Besides Fall Out Boy, there are few pop-rock bands that consistently stay in the public spotlight long enough to warrant being pulled into the full category of "pop" music; however, Paramore has somehow wedged itself into that narrow position. After the success of the first single, "Misery Business," off Paramore's second album "Riot!" (2007), the band went on to release "CrushCrushCrush" and "That's What You Get," both of which received heavy airplay on MTV and radio. In addition to its media success, the band also spent the majority of two years on the road touring with the record, and has only now released a combination live CD/DVD and documentary about life on the road with Paramore, entitled "The Final Riot!"
The live CD opens with a rather lackluster dual guitar intro from Josh Farro and Taylor York. Most of the group's songs are clever mixtures of power chords and moderately paced, single-note riffs, but the intro, which could have been something energetic and explosive, instead just sounds like the band is vamping for time rather than building tension to a crescendo.
The set contains all of the band's biggest hits, including the aforementioned singles as well as "Pressure" and "Emergency," the two singles from the group's first release, "All We Know Is Falling" (2005). Fortunately, after spending night after night playing the same songs, the band has refreshed not only the big-name singles, but even the lesser-known tracks with new arrangements and vocals that make the audio CD a valuable part of the package. If the songs sounded exactly as they did on the original studio album, the visuals would be nice, but a solely audio CD would serve no purpose (and believe it, most bands that release DVDs are aware of this).
Another detail that slides under the radar of most music fans is that the human ear is more forgiving of audio slipups and pitch mistakes if there is an image accompanying the sounds. For a good example, look to AFI's 2006 DVD "I Heard a Voice," which sounds awful without video, but miraculously sounds better when viewed.
To Paramore's credit, the audio component of "The Final Riot!" is nearly flawless, but not in the massively touched-up and re-tooled way. Every instrument sounds crisp and well-mixed, and, most shockingly, front-woman Hayley Williams' voice is in fine form on even the toughest of numbers. Even though she's prone to squeaking on the higher notes, Williams maintains a constant ferocity throughout the set without taking any noticeable wear and tear on her voice.
While the performance DVD is a great use of an hour in its own right, the documentary section gives a hilariously disillusioning look into the life of modern-day rock stars, who -- keep in mind -- are no older than anyone at this school (drummer Farro is 18, oldest member Jeremy Davis is 23). Put bluntly, the short biopic reveals that talent and intelligence do not necessarily go hand-in-hand, and it becomes readily apparent why tour managers are necessary to keep band members from wandering off.
"The Final Riot!" may be marketed only towards those who are already fans of Paramore, but even for newcomers to the band's sound, the production and performances on the record are in such fine form that it's nearly a greatest hits collection rather than a live set.
Most importantly of all, it's massively refreshing to see a rock group be able to replicate to near-perfection live what they can do in the studio.
