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Paramore return ‘Misery Business’ to setlist at first gig in four years

Paramore made their live return last night (October 2), with previously axed hit ‘Misery Business’ returning to the setlist – see footage, reaction and the full setlist from their California gig below.

In 2018 at the end of their last tour vocalist Hayley Williams publicly announced that the controversial track had been pulled from her band’s live shows amid ongoing debate whether its message was “anti-feminist”. This was due to one particular line in the second verse: “Once a whore, you’re nothing more, I’m sorry that’ll never change.”

Two years later Williams reaffirmed her stance on the controversial lyrics of Paramore‘s breakout hit, saying: “I know it’s one of the band’s biggest songs but it shouldn’t be used to promote anything having to do with female empowerment or solidarity.”

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Earlier this year, however, she joined Billie Eilish on stage at Coachella to perform the song, revealing recently to The Guardian that she tried to talk Eilish out of performing the cover. “[It] shouldn’t be about me. People grow and learn. I’d already called myself out and done a lot of work on the misogyny I’d metabolised as a young girl.”

Paramore began their intimate North American tour in Bakersfield, California on Sunday night, the same week that they returned with new single ‘This Is Why’ and shared details of a sixth album of the same name due in January 2023.

As part of an 18-song set, Paramore played ‘Misery Business’ at the end of the main set, repeating a trick from many past gigs where they invite a fan on stage to sing the bridge of the song.

Half-way through the rendition Williams addressed the crowd, saying: “Four years ago, we said we were gonna retire this song for a little while, and I guess technically we did!

“But what we did not know was that just about five minutes after I got cancelled for saying the word ‘whore’ in a song, all of TikTok decided that it was ok. Make it make sense…”

She continued: “I remember a time when we had a MySpace and we were still a really small band. We were really small. We hadn’t even put out this song and we had noticed that kids were calling themselves ‘Parawhores’. We were like, ‘Eugh, that’s weird!’ But I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s a word, and if you’re cool you won’t call a woman a whore because that’s bullshit.

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“We can all learn from ourselves, right? Just for the record, 90 per cent of you said whore tonight. That’s all I’m gonna say – I’m not gonna preach about it. I’m just gonna say thank you for being nostalgic about this because this is one of the coolest moments of our show and it’s very nice to feel like there’s a reason to bring it back that’s positive.”

Watch the performance of ‘Misery Business’, including Williams’ full speech, alongside other footage from the comeback show, the live debut of ‘This Is Why’, the full setlist and more, below.

Paramore played:

‘This Is Why’
‘Brick By Boring Brick’
‘Decode’
‘Caught In The Middle’
‘That’s What You Get’
‘Ignorance’
‘Forgiveness’
‘I Caught Myself’
‘Pool’
‘Misguided Ghosts’
‘Simmer’ (Hayley Williams song)
‘Ain’t It Fun’
‘Boogie Juice’ (HalfNoise song)
‘Rose-Colored Boy’
‘Told You So’
‘Misery Business’
‘Still Into You’
‘Hard Times’

Other news from the show came in the form of the presumed tracklist being revealed for ‘This Is Why’, the band’s follow-up to 2017’s ‘After Laughter’, which is released on February 10, 2023 via Atlantic.

According to a fan on Reddit who purchased a T-shirt at last night’s gig, the tracklist to the album is visible in white print on a white T-shirt, which can just be made out.

See the post and the rumoured tracklist below.

The white tour shirts has the upcoming albums track list hidden on it from Paramore

Paramore’s intimate comeback tour continues tomorrow night in Magna, Utah, with the tour running through until mid-November. A UK tour is also already being teased by the band.

See the full list of tour dates, including newly added gigs in New York and Los Angeles, below.

OCTOBER 2022
04 – Magna, UT, The Great Salt Air
06 – Omaha, NE, Orpheum Theater
08 – Oklahoma City, OK, Criterion Theater
09 – Austin, TX, ACL Music Festival
11 – Chesterfield, MO, The Factory
13 – Bonner Springs, KS, Azura Amphitheater
16 – Austin, TX, ACL Music Festival
20 – Los Angeles, CA, The Wiltern
22 – Las Vegas, NV, When We Were Young Festival
23 – Las Vegas, NV, When We Were Young Festival
27 – Los Angeles, CA, The Belasco
29 – Las Vegas, NV, When We Were Young Festival

NOVEMBER 2022
07 – Toronto, ON, History
09 – Chicago, IL, The Chicago Theatre
11 – Cincinnati, OH, The Andrew J Brady Music Center
13 – New York, NY, Beacon Theatre
15 – Atlanta, GA, The Tabernacle
16 – St. Augustine, FL, St. Augustine Amphitheatre
19 – Mexico City, Corona Capital Festival

Reviewing ‘This Is Why’, NME wrote: “Across five albums, Paramore have dabbled in everything from snarling post-rock and impassioned emo to shiny pop and ukulele-led ditties. Through it all, a sense of togetherness has raged and while ‘This Is Why’ sees the band continuing to break new ground, its unifying energy gives it a familiar freedom.”