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Paramore, Jimmy Eat World rock Hara
A mostly packed Hara Arena crowd of 20-somethings — often younger teens or tweens with a parental counterpart in tow — were treated to three solid hours of power pop-punk jams courtesy of headliner Jimmy Eat World, Paramore and opening act Dear and the Headlights.
Paramore may not have been the headliner, but there’s no question they were a big part of the overall appeal with fans responding just as loudly to and for them as for Jimmy Eat World.
Nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, named “one to watch” by Rolling Stone and nabbing a gig last year as an MTV artist of the week, there’s no doubt the band is smoking hot right now.
Playing 12 songs, Paramore’s pounding momentum and punchy energy continued to build throughout the hour-long set. The band kicked things off with “Let the Flames Begin” from its latest album “Riot!” Although the sound quality was lacking throughout the set with an unbalanced, somewhat muddy mix - as it was for Dear and the Headlights - the band managed to soldier through it putting on a very memorable, pulse-pounding show all while working the crowd like seasoned vets - lead singer Hayley Williams especially.
By the time the Tennessee band made it to their hugely popular “Crush Crush Crush” the crowd seemed to by enraptured by the avalanche of sound coming over it. Wrapping up with their first single and arguably biggest hit to date, “Misery Business,” off of their gold certified record, “Riot!” the seated crowd surrounding the standing-room-only floor was brought to it’s feet.
A limited repertoire (they’re only on album No. 2) didn’t stop Paramore from bringing a flurry of energy to the stage with Williams and her band mates head-banging and gyrating at every conceivable moment rattling rib cages with a distorted reverb that could work to stop a heart mid-beat and subsequently shock it back to life.
At 9:15 p.m. Jimmy Eat World took the stage in support of its sixth studio album and latest release, 2007’s “Chase the Light.”
The light show accompanying the Arizona foursome was nothing short of spectacular and the sound quality that plagued the first two sets seemed to have vanished.
The band kicked things off at a clip with “Big Casino”, the first track on “Chase This Light.” The earthquake of power-pop continued from there covering tracks from much of the band’s discography.
“The Middle” from the 2001 album “Bleed American” signified the end to both the encore and Jimmy Eat World’s 18-song hour-and-fifteen minutes on stage.
Throughout the evening, the big, intense sound coming from all the acts seemed to result in fleeting moments of listener fatigue, especially at the end of the evening, but the solid musicianship kept fists pumping until the very last note had been played.
Overheard leaving Hara Arena: “That totally rocked!”
That sounds about right …
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Music, Reviews
Comments
By Tim
April 23, 2008 9:55 AM | Link to this
I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Jimmy Eat World’s music in college (‘94) and have seen them graduate from basements, to small bars, and then to arenas. They’re still every bit as good as they ever were. My favorite part of the evening though was watching the drummer and guitar player from Paramore in the sound booth playing air drums and singing along with Jimmy Eat World’s set. That spoke volumes to me about both bands. On a side note, Paramore have come a long way from Warped Tour’s tiny Shiragirl stage, and deserve every bit of attention they’re getting.By Kyle
April 23, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
As an avid listener and fan of Jimmy Eat World for almost a decade, I found their set amazing. It was disappointing to see the younger teenagers that made up the majority of the crowd leave after Paramore’s set finished. They missed out on one of the founders of the genre and, in terms of my many concert experiences, one of the best shows I have seen in a while. It is equally disappointing to see that the local media fail to adequately cover the headlining band and to apparently choose to cover what they perceive as mainstream. It is disrespectful to the band and their fans. This was Jimmy Eat World’s first trip to Dayton besides the failed Green Day concert a few years ago. Dayton will be lucky to see them perform live again with such unappreciative reviews.By Mike
April 23, 2008 12:02 PM | Link to this
I have seen Jimmy Eat World more times than I can count the first of which was in The Woodlands, TX in my friends livingroom. They rocked everybit as well as they ever have and it is very cool that I could bring my daughter woth me to see them. Now she knows what I have been talking about all these years. And, now I know why Paramore is her favorite. They put on a great show too! Lets hope all 3 of these bands grace Dayton with another future tourdate…By S
April 23, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
This concert really rocked. Both bands did a great job and the crowd was really into both. I do have to agree that a lot of the teenagers left after Paramore which was sad because Jimmy Eat World really did put on a great show!