Watch Paramore’s Hayley Williams perform moving cover of Beyoncé’s ‘I Miss You’

12 July, 2023

Beyoncé and Hayley Williams of Paramore, each performing in 2023

Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams performed a moving cover of Beyoncé’s ‘I Miss You’ during a recent live show. Find footage of the moment and the full setlist below.

She broke out the cover during the band’s set in Houston last night (July 11), as part of their second leg of North American tour dates.

The rendition of the track — which is taken from Beyoncé’s fourth studio album, co-written with Frank Ocean — arrived during the a cappella segment of the show, and was preceded by a performance of ‘Liar’. It was also used as a way to pay homage to the ‘Single Ladies’ singer, who is from the city.

After the cover, the band broke into a performance of William’s own track ‘Crystal Clear’ — taken from the singer’s debut solo album ‘Petals For Armor’ which was released in 2020. Find footage from the show below, as well as the full setlist.

Paramore’s Houston setlist was:

1. ‘You First’
2. ‘The News’
3. ‘That’s What You Get’
4. ‘Playing God’
5. ‘Caught in the Middle’
6. ‘Rose-Colored Boy’
7. ‘Running Out of Time’
8. ‘Decode’
9. ‘Last Hope’
10. ‘Big Man, Little Dignity’
11. ‘Liar’
12. ‘I Miss You’ (Beyoncé cover)
13. ‘Crystal Clear’ (Hayley Williams song)
14. ‘Hard Times’
15. ‘Told You So’
16. ‘Figure 8’
17. ‘The Only Exception’
18. ‘Crave’
19. ‘Baby’ (HalfNoise cover)
20. ‘Misery Business’
21. ‘Ain’t It Fun’
22. ‘Still Into You’
23. ‘This Is Why’

This wasn’t the first time that Williams has expressed her admiration for the pop star and R&B icon. Back in 2014, the pop punk singer revealed that she was nervous about being in the same room as Beyoncé while accepting the award for Trailblazer Of The Year at Billboard’s Women In Music Awards.

“Thank you for having me. I wrote [my speech] down because I was afraid I would make eye contact with Beyoncé and forget everything,” she said at the time.

“This the greatest honour I could receive, because this is the legacy I want to leave… It’s an amazing and powerful thing to be celebrated for who you are. There are a lot of girls who never feel that way, and I want to spend my life making them seen and heard.”

The rendition of ‘I Miss You’ is the latest of a long list of covers that Paramore have embedded into their live performances. Previously the band have used their live shows to cover other various pop icons including Blondie, with a rendition of ‘Heart Of Glass’, and Whitney Houston, with a cover of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’.

Paramore perform during the 2023 Boston Calling Music Festival at Harvard Athletic Complex on May 28, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Credit: Taylor Hill / GETTY
Paramore perform during the 2023 Boston Calling Music Festival at Harvard Athletic Complex on May 28, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Credit: Taylor Hill / GETTY

In other Paramore news, Williams recently teamed up with Taylor Swift for a collaboration on the song ‘Castles Crumbling’. The track is featured in Swift’s latest re-recorded album ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which arrived earlier this month.

The band have also been announced as support for Swift on her newly-announced UK and European tour dates.

“Really can’t contain my excitement because… we’re adding 14 new shows to ‘The Eras’ Tour. And I get to travel the world doing shows with Paramore,” Swift wrote, announcing the new tour dates on social media. “Hayley [Williams] and I have been friends since we were teens in Nashville and now we get to frolic around the UK/Europe next summer??? I’m screaming???”

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