Let’s talk Paramore, shall we?  As a Paramore Fan Club member (stop laughing…) I was able to get pre-sale tickets to the brand new eyes Tour with Paper Route and The Swellers at The Norva in Norfolk, VA.  I’m currently in the Northern Virginia area, so in order to see Paramore, my options were to travel to Philadelphia, PA or Norfolk, VA (both are about 3 1/2 hours away).  I decided I’d rather stay in-state, so Norfolk it was.  The show, of course, was well worth the time it took to drive down.  It was a sold-out show, and boy, did it feel like it… it was super sweaty after the show. 

The Norva is a really great venue to see bands.  It was our first time there, but what I really appreciated about the Norva was that because the stage was high enough, there really wasn’t a bad spot to stand.

Paramore had a really great setlist.  Below are the songs they performed for our show:

Intro (check out my video of the Intro below)
Ignorance
I Caught Myself
That’s What You Get
Looking Up (short clip below)
Emergency
crushcrushcrush
Turn It Off (short clip below)
Here We Go Again
Careful
Conspiracy
Where The Lines Overlap
Decode

Encore:
Misguided Ghosts
Misery Business
Brick By Boring Brick

I’ve read that in other tours, the end with Miracle/Outro, but they didn’t play that for us at Norfolk.  Not sure why.  I’ve looked for the Miracle/Outro, and really liked it – I wish they did play it (check it out below).

Overall, the show was awesome.  It was such a great feeling being around other superfans like me, who knew every single word of every single song.  Hayley sounded so good live.  I’ve only gotten to see these guys twice (one other time on the No Doubt tour this summer – when I also got to attend a meet and greet), and each time I’ve seen them, I’m SO so impressed with Hayley’s enthusiasm, professionalism, and talent.  Not to mention the girl can seriously sing so well, AND headbang and jump around the whole time.

Whenever I see a band and the lead singer is off key, or out of breath, or just has no energy up there, it’s such a disappointment and I feel like I’ve wasted my money going to see them live.  But that’s never come close to happening with Paramore.  Seeing Hayley up there helps me realize that Paramore really does have so much talent, and they’re NOT an over-editted, over-produced band that only sounds good on an album.  They’re musicians.  And often, they sound BETTER live.. how amazing is that?

My favorite songs they sang were Conspiracy, Turn it Off, the Intro song, and Looking Up.  The whole show was phenom.

I also have to say, The Swellers and Paper Route really really surprised me.  I went into it not knowing anything about the bands, and left a fan.  Kudos guys!  Check them out if you haven’t already.  Really, they’re both great bands.  Don’t say I didn’t tell you about them. 

Have you guys seen Paramore or the other bands before?  What were your thoughts if you’ve been able to see them on this tour?  Let me know in the comments.

Intro Song  

Looking Up 

Turn it Off 

Outro video

I think the general concensus/question from Atreyu fans is: What the heck happened to the bad-a$$ band we fell in love with that wrote masterpiece albums like Deathgrip and Curse??  And furthermore, WHY are they headlining a tour with Hollywood Undead?!

I’ve gotta say, the long awaited new Atreyu album that they will be coming out with in October, is no longer on the top of my purchase list.  But, according to Alex Varkatzas, he says that the record is a “mix of everything we’ve ever done. For every song that’s more melodic or rock-driven there’s a total shitkicker, and I think that’s what makes us a well-rounded band.”

One, I hope he’s right, and two I can’t believe Disney let him say “shitkicker”.

I love it.

4/18  Silverstein, Blessthefall, Before Their Eyes

The National in Richmond, VA

5/11 Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, As I Lay Dying

Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, MD

6/14 Paramore and No Doubt

Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA

7/14 WARPED TOUR

Merriweater Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD

A Day To Remember

A Skylit Drive

The Devil Wears Prada

Saosin

Underoath

Awesome. \m/

I can’t stop listening to these songs, they’re not new by any means but both are amazing for different reasons

UnderOATH – A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White

and Silverstein – My Heroine

I loved it.  Loved it from the first minute to the last.  Fueled By Ramen did a great job of allowing the band to be themselves, and not focusing the entire band’s story on Hayley Williams – a la No Doubt.

As a fan of RIOT! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but had heard that Paramore put on an insane live show.  I have watched the DVD 3 times, and can’t stop listening to the live CD that came with it.

Hayley Williams is a really talented singer and artist, and I was totally impressed with how much energy and head banging she puts into her shows and is still able to stay on key and stick to the song – with slight twists.  The guys, Josh, Zach, Jeremy and Taylor all had really likeable personalities too though, which made me love the band even more.

It’s great to hear a good, young, upbeat band with a lot of talent on their shoulders.  I’m excited for their new album and can’t wait for them to tour again!

Moral of the story: BUY THE FINAL RIOT! DVD NOW!  Buy it now!

All in all, Burn Halo did a great job for their first concert together.  Their best songs from their set by far, were their singles “Dirty Little Girl”, and their finale song, “Save Me”.  But I am confident that once they tour some more, and get more comfortable with their stage presence, they will gain even more fans.  Look for these guys.

When Burn Halo finished their set, there was a surprise appearance by non other than Synaster Gates, lead guitarist of A7X.  The crowd erupted when he showed up on stage, however, the news he was there to deliver was not welcomed.  Syn explained to the now drunk, impatient fans that, yes, they would be playing tonight, but that Matt was at Walter Reed Hospital from a situation that happened earlier in the day, and that they would be back on stage to perform at 11:30pm.

At that point, most of the audience had been there for nearly 5 hours, and you could tell the pit was getting restless.  There seemed to be a lot of agitation in the air, but everyone was still sticking around to see their band.

The time finally arrived, and A7X opened with Critical Acclaim.  Shadows gave us all an explanation of what exactly happened.  It turned out that when Johnny C and Shadows were at Walter Reed Hospital to visit injured troops, Shadow’s face got temporarily paralyzed.  Check out the clip below:

The set list seemed pretty standard to previous shows we’ve been to in the past year.  Overall, they performed well, I was happy with the show, but sometime was amiss.  I give the show a 4 out of 5 stars… not the band’s best.  I will say though, that the lighting and light panels on stage were a great effect.  And musically, they were spot on.  If we hadn’t waited for 5 hours to see them after the show was postponed from September, if there weren’t so many preppy kids with no pit etiquette (stay tuned for a blog entry on pit etiquette), and if the band had put a little more variety into their set list (what happened to all the songs from Waking the Fallen?? – I’ve seen them play Second Heartbeat and Remenissions…) then I would have given them a solid 5.

I love these guys, so it’s really hard for me to be a critic, but I guess I was just expecting more out of them.

*photos courtesy of Courtney and JNoyes

Check out more really great pics from the show taken by Courtney here and JNoyes here

And here is one more clip from the 2nd show at Ram’s Head Live from December 10th – singing Happy Birthday to Zacky V who turned 27!

*clips found from deathbatnews.com

And now the day is finally here.  Tonight’s the night, and I can’t wait to see em again!

Between May and October of 2007, Hart made weeklong treks to Tusla, OK to write and demo with Maloy, solidifying his objective of what the music would sound like and focusing on writing songs that would construct a well-balanced record. “I knew that I wanted a clear-cut rock ‘n’ roll band, which is something I had not had in the past,” Hart says of the music. “My vision and my brand of rock ‘n’ roll without having to compromise on any of the songs or any of the material. I wanted to make a very straightforward rock album. Something that had commercial appeal, but also something that had a classic, vintage mid-‘80s throwback vibe to it.”

Hart recorded the album from October to November of 2007 with Maloy as producer, laying down the tracks with an army of skilled studio musicians, including Nickelback drummer Daniel Adair, former Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, and guitarist Neil Tiemann who now tours with American Idol winner David Cook. In the studio Maloy was particularly helpful in getting the best possible performance out of Hart, especially when it came time to lay down the vocals. “I really felt like he was able to grasp what I wanted to do and where I wanted to take this,” Hart says. “From a producer standpoint I feel like he really knocked it out of the park. As a vocalist he was able to bring a lot out of me instead of having me go through the motions and just get the part right. Emoting a little more than I have in the past. He was really able to pull a lot of character out of my voice.”

The result is a dynamic, gripping collection of gritty rock songs that immediately engage their listener, ranging from the propulsive “Save Me,” which Hart describes as the “heaviest” track on the record, to the memorable first single “Dirty Little Girl,” which features Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates. Hart also reveals his emotional and musical range on “Here With Me,” an emotive throwback ballad that resounds with immediacy and sincerity, and showcases Hart’s songwriting goals for the album. “I wanted to touch more on real life situations and real life stories,” Hart says. “I wanted to paint a real life picture. I started listening to country and a lot of those songs are very real and down to earth. They are songs about real life, about situations you would come across with a lover or the loss of a friend or heading down a dark path in life. I wanted it to be really simple and easy to digest. I wanted there to be no question about what I was singing about.”

After the album was completed, in early 2008, Island elected not to release Burn Halo’s debut, leaving Hart with the tough job of finding a new home for his project. Nothing felt quite right, though, so Burn Halo’s manager Bret Bair formed his own label Rawkhead Rekords through Warner Music Group to release the record. Hart spent much of 2008 finalizing the lineup of his touring band- which he hopes will help write and record Burn Halo’s successive albums- with Aaron Boheler on bass, Joey Cunha on lead guitar, Allen Wheeler on rhythm guitar, and Ryan Folden on drums. All that’s left is to show it all to the world. “I think this is a real statement album for me,” Hart says. “Anyone who is familiar with me and my past is going to be able to get this record. They’re going to understand why I made this record and that this is the record I’ve been wanting to make.”