Paramore
W/ This Providence, Shotgun Rules, Love Arcade
May 4, 2007
Phoenix Concert Theatre

It’s been almost two years since Paramore’s debut CD All We Know is Falling was released. Since then, they’ve played numerous shows, been named one of AP’s 100 bands to watch in 2006 and have steadily built a fanbase that is eagerly anticipating the upcoming sophomore album, Riot! However, in this timeframe, the band has only managed to venture to Toronto twice, so to see a lineup nearly reaching Wellesley St. outside the Phoenix at 6pm was quite a surprise.

Amongst the people in line, one person stood, and as this reviewer stood and talked with him, it wasn’t long before realizing he was the singer for opening band Love Arcade. As time drew near, and the band called for him from the back door, he eventually ended up leaving the line to go inside and hop around onstage for a high energy twenty minute set that would make Mindless Self Indulgence seem like they were on Ritalin.

After Love Arcade, out came London’s Shotgun Rules, slowing things down a bit but not by much. At this point, most of the long line had made its way in and were really into the aggressive Ontarians. Running back and forth across the stage lead singer, John MacKenzie got the crowd right into, making you forget that outside it was just barely past the 2nd round in Wheel of Fortune.

As Final Jeopardy rolled around, out came God-rockers This Providence. The band is a perfect example of how the internet has changed the music industry. Without any radio play and having not really played in the Toronto area, the band commanded the stage like they were headlining the set. With kids in the crowd singing along to every song, you would have figured that the band was the headliner. Everyone was just really into it, and I could definitely see this band headlining their own Phoenix show in the near future to similar results.

But in the end, the night was all about Paramore. As set-up took what seemed like an hour, the crowd stood, waving around their digital cameras and cheering for every random flicker of light until the band finally burst out through their PARAMORE!-covered backdrop. The band kicked off their high-energy set with “Misery Business” and mixed it up a bit between old tracks and new. With the release of Riot! steadily approaching it’s not surprising that people in the crowd were singing along to some of the new material the band had to offer.

The strength of this band isn’t just in their fans though; it’s in lead singer Hayley Williams’ ability to command a crowd. Though the people in the middle could barely see her tiny frame, they hung on every single word and bounced along to every single note, proving that Paramore is one of the most energetic acts in rock today. As the band left the stage and everyone cheered for one more song, the band re-emerged, happy to oblige with two, sending the kids off into dusk with what little energy they had left, a big smile and enough photos to fill a thousand MySpace/flickr/livejournals. 

-Ryan O’Shaughnessy 

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