Photo courtesy of Fueled by Ramen
Fans eagerly waited in line through the 85-degree heat two blocks away from the doors of Express Live! to witness Paramore’s first Ohioan appearance in four years, along with its opening act Foster the People, on Thursday, June 28.
If you haven’t heard of Paramore, you’re up for some “misery business.” The emo-pop band got its start in 2004 in Franklin, Tennessee. Lead singer and pianist Hayley Williams started jamming with the original crew consisting of drummer Zac Ferro, bass guitarist Jeremy Davis, rhythm guitarist Jason Bynum and lead guitarist Josh Ferro. Paramore’s debut album, All We Know is Falling, was an instant hit, and was quickly followed by its second album, Riot!, which flew through the charts.
Paramore’s fifth album, After Laughter, came out in the summer of 2017, and not too long after, the band announced its North American tour. Top singles from the album After Laughter include Fake Happy, Hard Times, and Rose Colored Boy. 2018 is its second year of being on tour for the album.
Foster the People opened the show with energy as Coming of Age blasted through the speakers, throwing water on the crowd.
After the song, lead singer Mark Foster stated, “I feel very lucky to play music with you guys (in my home state).” Foster hails from Cleveland.
Foster the People is an American indie-pop band from Los Angeles, and formed in 2009. Members consist of lead singer Mark Foster, lead guitarist Sean Cimino, keyboardist Isom Innis and drummer Mark Pontius. The band became famous after Foster’s song, “Pumped Up Kicks,” hit the Billboard Top 100 charts in 2011. Its most recent album, Sacred Hearts Club, consists of songs “Lotus Eater,” “Doing It for the Money” and “I Love My Friends.”
Photo by Liz Anastasiadis
The band slammed down its hit “I Love My Friends” by having the audience clap along to the beat. This was followed by its No. 1 single, “Pumped Up Kicks,” which invoked screams from the crowd.
The band members used their platform to speak out against gun violence.
Halfway through the performance, Foster stated, “Sometimes love is the only thing you can use to put out war and hatred, you can’t fight fire with fire.”
The band closed out its performance with purple lights and the hit “Lotus Eater,” named to be symbolic of a person who enjoys the pleasures of what life has to offer.
Foster the People’s energy slammed into the crowd before slowly strutting off the stage, leaving Paramore to take the reins after a short intermission.
Paramore threw out the pink spotlight as lead singer Hayley Williams belted “Grudges” to the crowd, flipping her hair and rocking an edgy shirt that read “Feminine.”
Hayley William and the crew jumped and kicked on stage, while flipping their hair as the band threw it back to their album Riot! with singles “That’s What You Get” and “Crushcrushcrush,” the crowd going wild to the originals.
Red, pink, blue and yellow lighting bloomed on the stage behind the band as it played “Rose Colored Boy” and “Fake Happy” from its newest album.
In light of current events, Williams voiced some ease to the crowd.
“There’s a lot going on in the world,” she stated before the band unleashed its acoustic intermission. “So, for the next two hours, don’t worry about anything but music.”
Fostering Misery Business at Express Live June 28
Paramore tied up the concert with a tribute to 2007 music with its hit “Misery Business.” Midway through the song, Williams pulled a member from the crowd to join her singing along on stage. She gave the girl a hug and sent her off the stage after a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The encore included “Told You So” and “All That Love Is,” which is a cover of “Halfnoise,” and ended with the hit “Hard Times.” Williams passionately played the keyboard wearing reflective silver sunglasses, the stage’s white lights flashing behind her.
You can check out the remainder of Paramore and Foster the People tour dates by clicking here.
Liz Anastasiadis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
