Paramore’s Hayley Williams criticises sexist “internet bros” after postponing shows
Hayley Williams has hit out at some sexist “internet bros” after they criticised her for postponing a run of Paramore gigs due to illness.
Last week, the band delayed their concert in San Francisco just hours before they were set to perform. They shelved three further gigs on their North American tour in Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake City “in the interest of our health and the ability to put on a show you all deserve”.
Ahead of the tour resuming in Tulsa, Oklahoma last Saturday (July 29), Williams shared a statement in which the singer revealed that she had fallen ill during a Houston gig earlier this month.
She went on to explain how her “body just gave out” after continuing with the dates regardless. “Touring is different at 34 than it was at 16, when leaving home felt like the greatest escape,” Williams said.
This week, the frontwoman took to Instagram Stories to call out someone who had criticised Paramore for pulling the shows. “Metallica manage .. Iron Maiden manage,” the person in question wrote (via Stereogum), “all of which are much older than you love.”
Williams wrote above the screenshot: “Neither James [Hetfield] NOR Bruce [Dickinson] are gonna suck your dick for this, LOVE.”
Elsewhere, another person mentioned the time Dave Grohl broke his leg during a Foo Fighters concert but returned to finish the set. The Twitter user said that Williams “bitches about how hard [touring] is at 34”, before calling her a “whiney hypocrite”.
In response, the singer posted: “I have a lung infection you soft shit! Not a broken limb. One you can sing with for 2 hours, another you cant.
“But worry not! The shows weren’t cancelled, merely postponed a week.”
She continued: “Maybe you should come out to one of them… like Dave did.”
Sharing a longer message, Williams wrote: “Internet bros have been pressed by my proximity to rock music and all its subgenres since 2005. The only thing that’s changed is the platform from which they spew their ignorance.
“Don’t think for a second your fav bands – metal or punk or otherwise – endorse your weird incel ass lifestyle.”
She added: “So many of these bands have stood side stage at our shows and treat us with respect. Why? bc they aren’t threatened by a strong woman front[ing] a great band in a completely diff genre of music.
“Crying from laughing at myself I love when I have so so so much time.”
Williams has spoken out against sexism in music previously. Last December, she explained that she doesn’t “dare” play guitar on stage due to sexist comments.
“I don’t even really think about my gender at all, when we play the music especially,” Williams said. “It’s just not part of the picture. I’m trying to lean into femininity and empower that part of myself more in this era of my career, but do you ever get on stage and feel ‘other’? You feel like this alien thing that’s powerful and beautiful.”
Paramore’s North American tour is scheduled to conclude in Salt Lake City on August 13. You can find any remaining tickets here. The group are out on the road in support of their sixth studio album, 2022’s ‘This Is Why’.
It was recently announced that Paramore will be heading to the UK and Europe as a supporting act on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, beginning in May 2024.
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Tom Skinner
NME
