Show review: Honda Civic Tour (Paramore/Tegan and Sara/New Found Glory)

The last stop of the 2010 Honda Civic Tour, coincidentally was at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. Whether the cross promotion was intentional or just the result of tour routing, Paramore, Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory and Kadawatha invaded Orange County on Sunday, September 19th.

Due to some ticket issues I encountered, we (my partner Katrina and I) didn't get into the Honda Center until New Found Glory was nearly done with their set. That means we missed Kadawatha entirely. From the little we saw of New Found Glory, the band seemed energetic and had the crowd in quite a frenzy. The entire floor was in movement. During the end of New Found Glory's set, guitarist Chad Gilbert announced the crowd that the band would only play "Vegas," which was made by request, but only if the person who made the request would come on stage and play bass during the song. That person was Paramore front-woman Hayley Williams. Williams grabbed the bass and played, and walked off stage to a barrage of cheers and clapping, and jokingly, Gilbert said "let's all pray she stays a lead singer." New Found Glory then closed with "My Friends Over You."

New Found Glory Set List: (Partial as I missed most of the set)

"Hit Or Miss"
"Vegas"
"My Friends Over You."

Tegan and Sara were up next. The sisters were celebrating their thirtieth birthday's in sunny Southern California. The duo played a diverse setlist, with most tracks coming from "So Jealous" and "The Con" and "Sainthood." During "Walking With A Ghost," the members of Paramore rushed the stage dressed as ghosts. The crowd got a kick out of that. The set included a stripped down rendition of "Back In Your Head," as well as fan favorites "Nineteen," "Where Does The Good Go," and "Alligator."

Tegan and Sara Set List:
"Living Room"
"I Bet It Stung"
"The Con"
"Walking With A Ghost"
"So Jealous"
"Hell"
"On Directing"
"Alligator"
"Back In Your Head"
"Where Does The Good Go"
"Speak Slow"
"Nineteen"
"Northshore"
"Underwater"

The anticipation grew as Tegan and Sara exited the stage and the Paramore crew began to set up. When Hayley and company took the stage and ripped into "Ignorance," the crowd exploded. The crowd noise for Paramore as they took the stage rivaled the sound of a Teemu Selanne goal in April. Paramore absolutely killed it. Say what you will about the band, but Williams puts on a show rivaled by nobody. Pogo-ing all over the stage, Williams is a one man (or, rather, woman) wrecking crew. Not to be outdone, the boys in the band have upped their stage presence, moving all over the stage and at one point jumping over each other. About halfway during the set, Williams, accompanied by guitarist Josh Farro gave the crowd an acoustic cover of Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man.” After the song, the house lights went back on to reveal a couch mid stage. Paramore then did three acoustic songs, “When it Rains,” “When The Lines Overlap,” and “Misguided Ghosts,” before ripping into “Crush Crush Crush.” The set ended with “The Only Exception” but came back out and played “Brick By Boring Brick” and “Misery Business.” During “Misery Business,” Williams invited a fan onstage to sing, and members of Kadawatha joined the band onstage to play “Misery Business.”

Paramore Set List:
"Ignorance"
"Feeling Sorry"
"That's What You Get"
"For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic"
"Emergency"
"Playing God"
"Careful"
"Decode"
"You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man" (Loretta Lynn cover)
"When It Rains"
"When The Lines Overlap"
"Misguided Ghosts"
"Crush Crush Crush"
"Pressure"
"Looking Up"
"The Only Exception"

ENCORE

"Brick By Boring Brick"
"Misery Business"

It was a fun night at The Honda Center. Paramore puts on a great live show, and Tegan and Sara played a great set as well. If you missed the Honda Civic Tour, feel a bit bummed.