AWmusic

Let’s start with Paramore.

I know they’re huge now after the Twilight soundtrack contribution. Just great. Laguna Beach music on the rise. Their songs are a blur to me. They all kinda sound the same, have the same guitar riffs with the same loud screaming melodies. But still, I’m indifferent to Paramore really. I can’t say they suck because they don’t. I think their music is just not on my radar. Sure, they can play (hmm), and she can sing (ok), but there’s nothing remotely special about their performance and/or presence. The performance seemed all too casual for the ACC, and would have been better suited for a tavern. Although, I did like their stage background of a newspaper with Paramore printed at the top in bold. Most of the audience didn’t want to get up and participate, because we were clearly just waiting for No Doubt. Me, being indifferent, I just wanted to hear the song they’re famous for (guilty), Decode, which they sang at the end of their lengthy, noisy, head-tossing 40-minute set.

Paramore – Decode
Paramore – I Caught Myself

And then came No Doubt.

In contrast, they were so much more glamourous and pro. The set design was a simple white with video background and a spaceship looking middle structure for the drummer and keyboardists. Perhaps it is a matter of budget (of course it is) and soon Paramore will join their ranks of glossy glamour. But I tell you, it’s not just their budget and set design, their attitude was so different.

For No Doubt fans, it was a great night of memories. Most people seemed to have enjoyed the concert immensely. I, for one, will count this concert as one of my all time favourites. They only performed their greatest hits, which made it easy for anyone to follow. They have not slowed down one bit, in fact maintaining an even higher energy level than Paramore and better band chemistry (which I can understand since NB have been together for like 20 years). But still, aren’t they like 10 years older? With children? What gives.

I’ve never seen No Doubt live and I felt happy to have experience their performance. They were amazing. I keep telling my friends. It felt like one big party with good live music. I have to say, I really liked the video montage that played during Running, it was of their first days of performance and rehearsals. It showed that they truly have been there for a long time, paid their dues and deserve all their success.

No Doubt – Let’s Get Back
No Doubt – Stand and Deliver
No Doubt – Ex-Girlfriend

The reason I got tickets so late, was the line-up originally consisted of Paramore, Phantom Planet, and Paper Route for the Toronto show. As soon as Jack’s Mannequin was added to the bill, it became a star-studded event, and I had to go. It began inside the packed, very hot, and unventilated club, where concert-goers got a chance to play the new Guitar Hero 4. The night started off with Paper Route, an indie band from Nashville, Tennessee. Their ambient/electronic sound is very mellow but epic. With really hard hitting drums, and some very cool synths, it was a fairly interesting set, but not quite up my alley. The frontman followed in the direction of the music, and never played towards the audience as he could have, keeping in mind there are a ton of angst teens in the audience. But as for the music, it sounded very professional and quite extravagant live, which is a feat for any opening act.

Phantom Planet was up next, and I was honestly not the least bit excited to see them. After hearing about their signing to Fueled By Ramen, I thought how could FOB stoop so low. Of course, it’s time to eat crow, and I must say, Phantom Planet truly impressed me that night. With a highly revamped sound, they embodied that cool feel-good rock as seen in bands like Hot Hot Heat. The music was fun and enjoyable, and I found myself rocking out to their stuff. Most importantly, frontman Alex Greenwald, played the role well, with his cool demeanour, he got me more than excited. Finally finishing the set with the classic OC theme, California, I became an unlikely fan, and thought their performance was really good for an opener.
Phantom Planet – Do The Panic

Jack’s Mannequin was up next, and having seen them live earlier this month, I was ready to get the full concert experience. First and foremost, Andrew Mcmahon is INTENSE, and he’s always really exciting to watch. Beyond that, Everythin In Transit (first album), happens to be my favourite album of all time, therefore the music was absolutely amazing. Andrew has an incredible back story, one which you should read up on or watch when Dear Jack is released. Back to the performance, Andrew’s exuberant head bobbing, and ridiculous enthusiasm was definitely the best part of the night, all while playing the piano. He frequently got up and played the crowd, but everything for him was natural and passionate. Ending off by stepping on the keys, and swinging his stool, it was an EPIC finish to an extra long finale. The only quarrel I had with the performance was a noticeably short set list, consisting of only 6-7 songs, similar to his Warped Tour act. Although the set list was short, the performance was never short of amazing.
Jack’s Mannequin – The Resolution

Finally, Paramore took the stage to an extremely crowded, sell out audience. As a fan of Paramore, I was really excited to see them live. Hayley is definitely one of the hottest ladies on the planet, and her whole persona is just way too cool. Luckily for Toronto, she brought that swagger to the concert, and the performance was everything I expected and more. The music was so much better live, from the vocals to the fancy guitar work. One of the highlights was when bassist Jeremy Davis did a flip while holding his bass, it was extremely entertaining. Not only did they play a super long set, just over an hour and a half, they had some acoustic songs, and even a cover of Hallelujah. They also played a b-side track which I never heard before, and overall it was an AMAZING headlining performance by one of the hottest bands out today. Paramore pulled through to cap off the best concert I’ve ever been too, dethroning TAI of that honour.
Paramore – Misery Business

Check out their myspace: Paper Route , Phantom Planet , Jack’s Mannequin , Paramore for other info.