Paramore
The Final Riot!


3.5
great

Review

by Channing Freeman STAFF
November 28th, 2008 | 107 replies


Release Date: 2008 | Tracklist

Review Summary: I'm going to count off, and then we shall rock.

Remember when Flyleaf were popular? Remember how we don't miss that?

The Final Riot! is Paramore's first DVD release, showing a full concert performance as well as footage of the band's daily life. The show's highlight is, of course, Hayley Williams. She's always had a strong voice, but on The Final Riot! her performance is somehow even better than what she did on Riot!. Paramore's songs are more demanding vocally than some would like to admit, and it's amazing to see her keep her voice all the way through the concert. "Let The Flames Begin" is her finest moment yet, with its dark, epic chorus replicated with flawless emotion by the fiery teen. Paramore wrote a coda to the song to perform live, and on this DVD it will absolutely blow listeners away. On her knees, Williams give a career-making performance as she belts out "I am here now; I want to dance in the mighty palm of your hand." Slower tracks like "When It Rains" and "We Are Broken" show a different side of her stage presence; the former, one of Riot!'s weaker tracks, is given new life by Williams' singing, and the latter, which was slightly cheesy on the record, is stunningly poignant, Williams' surprisingly adept piano playing making it all the more enjoyable, although it does sound as if she's leading a praise chorus at the end. ("Sing this with me...with all your heart.")

Perhaps playing second fiddle to their lead singer in the press has inspired the other members of Paramore to step up their game. Once again, "Let The Flames Begin" is the highlight; while the added intro and outro are a bit simple, it's impressive to see a mainstream band like Paramore making their songs more interesting live as opposed to merely replicating what they did on the album. Many of the other songs feature new sections as well, including rousing intros to both opener "Born For This" and All We Know Is Falling single "Emergency." Disappointingly, one of the band's best songs, "Pressure," is consistently weak live; Farro's chorus lead is given too much volume, making it overbearing and grating, and his slowness in switching tones makes parts of "Decoy" not as powerful as they could have been. However, gripes with the band members are few and far between, and the things that the band amalgamates into their show are often very enjoyable. Notably, they perform the first verse of Leonard Cohen's classic "Hallelujah" before exploding into their own song of the same name, and while purists may cry heresy, Williams' voice works amazingly well with the song, and hearing a crowd of thousands sing along shows just how far-reaching the song has become over the years. Thankfully, they don't perform the bridge of At The Drive-In's "One Armed Scissor" at the end of "Here We Go Again" like they usually do. Williams has an amazing voice, but only Cedric Bixler-Zavala should perform Cedric Bixler-Zavala material.

The Final Riot!'s flaws come not from the band themselves, but with the overall presentation of the DVD. The documentary-style interludes that are shown after every few songs interrupt the flow of the concert, and while there is an option to watch them separately, there is no option to watch the full uninterrupted concert. Furthermore, the interludes are rather uninteresting and predictable anyway; if you've seen one DVD showing the band "having fun on tour," you've seen them all. It also seems like Paramore should have waited to release a DVD until at least one more album is out. The concert features every song from Riot! bar "Miracle," and they even perform the b-side "Decoy." While they do their best to make things interesting, listening to the CD version of The Final Riot! is basically like listening to a normal Paramore album. Additionally, some of Williams' attempts at aggression make her sound like an immature tween, but that can be chalked up to her having fun playing the music she loves.

While The Final Riot! wasn't a necessary release for Paramore, it shows that they're capable of more than hardcore music fans give them credit for. You can watch them play their best songs, watch them become familiar with and work the crowd (who sing along to basically every single word), and best of all, you can finally watch Hayley Williams shake her hips in hi-definition. She's become an accomplished performer, nuanced and powerful, yet not without a certain amount of sweetness underneath it all. After her mindblowing performance in "Let The Flames Begin," she lets out a little giggle.

"So how about a couple slow jams?"



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Skip the concert - buy The Final Riot! Great performance, interesting behind-the-scenes footage, and...



Comments:Add a Comment 
tinathefatlard
November 28th 2008


2063 Comments


and best of all, you can finally watch Hayley Williams shake her hips in hi-definition.


Sold!

great review, i'll probably get this.


ninjuice
November 28th 2008


6760 Comments


It's a good review, but there's two things I really wanna know about this: 1. Is the band energetic (vs. just standing there) and 2. is the editing annoying (as in changing angles every 2 or 3 seconds)
Dido on the ace last line too.

JumpTheF**kUp
November 28th 2008


2723 Comments


cool
and lol at paramore doing at the drive-in

Mendross
November 28th 2008


650 Comments


I saw that on youtube wish I hadn't

TheStarclassicTreatment
November 28th 2008


2910 Comments


@ ninjuice
They're really energetic live.
I will get this soon.

fireaboveicebelow
November 28th 2008


6835 Comments


if it had Miracle I'd get it

Otisbum
November 28th 2008


1913 Comments


Was looking forward to this review since I realized this was coming out this month. Great job Chan.
Must get this.

Satana
November 28th 2008


204 Comments


Band sucks majorly

JumpTheF**kUp
November 28th 2008


2723 Comments


you have terrible opinions

crazycobs
November 28th 2008


114 Comments


hayley willaims looks like a 14 yr old boy with long ginger hair.....!

but i have to admit some of there songs are catchy! emergency gets stuck in my head for days!

SnackaryBinx
November 28th 2008


2309 Comments


but only Cedric Bixler-Zavala should perform Cedric Bixler-Zavala material.


lol Chan. good review.

Otisbum
November 28th 2008


1913 Comments


hayley willaims looks like a 14 yr old boy with long ginger hair.....!
You must have some good-looking boys where you live then.

willfellmarsy
November 28th 2008


3847 Comments


I like flyleaf more than these stinkers (the girl does a way cuter dance)...very good revew, tho saying adding an intro and outro is good simply because they are a mainstream band, even if it's "a little simple" (probably meaning it's most likely lame but since you like the band you give them a pass) seems like you're making them "teh greatest pop-band in all teh world status" rather than comparing them to regular music...being pop doesn't mean you can be less good

TheStarclassicTreatment
November 28th 2008


2910 Comments


yes it does

AndyRictor2000
November 28th 2008


146 Comments


weak live act

fireaboveicebelow
November 28th 2008


6835 Comments


all the girls in the audience need to shut the fuck upThis Message Edited On 11.28.08

MentalityOfA
November 28th 2008


1217 Comments


I don't care for Paramore that much.

ConorMichaelJoseph
November 28th 2008


1870 Comments


Paramore are pretty meh to me
But I may check this out

Bleak123
November 28th 2008


1900 Comments


paramore are pretty awesome, not gonna lie

Mikesn
Emeritus
November 28th 2008


3707 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

in case you didn't know already we are paramooooreThis Message Edited On 11.28.08



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