Paramore at Sound Academy – May 13, 2013

Written and Photographed by Katrina Wong Shue

After being slimmed down to a trio when the Farro brothers announced their departure from the band in 2010, Paramore has finally returned to Toronto for a headlining show. With their new self-titled album in hand, Paramore played to a sold out show at the Sound Academy and proved that even though they are down two members they can still put on a rockin’ show! They opened the night with a new song titled “Interlude: Moving On”, then picked up the pace and busted into the fan favourites ‘Misery Buisness’ and ‘For A Pessimist I’m Pretty Optimistic’ which is off of their second album Riot. The night consisted of a pleasant mix of songs from all four albums, which was great to see. Hayley Williams’ stage presence was just as fierce as her bright orange hair as she kept the crowd going wild all night with her dance moves and headbanging. Williams’ even invited a bunch of fans up onto the stage to dance & sing along with her and the band during one of their new songs ‘Anklebiters’, and even allowed them to stay side stage for the rest of the night once the song was over. As the night came to a close, Paramore performed their latest single ‘Still Into You’ and left with a bang as orange and green streamers were shot out from the stage and into the crowd.

When the night ended, it was evident that even after all of the ups and downs that this band has been through in the last 3 years, they have come out of it stronger and better than ever. They may have grown up a little over the last couple of years but when it comes down to it, they are still the same band we all fell in love with 9 years ago and still know how to put on a killer show!

Many thanks to Live Nation for media access.