The Hayley Williams Show: Worth the Six-Year Wait

It has been a long time coming for Hayley Williams.

When Williams released her debut solo album, Petals for Armor, in 2020, plans to tour the project disappeared alongside nearly every other live music plan that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Six years and two more solo albums later, Williams is finally getting the opportunity to bring the full scope of that music to the stage.

At the second stop of The Hayley Williams Show tour at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia, it was clear that fans had been waiting too.

The amphitheater was packed, offering yet another reminder that Williams’ ability to command a massive audience extends well beyond her role as the frontwoman of Paramore.

Even before entering the venue, the excitement was obvious from the insane merchandise lines stretching through the grounds. For a moment, however, it was unclear whether there would be music at all.

Rain threatened to derail the evening, delaying the show from its scheduled 7 p.m. start.

The uncertainty only made the reaction sweeter when information screens confirmed that the show would continue. Cheers erupted as the stage began to be uncovered, and the delayed concert finally got underway around 8 p.m.

Rico Nasty was the first of two openers, bringing an immediate jolt of energy with songs including “Smack a Bitch” and “Tia Tamera,” her collaboration with Doja Cat. Alt-pop duo Magdalena Bay followed, shifting the sonic landscape before Williams’ arrival.

On paper, Rico Nasty and Magdalena Bay might seem like wildly different choices. In practice, they made perfect sense.

Together, the two acts reflected the spectrum between Williams’ more experimental solo material and the alternative-rock energy that longtime Paramore fans know her for.

Then it was finally time for The Hayley Williams Show.

Williams emerged against a surprisingly minimal stage, surrounded by white and off-white draped curtains rather than enormous video screens or elaborate scenery. It was beautiful in its simplicity.

More importantly, it kept the focus exactly where it belonged. On Hayley Williams.

There are plenty of reasons Williams has remained such a commanding presence in alternative music for more than two decades, but one deserves considerably more attention: she is one of the most talented vocalists working today.

Because of the genres Williams has historically occupied, conversations about her sometimes prioritize the energy, angst, stage presence, or nostalgia surrounding the music. But stripped of all of that, her voice is otherworldly.

The control, power, range, and character she brings to a live performance would be remarkable in any genre. At Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, she sounded phenomenal from beginning to end.

And this time, the songs belonged entirely to her solo catalog.

Williams pulled from all three of her solo projects, finally giving songs from Petals for Armor and Flowers for Vases / descansos the large-scale live treatment that circumstances denied them when they were first released.

She acknowledged that history during the show, sharing how long she had waited to perform some of this music.

For fans who had tickets to Williams’ canceled 2020 tour, those moments carried even more weight. Songs like “Simmer,” “Creepin’,” “Leave It Alone,” “Dead Horse,” and “Crystal Clear” were no longer confined to headphones and memories of what that first solo tour might have been.

The setlist also gave Williams room to show just how expansive her solo identity has become.

“Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris” flowed into newer material like “True Believer,” while “Cinnamon,” “Pure Love,” “Glum,” “Mirtazapine,” and “Parachute” demonstrated how naturally the different eras can coexist.

After “True Believer,” Williams also performed a cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” adding another unexpected moment to an already sprawling set.

One of the night’s most touching moments came with “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party,” which Williams dedicated to the late Dolly Parton. The gesture added another layer of emotion to a song already positioned as one of the defining pieces of Williams’ latest chapter.

The merchandise lines might as well have been another opening act.

Fans waited in massive queues for The Hayley Williams Show merchandise, and the collection offered plenty to choose from. Official tour shirts are priced at $45, while other merchandise tied to Williams’ current era includes items such as a $35 “Glum” hat and a $90 H-Willy Jersey.

For anyone planning to attend a later stop and hoping to grab something, arriving early would be wise. The Alpharetta crowd clearly came prepared to shop and while items didn’t run out, specific sizes did.

But no piece of merchandise could compete with what happened onstage.

Across a 25-song set, Williams created a show that felt simultaneously like the beginning of something new and the completion of something interrupted six years ago.

The image of a packed amphitheater singing along to songs that once lost their opportunity to be toured was genuinely moving.

Williams did not need Paramore songs to keep the audience invested. She did not need an extravagant stage to fill the space. And she certainly did not need to prove that she could carry an amphitheater by herself.

But she did anyway.

The Hayley Williams Show is more than a solo tour. It is a chance for Williams and her fans to finally experience years of music that never received their proper moment onstage, while celebrating how much her artistry has expanded since she first stepped outside of Paramore.

The rain may have made everyone wait an extra hour in Alpharetta.

Hayley Williams made every minute worth it.

Tour Setlist

• Just a Lover
• Over Yet
• Simmer
• Creepin’
• Ice in My OJ
• Kill Me
• Hard
• My Friend
• Leave It Alone
• Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris
• True Believer
• Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
• Cinnamon
• Dead Horse
• Pure Love
• Crystal Clear
• Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
• Glum
• Disappearing Man
• Dream Girl in Shibuya
• Good Ol’ Days
• Just a Lover
• Mirtazapine
• Brotherly Hate
• Parachute

Are you seeing The Hayley Williams Show? If so, which city and what song are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!

 

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