Live Review: Paramore, You Me At Six, Twenty One Pilots

Almost 11 months ago to the day, Paramore graced our fine city, sharing with us the first glimpse of the new them. In the time that has since passed, the band's newfound confidence following a drastic change in the band's line-up has skyrocketed, and their return to Sydney just shy of a year later cemented the image of an outfit stronger than ever before.
Confident, loud and perhaps more than a little ostentatious, Twenty One Pilots couldn't have been a more appropriate pair to get things started. The grandiosity of the heavy synth-pop duo — albeit slightly on the cocky side of things — served as a solid indicator to the high standard of entertainment that would follow. After covering all impressive bases from backflips to a display of tightly choreographed synchronised drumming, vocalist Tyler Joseph satiated the patriotism of the audience by draping himself in the Australian flag. Undeniably compelling due to the physicality of their set, their music itself wasn't quite as memorable.

Crowd-pleasing Brits You Me At Six followed closely, tapping into the fans' fervent pride in their country by proclaiming the allegiance of England and Australia (or, in the words of frontman Joshua Franceschi: “England and Australia for life, that's what's up!”). Franceschi charismatically dominated both the stage and audience, successfully guiding the crowd through singalongs, crowd-surfing and one failed circle pit. Unfortunately, his physical endurance lasted far longer than the strength of his voice, with his vocal exhaustion becoming all the more obvious during the screaming section of Edge Of My Seat.
A chorus of chants and applause for Paramore's impending entrance could be heard prematurely all through the stadium for the entire course of the interval between sets, and the moment the curtain dropped to reveal an elaborately lit makeshift stage, the piercing screams of the audience were just about as loud as the electronic introduction that led into Paramore's performance of Grow Up, the title of which was adorned on the back of Hayley Williams' leather jacket. Williams had the audience hanging onto her every charming word, delivering heartfelt speeches through amplified proclamations of the fans' love for her. Williams, who sheepishly questioned whether or not expectations were met, let no one down. As usual, Paramore delivered a performance no fan could forget – just as they had set out to.