Concert Review: Yes, there’s still amour for Paramore

“We’re starting over, or head back in.
There’s a time and a place to die but this ain’t it.”

It was as good a proclamation of Paramore’s return as it could get.

The lines of the band’s new single, Now, while not as familiar as the hits of earlier years, were welcome assurances of a strong comeback after two years of near silence. Paramore practically went on hiatus following the departure of two of the band’s members, brothers Josh and Zac Farro, in December 2010.

During their concert Friday night, vocalist Hayley Williams said, “The last two years were hard. We’ve been through a lot but we made it through… It was you guys and everyone around the world who encouraged us online through your stories. You made us feel that we were still close to you even if we were gone for a long time.”

The band’s internal problems and consequent disappearance came as a surprise to many Paramore fans, but as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Their second show in the Philippines matched — some in attendance even said, surpassed — the success of their first visit in March 2010, the height of the band’s popularity.

Singing old favorites like That’s What You Get, Brick by Boring Brick and Decode, the Tennessee-based trio performed for almost two hours in front of a packed house at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

One of their biggest hits, The Only Exception, drew tears from many of Paramore’s young female fans. “Nakakakilabot,” said one girl, before laughing and adding, “At typical sa Filipino na saulo ang lyrics.”

Indeed, whether the songs came from the band’s first, second or third albums, it seemed like the audience knew every word and every beat.

“Favorite ko talaga sila, kaya alam ko lahat ng songs, but I really wanted to see them live — and hindi naman ako na-disappoint, sobrang performance level talaga sila,” said one fan.

But as high-energy as Paramore was, the audience would not be outdone. They gamely stomped, jumped, snapped and of course, sang when Williams requested — a sea of young faces singing at the top of their lungs and waving their cellphones and cameras in the air.

“Yumayanig ang arena,” said one fan, adding, “Naiyak ako sa sobrang saya.”

One lucky audience member named Vanessa even got the chance to sing onstage with the band during the concert’s finale, rocking out as hard as her bright-headed idol.

From start to finish, Paramore showed that their long break had not dulled their musical talent, nor lowered their energy. Ending with their first big hit, Misery Business, the band left the audience with the prospect of a third visit to the Philippines.

“Manila, are you still gonna be here next time we see you?”

If the crowd’s reaction to this second show is any indicator, the answer is already in the band’s newest song: “If there’s a future, we want it now!”