Returning to the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie for the first time since their Brand New Eyes Tour in 2010, Paramore made up for the lost time on Saturday with their Self-Titled tour.  Since the last time the band visited Dallas headlining their own tour, a lot had changed and it was clear throughout the show.

In 2010, after the conclusion of the tour in support of their third studio album, co-founding members and brothers Josh and Zach Farro left the band on controversial terms. Following this departure, many fans wondered if Paramore would continue as a band with Hayley Williams, Jeremy Davis, and Taylor York. The remaining members insisted Paramore was still a band and as a result had a lot to prove with not only their Self-Titled Album, Paramore, but also the Self-Titled Tour, the Paratour.

Following opening acts HelloGoodbye, who faced minor technical difficulties, and the very appropriate band for the occasion Metric, many fans were counting down the minutes until Paramore would take the stage. Opening the show with the song “Grow Up” followed by “Fast in My Car”, it was clear that Paramore had an agenda, and they had indeed grown up during their time away.

In a smart choice of setlist, the band kept the high energy alive, performing some of their biggest hits to date including “Decode”, “Brick by Boring Brick”, “Ignorance”, and “Misery Business”. Filled with complex lighting, two guitarists completely engaged in the moment with the audience, and a lead singer dancing from end of the stage to the other, the atmosphere was electric all the way to the top of the theatre.

Every seat was empty with every fan standing in front of their seats, even when the show slowed down to give Williams the chance to communicate to the fans just how much the tour and their support along the bands journey meant to them.

“You have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You have to wake up every morning. You can’t give up,” Williams told fans as she thanked them for the loyal support, something that was a prominent them throughout the show. It was clear both loyal and new fans showed up in support of the band as she sang unreleased song, “In the Morning”. A slower song in the bands setlist, it demonstrated just how much range the young singer has along with the natural power that could fill an entire stadium.

Closing the show with “Pressure” and “Misery Business” which included a flip with York and Davis and a lucky fan solo on stage, the band left everything on the stage. It was clear that the Paratour was their own personal comeback tour and that every single person both on and off stage wanted to be there.

When the band left the stage, every fan remained standing and cheering as loud as they could, prompting an encore from the band in which they performed “Part II”, “Moving On”, and their latest hit single “Still Into You”, which included a downpour of balloons and confetti on the audience. These last songs once again showcased the strongest and most matured Paramore to date and also paid homage to the past, present, and future.

Paramore may have had their biggest troubles in the last couple of years, but from them emerged a passionate band that put on one of the arguably best performances of any band on a tour. The difference between the Brand New Eyes tour and the Paratour was evident to any fan, but to anybody watching the band on October 26, it was clear that Paramore is indeed still a band.