Hayley Williams Paramore Live Photo | Jeff Roach Photos

Monumentour: On being a Paramore fan for a decade | Live Concert Photos | Tampa, FL | July 26 2014

by Jeff Roach • August 15, 2014

It was the summer of 2005, I was attending the Cornerstone Music Festival in Florida. My friend had said there was a band on the bill on the bill that had a female lead singer and the music was just “different.” Since I trusted my friend’s advice at the time, I made it an objective of my weekend to catch this female fronted rock band known as “Paramore.” I ended up front and center for their performance and as the first song ended of their set, I was instantly hooked! My 18 year old self was practically drooling.

Flash Forward almost 10 years later, I am not only seeing Paramore again, but they were playing at a huge venue – the Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheater – and that shit was sold out! The tour they were co-headlining was called was called “Monumentour” with pop/punk heavy hitters Fall Out Boy and new school indie rockers New Politics. I knew this was going to be, as the critics would say, the “hottest” tour of the summer.

After the band New Politics played, the stage was set for Hayley Williams, Jeremey Davis, Taylor York and his brother Justin, Jon Howard, and ex-Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie, the faces that currently make up a live Paramore performance. As Paramore played the final notes to their smash summer hit and opening song “Still Into You,” I took a breath and reminisced. I remembered why I became a fan of Paramore 10 years ago. They tremendously care about their shows, their fans, and their music equally and it bleeds out them every second they’re in front of you.

Hayley Williams was perfect back then and somehow her voice sounded even better now accompanied by the pristine music behind her. It’s been eight or nine times that I’ve seen them now but this was the best I have ever seen them.

Splashing around the crowd were Paramore beach balls and a lot of confetti… Oh! The Confetti! It was freaking everywhere and it was awesome. I looked over to my friend and said, “I think this tour was meant for Paramore.” Paramore took hold of the crowd, stole their breath away and left them gasping for more.

Side Note: They brought a kid named Derek up on stage to sing the bridge of Misery Business and he was incredible; totally stole the show. Kudos to him!

They closed their set with “Ain’t It Fun” and after the song, the band came down and bowed together, thanking and waving to the audience. I smiled and clapped but all I could think about was, when and where I was seeing Paramore again. Yes, Haley, it is fun. Thank you for ten years of Paramore. Thank you for coming back to Florida.

If you are going to be at any of the remaining cities “Monumentour” is hitting, please do yourself a favor, buy a ticket and go enjoy the show.

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