Perhaps the best thing about Paramore bringing “Misery Business” back to their live sets is the renewed tradition of bringing fans on stage to perform the Riot! track with them. During the band’s recent stop at Atlanta’s The Tabernacle on their North American tour (grab tickets here), a 23-year-old disabled actress and artist named Macayla Smith was among the people they brought on stage.
In another instance of Paramore creating a safe space for fans, Smith was gently brought onto the stage from the pit by security at the venue and experienced what she described as “the best night of my entire life.”
After the concert, Smith posted a heartwarming note about the experience, writing,
“The love of my life is Paramore. I’ve been a Paramore fan since at least 11 years old (might’ve been earlier). And I’ve been going to their concerts since I was 13. I am 23 years old now. If you would have told little me that ~12 years later I would SING ON STAGE WITH MY FAVORITE BAND?!?! I never ever would have believed you. The band that has been with me through everything?!?! I never thought that I would actually get chosen for Misery Business. If I knew this was gonna happen, I would have written them a letter to give to them.
The letter would have said something along the lines of ‘Thank you for sharing your art and your heart with the world. I know that you are not perfect (i.e. Idle Worship lol). In truth, it is your willingness to be open about your imperfections and vulnerabilies that makes us fans feel seen. That is what is so special about Paramore. Your honesty about your struggles — with mental health, with heartbreaks, with identity, with society, etc. — makes us feel understood. It makes us feel like there’s someone else out there who gets it. Your art helps us get through our own struggles and hard times.'”
Watch fan-shot footage of Smith singing “Misery Business” with Hayley Williams below.
In early October, Paramore performed “Misery Business” live for the first time in more than four years after retiring it due in part to the lyrics, “Once a whore, you’re nothing more/ I’m sorry that’ll never change.” Prior to launching into the song, Williams said, “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 canceled for saying the word ‘whore’ in a song, all of TikTok decided that it was ok. Make it make sense.”
Paramore are set to drop their latest album, This Is Why, on February 10th. Thus far, it’s been previewed by the title track, which we named Song of the Week. Earlier this week, they took a swipe at former bassist Jeremy Davis by changing the cover artwork for their 2013 self-titled album.
There are a few more dates left on their current North American trek. Next year, they’ll head back out on another arena tour with Bloc Party, Foals, The Linda Lindas, and Genesis Owusu. Grab your seats here.
@chasingmik @Paramore I’ve seen you more times than I can count! You always give one hell of a show but THIS by far might be my favorite ♥️ #atl #tabernacle #paramore #paramorefans #paramoretiktok #paramoremiserybusiness
@dreamwithoutreason THIS IS THE GREATEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME NOTHING WILL EVER TOP THIS!!!!!! #Paramore #ThisIsWhy #HayleyWilliams #MiseryBusiness #TaylorYork #ZacFarro
@dreamwithoutreason I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED I’VE BEEN SOBBING SINCE I GOT OFF STAGE 🥺😭😭❤️ #Paramore #HayleyWilliams #MiseryBusiness #ThisIsWhy #TaylorYork #ZacFarro #BrianRobertJones
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@dreamwithoutreason THEY ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY FAVORITE BAND!!!! ❤️❤️ #paramore #MiseryBusiness #HayleyWilliams #ThisIsWhy #TaylorYork #BrianRobertJones #ZacFarro