Despite the When We Were Young festival getting off to a rocky start last weekend (the first day on October 22 was cancelled due to high winds in the area), the emo event managed to kick off and memorable moments occurred. One of the most notable so far has come from Paramore: the band debuted a live version of their Brand New Eyes hit "All I Wanted" after years of keeping it off setlists due to the challenges of performing the track in front of fans.
In a 2013 interview, when the band was asked the question if they would ever perform "All I Wanted" live, frontwoman Hayley Williams explained, "Basically, I wrote the hardest vocal melody in the whole world. It would be easier to sing 'All I Wanted' if it was just at one show. Because then I wouldn't have to worry about doing it every night on stage and being consistent. 'Cause already we have a lot of songs that I sing really high notes in, like even 'Still Into You' has that high note in the middle. Or 'Decode'"
She continued, "So doing that night after night gets, y'know, it can be tiring for my voice, I try to take care of it. And 'All I Wanted' is the one that, I can't mess that up. Like if I mess that up I'll never forgive myself. So I think a lot of the reasons why we've never played it is because I'm scared of it. Sorry."
But Williams showed no fear during her performance of the song on Sunday night (October 23). When We Were Young festival seemed to provide the perfect opportunity for the band to debut the song, and Williams did not hold back vocally. Besides nailing every high note in the song's chorus and getting the crowd to sing along with her, she managed to rip out an especially impressive riff after the song's second verse – hitting a way higher note than in the original recording of "All I Wanted."
Elsewhere during Paramore’s closing set at When We Were Young, the band played "Here We Go Again" from their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling and the Paramore track "Last Hope," both for the first time in four years. Ahead of Paramore’s performance at When We Were Young, Williams shared a heartfelt handwritten note about the emo genre and Paramore's legacy on her Instagram story, “celebrating the fact that, as a scene, we’ve come a long way – with much further to go.”
When We Were Young continues next weekend, with Paramore, My Chemical Romance, and more set to return on October 29. The festival will then return to Las Vegas next October, with its 2023 bill headlined by Blink-182 and Green Day.
Paramore have also confirmed details of a UK tour set for April 2023, following the release of new album This Is Why. Tickets go on sale on Friday (October 28). Find more tour info on the band's site.
Check out Paramore's performance of "All I Wanted" below.
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Article Image: Paramore singer Hayley Williams mid-belt during the Pinkpop music festival. She raises her right hand high while singing into a microphone. (benhoudijk via DepositPhotos.)
