Honestly, this was the one show I was looking forward to this summer. I mean, Phantom Planet AND Jack’s Mannequin AND Paramore? It was a formula for success. And a success it was!

Prior to the sold-out show, at about 4:30pm, I dropped off 2 of my friends at St-Laurent metro and witnessed the insanity that was the line. Countless of fans congregated on St-Dominique, creating a queue that went from Metropolis’ doors straight down to Maisonneuve Boulevard. That’s right. And it was only 4:30!!!

I obviously couldn’t blame them. Having known about Paramore back in 2005, long before their leap to fame and fortune, I knew they were going to be hugeee. I called it the moment I heard their song “Pressure” off of their first album, “All We Know Is Falling”, which happened to be featured on a Fueled By Ramen Fall Sampler that I was listening to at the time. They were young, had a mature and solidified sound as a band and they had the most personable female vocalist leading the way. I knew it then and I know it now: this band is amazing. And more than anything, after having seen them only once in 2007, I was excited to see and hear the band’s progress on stage and musically.

After having returned to Metropolis at about 7:00pm, I couldn’t believe how packed it was already and how incredibly humid it was inside. Nonetheless, along with other devoted fans, I waited patiently for the first band, Paper Route, to take stage. And the patience paid off, because they were pretty great as an opening band. They had a very ambient sound, almost reminiscent of MuteMath but with a hint of Coldplay? I don’t know. It’s weird to say. All I know is that they sounded really good and had me checking them out online right after the show.

Second to take stage was the veteran band, Phantom Planet. Montreal started to hear about this band only until recently, due to the fact that this was their second visit to the city –the first being in May with Panic! At the Disco–, despite the fact that they’ve been together for over 13 years now. Hence, many did not know their songs (with the exception of yours truly and maybe 2 others), so they couldn’t really enjoy the set as much as they would’ve liked. But obviously, the crowd started to really have a good time when the band played the infamous OC theme song, “California”. And that set the mood for the next band in the line up: Jack’s Mannequin.

Yeah hi, Jack’s Mannequin was amazinggggg. And that’s all i’m going to say, because that’s all that Andrew McMahon was. AMAZING. Are there any other words to describe his set? No. No, there is not.

As for Paramore, their set was everything I expected it to be. Hayley Williams captivated the crowd as soon as she set foot on stage. She did this effortlessly and somehow made the show feel intimate with her inviting banter in between songs. Nonetheless, she not only proves herself as a remarkable frontwoman, but also an amazing vocalist. It’s hard to believe that such a poweful voice can come out of the tiny 5-foot-2 Tennessee native. Whether they were fast-paced, energetic, dance-inducing songs like “Crushcrushcrush” and “Misery Business” or slower ballads such as “Hallelujah” and the acoustic(!!!) rendition of “My Heart”, she gave almost everyone in attendance goosebumps. However, it would be unfair to say that it was only the songstress’ voice that got everyone’s arm hair rising. Without the band backing her up, I very much doubt that her voice alone could retain the audience’s attention. Although the other members of the band –namely brothers Josh (on lead guitar) and Zac Farro (on drums) as well as Jeremy Davis (on bass)– played their roles quietly and let Williams do most of the talking on stage, they were exceptional on the use of their respective instruments.

As previously stated, I had wanted to see the band’s progress overall prior to attending this show. However, I realized that the band had not changed at all. The only things that changed were their level of comfort performing on stage and their age. They were amazing then, they are amazing now and I’m positive they’ll continue on the same path.

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