Related Articles
Paramore might be in the business of misery, but they’re not in the business of fighting. During the band’s first of two sold-out nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hayley Williams stepped in to address a couple of fans who were pushing and shoving in the general admission pit.
“Bullshit! Fuck you! Also, do I see, like — what is happening?” Williams asked while the rest of the crowd in the area pointed at the culprits. “Yes, I will embarrass both of you. Both of you need to find somewhere else to take care of that shit because that’s not happening here.”
The two fans, as seen in a TikTok captured from the scene of the squabble, appeared to have been trying to push forward towards the stage, disrupting the flow of people who had already claimed their spot. Paramore fans with general admission tickets began lining up outside of Madison Square Garden at 5 p.m. on Monday for the show taking place on Tuesday night, trading the comfort of a bed and shower for concrete and a chance to be on the barricade for the show.
After the dispute was settled, Williams had the band restart “Figure 8,” the song she halted to sort out the crowd. Keeping watch over the audience, and trusting that they will also watch over each other, is essential to how Paramore concerts function. Each night, the band plucks select fans to join them on-stage for “Misery Business.” Not always going for the obvious picks, like the barricade warriors, Williams scans the area to choose more unsuspecting audience members.
She’s also never been one to hold back when it comes to her fans. Over Memorial Day weekend, Paramore took the stage at New Jersey’s Adjacent Festival and the singer used the opportunity to make a crystal clear statement about one of her political stances.
“I’ll be happy to tell you, I’m very fucking comfortable talking politics,” Williams said in a fan-recorded video. “And if you vote for Ron DeSantis, you’re fucking dead to me. So, is that comfortable enough for anyone?”
