Paramore and New Found Glory in Zurich

One of my favorite albums of 2007 was Paramore’s Riot! so I was thrilled to hear they were coming to Switzerland this winter along with New Found Glory who I also enjoy. Thus, yesterday afternoon I embarked on a 3-hour train ride to Zurich to attend the show. After getting a bit lost trying to find the venue, I managed to make it in time for Paramore’s set. The club hosting the show, Abart, was tinier than I expected, giving it a basement show vibe (albeit with better sound and lights).







I was not disappointed. Frontgirl(?) Hayley Williams may be small but she has an amazing voice and can certainly work a crowd. The set was high-energy and a lot of fun. One of the highlights of the night had to be their cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness” (one of my favorite JEW tracks which also happens to be my US cell phone’s ringtone). My only complaint was that they finished too soon.





Having been to 3 or 4 New Found Glory shows in the past, I know what to expect. I was resolutely planning on not doing any moshing, however resistance proved futile. The crowd was more energetic than rowdy or violent which was a plus, so I joined in the mass of bouncing bodies for a number of the tunes. Hayley joined the band on a Johnny and June Carter Cash cover and the rest of the set was high-octane fun. There was no barrier between crowd and stage so the crowd surfers ended up on stage which was pretty entertaining.







I cut out a bit early to catch the last train to Geneva (so I could avoid sleeping a train station like the night I saw Snow Patrol), but I was completely fulfilled. A little punk rock was just what the doctor ordered.