Watch Paramore bring disabled fan on stage to perform ‘Misery Business’
Paramore invited a disabled fan on stage to perform ‘Misery Business’ during their show in Atlanta, Georgia this week – see footage below.
The Hayley Williams-fronted trio, who returned with the single ‘This Is Why’ in September, are currently out on an intimate North American comeback tour. It marks Paramore’s first run of dates in more than four years.
On Tuesday night (November 15) the band played at the Tabernacle concert hall in Atlanta, where they continued their renewed tradition of asking crowd members to assist on their 2007 classic ‘Misery Business’.
One of the chosen fans that evening was 23-year-old disabled actress and artist Macayla Smith, who later wrote about her experience on Instagram.
“HERE’S THE VIDEO OF THEM SCOOPING MY DISABLED SELF UP OUT OF THE PIT!!!!” she captioned a clip of the moment.
“I feel kinda bad for screaming while security was carrying me but I couldn’t help it […] seeing my friends screaming for me in this video makes me cry every time.”
Later, Smith posted a photo of herself and Williams on stage together. “Truly the best night of my entire life!!!!” she wrote. Check out a selection of images and fan-shot footage below.
In a separate Instagram post, Smith explained that she’s been a fan of Paramore – describing them as “the love of my life” – since she was “at least 11 years old”. She first saw them perform live at the age of 13.
“The band that has been with me through everything?!?! I never thought that I would actually get chosen for ‘Misery Business’,” Smith continued. “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’ […] It is your willingness to be open about your imperfections and vulnerabilities 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, ect – makes us feel understood.”
Paramore brought the previously axed ‘Misery Business’ back to the setlist last month at the first concert of their current tour.
In 2018, singer Williams publicly announced that the controversial track had been pulled from her band’s live shows amid an ongoing debate over whether its message was “anti-feminist”.
Paramore are set to release their sixth album ‘This Is Why’ – the follow-up to 2017’s ‘After Laughter’ – on February 10, 2023 via Atlantic. You can pre-order/pre-save it here.
Next spring they’ll embark on a UK and Ireland headline tour with Bloc Party.
The group will then head back to the US in May for an extensive run of shows. Bloc Party and Foals will serve as openers at select gigs on that stint.
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Tom Skinner
NME
