Paramore brings nostalgia and a dance party to their first (yes, really) ACL Fest

For Paramore’s first-ever Austin City Limits Music Festival appearance, we’re reviewing their show from the perspective of two friends who span generations. Katey P. Outka is a True Millennial and former emo kid; Abigail Rosenthal is a Gen Z-er with a penchant for lowercase girls with uppercase feelings, such as Paramore’s frontwoman Hayley Williams. Although you could argue that Williams has always been on CAPS LOCK.

As Willie Nelson famously united the hippies and the rednecks in Austin’s early music scene, so too did Paramore unite emos young and old at Zilker Park on Sunday. Here’s what we thought of their 11-song set.

Katey: I’m part of the generation that TikTok likes to refer to as the “elder emos.” We’re the “crushcrushcrush” subgenre of Paramore fans, rather than the “Decode” subgenre (though I can’t pretend that I didn’t enjoy the “Twilight” soundtrack just as much, if not more than, my younger compatriots). Paramore’s one of the only bands from my angsty high school days whose new music I actually enjoy. And the crowd singalong during set opener and recently released single “This Is Why” proves I’m not the only one. Williams has the stage presence that we all pictured ourselves having at 15, singing her songs into hairbrush microphones: chaotic, joyful, screaming, sweaty.

From 2016:Paramore thrills, Fall Out Boy thuds at Austin360 Amphitheater

Abigail: “Riot!” was the first CD I bought as a moody, bespectacled sixth-grader, and I cut out pictures of the band to hang in my locker, wishing and hoping I’d someday be as cool as Hayley Williams. Williams has always been a beacon for the fellow emo girls within a genre that isn’t always kind to women. Jumping around with the frontwoman who first showed me it’s rad as hell to take up space and be loud feels extra fitting during a time where I feel almost constantly angry. Her shirt that read “The End of the F***ing World” was also a nice touch in these apocalyptic times.

Katey: “Brick by Boring Brick” off of 2009’s “Brand New Eyes” proved a welcome surprise early in the setlist. Williams, ever the capital-R capital-S Rock Star, led the crowd in a chorus of “bah-duh-duh-da-duh-duh-da-duhs” that lit the already afternoon-hot Zilker Park aflame. Then “Decode” as the third song? We transcended.

Abigail: I was on the younger end of the “crushcrushcrush” era, but Paramore was fully at the forefront of my tastes by the time they put out “Decode” for the “Twilight” movie soundtrack. “Decode“ was a very welcome addition to the setlist for me, who had no interest in "Twilight" but played the music video on YouTube way too many times from my family computer. It is so perfectly moody and what I probably hoped falling in love with a boy who looked like 2004 Billie Joe Armstrong would feel like. I screamed when that first riff began.

Katey: “Nostalgia’s cool but it won’t help you now,” Williams croons on “Caught in the Middle,” a personal favorite of mine off of “After Laughter,” the 2017 album I evangelize to all my friends and will until my last breath. I saw this show next to my best friend of 15-plus years (or so, but counting the years hurts a bit as an elder emo). We met as misunderstood 13-year-olds, and hearing Williams sing “I can’t think of getting old / it only makes me want to die” just hits different on the other side of 30.

Abigail: My 13-year-old self was ripped out of my body when Williams and Taylor York turned it down to play “Misguided Ghosts,” a true stare-at-the-ceiling song from “Brand New Eyes." Williams fully admits that era was an “(expletive) mess” during (insert that meme of “Fleetwood Mac making Rumours = Paramore making Brand New Eyes”), and it feels so good to see them now, four years since the last tour, in a happier place. I’ve always found “Misguided Ghosts” to be an underappreciated entry in the catalog, partially for the stripped-back acoustics that allow Williams’ vocals to air out and really shine in a way they don’t always get to. But immediately after, Williams instructed: “Dry your eyes sweetie pies, it’s time to dance,” launching into “Ain’t It Fun.” I obeyed.

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Katey: Look, I enjoy “Misguided Ghosts” as much as the next girl, but you’ve gotta take your rest where you can get it. My husband took the opportunity to sit down during the slower song — his back hurt, he said. The perils of an elder emo. I mean, just before launching into this song, Williams reminded us that the band’s been around for 20 years and “we all have physical therapists now.” As if I needed the reminder. But he, like the rest of us, hopped to his feet during “Ain’t It Fun.” Around this moment, I realized the younger women in front of me, perhaps in their late teens or early 20s, hadn’t known a single song. I aged 10 years. They didn’t even react to “Misery Business,” the song I never thought I’d hear live again after Paramore famously said they would stop playing it. My knees actually did buckle a bit when I heard those opening notes.

(Editor's note: Paramore retired their smash hit "Misery Business" starting in 2018, with Williams citing a lyric that refers to another woman as a "whore" as the reason. Williams penned the 2007 song as a teenager.)

Abigail: I am a technical Gen Z-er, (or cusper, as I prefer), and watching the younger members of my generation simply pull out their phones to record the single that put Paramore truly on the map made me feel old. But I knew “Misery Business” was coming, and this is what I had saved my younger knees for. Williams clapped a hand over her mouth during that line and gave the crowd a gleefully admonishing look when they continued for her. It goes without saying she’s been long forgiven for the sins of her youth — the sign from the crowd proclaiming “I’m a ParaWHORE” proves it.

Katey: Despite the high of “Misery Business” (which my elder knees did hold out for, thankyouverymuch, Abigail), I couldn’t help but feel the smallest bit disappointed that we didn’t get “Still Into You,” a high-key banger and one of my favorite karaoke songs (though I don’t have even close to the range that Williams does). But we danced our way outta there with “Hard Times,” a solid closing song choice, despite the fact that Paramore still had eight minutes left of scheduled time in their slot. I wound my way out of the crowd early to get to an interview, but I found myself pleasantly surprised by how many people sang and danced along as the sun started to set. With a band like Paramore, whose fan base spans genres and generations, and an electrifying front woman like Williams, it’s impossible not to walk away wanting more.

Abigail: “Hard Times” indeed. But Williams reminded us during the set that being at a Paramore show means being truly part of it. And she was right. I have no doubt getting to jump around with my fellow emo girls, elder and not, made our moody teenaged selves proud. Our aching knees are worth it.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Paramore performs at ACL Fest 2022 Weekend 1; Hayley Williams rocks