screams as Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Jeremy Davis burst onto the stage with Grow Up.
New songs off their self-titled album received as rousing a welcome as the older material, and as she does so dutifully at every show, although there is now no question of their existence, Hayley announces "We. Are. PARAMORE".
Hayley waxed lyrical about the band's journey and ultimately the fans' journey and said at this moment, right now, we are making memories to look back on when we're old. Although, according to Hayley, there will be less headbanging then.
Instrumental interludes I'm Not Angry Anymore, Holiday and Moving On created a fun atmosphere and showed off the skills possessed by each of the band members. Slower songs In The Mourning, with a snippet of Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, and Last Hope were a chance for Hayley to show off her vocal range and talents.
Every time I hear Paramore perform The Only Exception live I get goosebumps. But this time, All Phones Arena was illuminated with camera lights and lighters as the crowd swayed and at times, overpowered Hayley with their singing and the experience was truly magical.
The Hillsong choir joined Paramore on stage for Ain't It Fun and it was a look at a more grown up band. Previous shows have been about showcasing the music in the purest form. No costume changes. No fancy stage props, except the renowned Paramore box. But this time around it was done in a way that it was complimented by epic laser light shows and electro beats between songs. Paramore put on a stage show which culminated in balloons falling from the sky and sprays of orange confetti for the finale, Still Into You.
This is a band I have followed from the start and no matter what they do, I see the same enthusiasm from the crowd and the band's dedication to their fans which shows no signs of wavering. I still get chills every time Hayley holds out that microphone and prompts the crowd to sing a line and wait in anticipation for the Pressure flip from Taylor and Jeremy.
How often can we be truly surprised in the most amazing way by something we think we know so well? Setlists and venues change but each time the response is overwhelming and it makes me realise this is what music is all about.
Nicole Barlow
twenty l one l pilots opened the show and it was immediately obvious the crowd were ready for a rock show. The musical duo from America have been making a name for themselves and they won Sydney over with their energetic stage presence. Lead singer Tyler Joseph declared they were going to “give you everything we have in our short time” and the crowd obediently ebbed and swayed along with the catchy tunes and prompts from Tyler for more energy.
The duo wanted only one thing – to call their mum and say “they loved us” but they knew they would have to work for it. A perfect rendition of their best known hit House of Gold, skilled drumming and a backflip off the piano from Josh Dun was just the start. Their set closed with drum kits centre stage and Josh and Tyler executing a choreographed set on the skins that left the crowd omitting deafening screams. There is no doubt twenty l one l pilots will be welcomed back into the country. Hopefully, this time it will be for a longer set. If this is what they produced as a supporting act, what could they possibly bring to their own tour?
I had not heard much about You Me At Six except internet chatter about how good this British rock band was. So I was excited to get my first taste of them live and witness them rile the crowd up to new levels of hysteria. There were definitely some You Me At Six fans in the crowd. Lead singer Josh Franceschi declared that this was "one of the best shows we've ever played" proving that an enthusiastic, responsive crowd will get you half way there in a perfect rock show. Their setlist was relatively short and was a mixture of old songs and new tunes off their upcoming album Cavalier Youth, out January 27.
The lights dimmed and my ears shattered with screams as Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Jeremy Davis burst onto the stage with Grow Up.
New songs off their self-titled album received as rousing a welcome as the older material, and as she does so dutifully at every show, although there is now no question of their existence, Hayley announces "We. Are. PARAMORE".
Hayley waxed lyrical about the band's journey and ultimately the fans' journey and said at this moment, right now, we are making memories to look back on when we're old. Although, according to Hayley, there will be less headbanging then.
Instrumental interludes I'm Not Angry Anymore, Holiday and Moving On created a fun atmosphere and showed off the skills possessed by each of the band members. Slower songs In The Mourning, with a snippet of Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, and Last Hope were a chance for Hayley to show off her vocal range and talents.
Every time I hear Paramore perform The Only Exception live I get goosebumps. But this time, All Phones Arena was illuminated with camera lights and lighters as the crowd swayed and at times, overpowered Hayley with their singing and the experience was truly magical.
The Hillsong choir joined Paramore on stage for Ain't It Fun and it was a look at a more grown up band. Previous shows have been about showcasing the music in the purest form. No costume changes. No fancy stage props, except the renowned Paramore box. But this time around it was done in a way that it was complimented by epic laser light shows and electro beats between songs. Paramore put on a stage show which culminated in balloons falling from the sky and sprays of orange confetti for the finale, Still Into You.
This is a band I have followed from the start and no matter what they do, I see the same enthusiasm from the crowd and the band's dedication to their fans which shows no signs of wavering. I still get chills every time Hayley holds out that microphone and prompts the crowd to sing a line and wait in anticipation for the Pressure flip from Taylor and Jeremy.
How often can we be truly surprised in the most amazing way by something we think we know so well? Setlists and venues change but each time the response is overwhelming and it makes me realise this is what music is all about.
Nicole Barlow