Paramore, Relient K, The Juryand The Saints @ BrisbaneRiverstage, Brisbane(17/10/2010)

Thu 21st Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Tennessee’s rock royalty Paramore played to an excited crowd at the Riverstage on Sunday night along with friends Relient K and the Jury and The Saints.

Having been to the past few Paramore shows in Brisbane, I thought I would be prepared for the crowd at Sunday night’s show; the usual Fuelled by Ramen kids, who spent their high school years rocking out to the likes of Fall Out Boy and like me, still enjoy the trip down the pop rock memory lane. What I was not prepared for were the hordes of parents and the odd resemblance of some of the crowd members to oompaloompas and Paris Hilton.

With the huge lines at both the ticket collection booth and gates, The Jury and The Saints sounded great…from outside. They even busted out a cover of Dynamite and judging by the cheers from the crowd, the boys from New Zealand, featuring a former member of Goodnight Nurse, went down a treat. Unfortunately, by the time I had made it through the lines, my ID inspected, my bag scrutinised, and my wrist band attached tight enough to cut off my circulation the boys had left the stage.

Pop rockers Relient K hit the stage to high pitched squeals of delight for their return to Australian soil. With their trademark catchy piano riffs, guitar hooks and clear, solid vocals, the boys from Ohio proved why they are one of the longest lasting pop rock acts still attracting new fans with every show. Relient K put on an entertaining and engaging set without seeming like they were too tired, too well rehearsed or that it was just another gig in a career spanning twelve years. Stand out tracks of the night included a cover of Toto’s Africa, Devastation and Reform, Be My Escape and Sahara with the crowd singing along word for word for the majority of the set. The boys seem genuinely grateful and happy to be on stage, doing what they love with their friends.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Paramore. Perhaps it was exhaustion from a whirlwind Australian and New Zealand tour, and perhaps it was the weather but Paramore’s set on Sunday night was exhausting to watch. The vocals during the first couple songs were too low, the band never seemed to interact with each other (apart from an acoustic interlude) and it seemed like it was just such an effort for them to be on stage.

However, this didn’t phase the majority of the crowd in the slightest, with ear piercing screams of delight erupting from the moshpit every time front woman Hayley Williams opened her mouth. Misery Business, Decode and Emergency garnered the greatest response, though Williams’ new found arrogance makes the once highly likable pocket rocket a little off-putting.

Paramore at Soundwave this February was an amazingly energetic, engaging, likable and promising band with the world at their feet. Flash forward eight months and the Hayley Williams show is just that; her and her band. That said, they had all the trimmings of a great pop rock show; fire, confetti, bright lights and screaming fans, and as weird as it might be to say this about a pop rock show, there was just no soul on stage, no genuine enjoyment and everything felt far too rehearsed.