Paramore rocks the Ryman

The historic Ryman Auditorium in the heart of Nashville is accustomed to housing some of the biggest names in country music. Previously the home of the Grand Ole Opry, it serves to let an artist know they have both made it and officially arrived. But on Sunday night, Franklin-based group Paramore brought the rock show to the Ryman.

Even though the band has achieved massive mainstream success—both gold (“All We Know is Falling”) and platinum (“RIOT!”) certified albums, along with the lead single from the Twilight soundtrack are in their recent past—the level of emotion wrapped in the first few lyrics from lead singer Hayley Williams’ voice made audible what playing in the venue meant.

The band opened with a haunting, drum-laden introduction written specifically for the tour, the set began with the band’s latest single “Ignorance.” The crowd was immediately to their feet, where they remained for the rest of the night. A fair mix of newer material from the September release “Brand New Eyes” and “RIOT!” composed the set, although the band also offered early staple hits such as “Emergency “ and “Conspiracy.” Paramore also remained true to the fans garnered from their connection to the Twilight franchise with songs like “Decode and “I Caught Myself.”

After the crowd driven chorus vocals of “Decode” faded out, the band made a quick retreat from the stage and the night was over. Or was it? Fans of the band know all too well that Paramore never leaves things on a light note and sure enough, after thunderous applause and a static stampede of the floor, lead guitarist Josh Farro and Hayley Williams took the stage once more.

Williams took the time to address exactly what the band thought of playing the Ryman and how, when out on the road, listening to country music takes them back home. With only an acoustic guitar, the pair played an unplugged cover of Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man).” Stripped of a microphone, the crowd was drenched in utter silence as we watched a vocalist in her prime rival one of the greats and pay her respects.

The remaining members Taylor York, Zac Farro, and Jeremy Davis later joined Williams and Farro for a campfire-style version of the all-acoustic “Misguided Ghosts.” The ending led into the string introduction of “Misery Business,” the song that took the band’s career into uncharted waters. The energy level of the show was bursting at the seams as the crowd abandoned assigned seats and literally let loose in the aisles. Williams thanked the crowd one last time and announced that “Brick by Boring Brick” would be the last song of the night.

With a final bow, the band left the stage and I, along with other 3,000 fans in attendance was left with an experience I will never forget. Not simply because of the showmanship and raw talent each of the members possess, but because I left hoping only one thing; that there’s more Paramore where that came from.