That's what you get

I went to see Paramore last night, one of my favourite bands in the world, for the second time (I saw them in the summer of '08 the same week I saw Radiohead - go figure) and they were AWESOME! I constantly have to justify my reasons for loving this band. Basically, I listen to their music because they're fun, they write catchy songs, Hayley has a fantastic voice, they can play (unlike lots of other, very popular, bands) and they really rock it out live. Of course, the O2 was flooded with emo kids and hipsters (grrr....) last night for the show, and I have to admit, in the beginning I felt very, very old. But then I got checked out by boys of about 15 years of age, and I felt all right again.

I ran into a couple of 18-year-old kids there (the emo's very rock 'n' roll cousin and his girlfriend) and they remarked that they were glad to see me because at least that meant they weren't the oldest people there. "What the hell ARE you doing here?" the cousin remarked, looking very shocked indeed. I unzipped my Slipknot hoodie (sacrilege to wear it to a Paramore gig, I know, but there were kids there in trenchcoats and Metallica tees so I wasn't the worst) to reveal my customized-to-shit RIOT! T-shirt, and he nodded knowingly. The Paramore T-shirts that were on sale at the gig were actually a bit shit, but kids were buying them up like crazy. I never had money when I was a teenager (I still don't actually), so I always bought my band tees big and made 'em into dresses or grungy tanks and shit (I still do that too, come to think of it...). I was happy with my grungy, last album tee. I felt like a proper fan, if there really is such a thing (I hate it when people say that, what does that even mean!?).

Before the main show, there were three emo support bands, of which we only saw one and a half. Based on what we caught, I'm guessing all three were dreadful. One just stood there making shapes, whining and playing electronic keyboards. Very odd, but the kids loved it. Saz was excited to see the main support, Youmeatsix, but was underwhelmed by their set, which as she put it, didn't really pack enough punch. At one point, the deliciously British frontman (oh, that dirty accent...swoon...) attempted to get the crowd to part and create circle pits. They probably tried, but I was laughing too hard to notice. Attention Youmeatsix lead singer: It's okay for Bring Me The Horizon to do that, because at least they scream and headbang and thrash around, but the lead singer of an emo band, wearing ill-fitting drainpipes, a tight T-shirt and a floppy fringe, should NEVER ask his fans to create circle pits because, well, most of them don't know what those are, and the rest are too afraid of getting crushed or messing up their outfits.

Speaking of outfits, my god some of them were a disgrace! I felt like an old woman thinking that, but seriously! I remember going to gigs half-dressed when I was 15, but that was mainly because I knew I wouldn't be able to jump about the place with a big coat on or a bag hanging off me. That and because I was so hyped up on excitement and energy for the gig, I didn't notice the cold. But these kids weren't just half-dressed and overly-confident, they were on another level entirely. Most of the outfits we saw could be better described as costumes. It was as if they were all trying to outdo each other by being the most emo, or the most slutty or the most unique, so to speak, because all following the same style means one is NOT unique. It was funny and upsetting at the same time, but definitely entertaining.

More shocking than their clothes, however, was the amount of kids (predominantly girls) being stretchered out of the arena before Paramore even came on. The emo's cousin said he'd spotted two being dragged out of the crowd before the first support came on. And we saw another being dragged out of the toilets after throwing up, presumably for a while since it was long enough to warrant security having to step in, when we'd only just arrived. It was sickening, but really confusing too. Something I never understood when I was that age, and still don't to this day, is why anybody would want to get hammered at a gig. I mean, after paying 40 or 50 or even 60 odd quid for the ticket, why ruin your night, or your friend's for that matter by drinking too much and vomiting everywhere and having to be taken out? Or worse yet, why put run the risk of missing the band completely? I don't get it, and I probably never will. It makes me sound old, I know, but I don't care. I will never understand why people go to gigs with the sole intention of getting wasted, thus missing the band(s). That's why Oxegen sucks so much, and why I'll never, ever go (even though Nine Inch Nails played last year). It is a festival that is more about the drinking and the atmosphere than the music. And who would pay 200 quid for that!? (lots of people, actually).

Anyway, the gig! Paramore came on at the shockingly late time of 9.30, but it was very shortly after Youmeatsix so it wasn't too bad. They played for an hour and 15 mins, which was quite short indeed, and begged the question - why so many fucking support bands!? Why not just Youmeatsix, a break and then the main attraction at 9. Or even 8.30, which was considered late when I went to my first gig in the Point (Foo Fighters in 2002). They opened with a song I didn't recognise, although it was probably from the all right new album, Brand New Eyes (too many slow songs for my taste, not enough rock-out moments). Hayley wore black drainpipes, black Nike runners and a red tank top emblazoned with the cringeworthy slogan "Rather be DEAD (crossed out) ALIVE". Still, she looked gorgeous and very natural as always. Her hair is now bleached blonde, which suits her but looked a bit dry. She had very little make-up on, maybe a bit of mascara and light foundation if anything at all. I love her, she's fucking awesome.

They launched into Ignorance, the first single and standout track of the new album, second after the opener, which drove the crowd (including me) absolutely mental as we jumped about eagerly, screaming along with her at the top of our lungs. I think they should've opened with that, but I guess they wanted to mix it up a bit, and it sounded great even second.

The short set flew by, but hits like That's What You Get, Crushcrushcrush, Emergency and Pressure were stormed through with aplomb. Hayley jumped about, head-banged and danced nerdily (probably not a word, but it should be) like she was having as good a time as we were (which she apparently was, commenting on how amazed she was by the size of the venue and their ability to fill it). There was an edge to the proceedings, too. As a band, they were tighter than last time, and the guitar work was more interesting, slightly different to how it appears on the albums. Her singing, as always, totally blew me away. She has an incredible voice, and it really holds up well live.

There were a few slow songs, maybe three, that sort of dragged the set down a little bit. Paramore have a decent amount of slow songs to choose from, the best of which is We Are Broken, which they for some reason don't like playing live. Instead, a couple from the new album were taken out, such as a very sweet The Only Exception (done on acoustic guitars with a sea of mobile phone lights dancing all around). They held up okay live, but I found myself itching for the next upbeat track so that I could hop about again. The thing about Paramore is that they have a great, much bigger back catalogue to choose from than most people realise. That's what made the song choices both weird and understandable, depending on which way one looks at it.

The rest of the Brand New Eyes tracks they chose to play held up very well live indeed, much more than I'd anticipated, in particular Careful, Where The Lines Overlap, Looking Up and Turn It Off (which begins with the cringey lyric "I cut my knees while I was praying"). They didn't play my favourite off the album, Feeling Sorry, much to my disappointment. I thought they'd definitely play it, because it kicks so much ass on the album, but meh.

Other notable exceptions were For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, All We Know, My Heart, and, most shockingly of all, Born For This (their fan anthem, nearly always played near the end of the set, it always gets a massive reaction from the crowd). These fan favourites were probably left out to make way for newer tracks, which is understandable, but still kind of sucked.

That brings me to my next point, the very strange encore choices. After coming back onstage, all dressed in Irish jerseys, Paramore kicked autographed footballs out into the audience, and Hayley gleefully told us that they had a few more songs for us. And then they launched into...Misguided Ghosts (!?), yet another slow one, from Brand New Eyes. Hayley sat on a speaker and dangled her legs over the crowd, while being accompanied by the two lads on acoustic guitars. It was sweet and sounded great, but the buzz around me confirmed that everybody was waiting for the same thing.

Luckily it came directly after, thank fuck, when the little opening bit to Misery Business started up and Hayley counted us in, noticeably brimming with excitement. Misery Business is, according to Hayley and most Paramore fans, their best track to date. And it made the O2 jump last night, much in the same way the RDS did last year. It was INCREDIBLE. I felt like I was 15 again, and my neck is still killing me from it. They really rocked it out, to the point of exhaustion, and all I could think about afterwards, dripping with sweat and high on energy, was that the only song they could possibly finish with after that was Born For This.

Instead, for some unknown reason, they launched into Brick By Boring Brick, a decent enough song from the new album. We left just before it ended, not really having any desire to hang around for it, and discussed the odd setlist the entire way back into the city. I was buzzing with excitement, while the others were happy enough with it. I dunno whether it was because they expected something different, or they just weren't as into it, but I loved it anyway!

It was a great gig, even with the strange setlist choices. Hayley looked great and sounded amazing, the kids moved a lot more than last time (when they stood still as stone and gave out to us for jumping about) and the band were on top form. The standout moment was undoubtedly the last song before they left the stage, before the encore. Hayley led up to it perfectly, telling us "The last time we were here, I remember we were working on a song for a movie.." (cue hysterical screaming). All right, Twilight may be a bit shit, but Decode is a fucking fantastic song. The crowd screamed it along with Hayley, louder than we'd been all night, and it sounded fucking amazing. Not only that, but it felt amazing to hear it live. I couldn't contain my excitement, I was like a little fangirl or something. I tried to call my little sis, but later found out she was sick in bed and couldn't pick up the phone (she was devastated when she heard what song I'd been trying to call her during). It was truly incredible, one of the best gig moments of my life. I can't explain how it felt, it was like when Slipknot did SIC the first time I saw them, or Dead Memories the second time. Or Metallica doing Whiskey In The Jar. Or MSI doing Faggot. It's just that moment when the room around me dissolved and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Truly mind-blowing.

Paramore are a band that are written off a lot, partly because of their strong religious background, partly because most music reviewers dismiss them as just another emo band (that means you, Irish Times ents listings writer) when they are, in fact, much more talented than a lot of the other shite out there and not even technically classified as "emo". There was no comparison between Youmeatsix and Paramore last night; the former just weren't as tight or as inventive. I saw My Chemical Romance a couple of years ago, at a festival, and I've stood up for them ever since as maybe being a bit pathetic, but still having put on one hell of a show and genuinely been able to do their songs live. Paramore are one step better than them. Not only can Hayley fucking sing, but they can play. And that's all I really ask for from a band - that they can play, do their songs some justice live, that they care about their fans, they give value for money, do something different and, most importantly, create music that I enjoy listening to and want to listen to all the time. Paramore, for me, tick all of those boxes.

I got a lot of shit for going to see them last night, but I had an absolutely amazing time and even though the set was weird and a bit short, they were really, really great. I'd go see them again tonight if I could! They didn't disappoint, and musical elitism is bullshit anyway so I'll wear my RIOT! tee proudly and not give a shit because, really, that's just me. I'm so sick of people trying to prove a point. Just like what you like and fuck what everybody else thinks.


Song of the day: Paramore - Decode.