Jimmy Eat World, Paramore Heat Up Bender Arena

By Broadside News Editor Asma Chaudhary and Senior Design Editor Jasmine Lynch
Photo by Broadside Asst. Photo Editor Laura Foltz

Two bands that rocked American University’s Bender Arena last Saturday were Jimmy Eat World and Paramore, who both featured mellow tracks as well as fan favorites to make the crowd go wild.

For the opener, Dear and the Headlights, a band from Phoenix, Ariz. took to the stage to play both acoustic and electric harmonies, which used multiple instruments simultaneously.

While Ian Metzger was working the vocals and with Mark Kulvinskas on the drums, guitarists Robert Cissel, P.J. Waxman and Chuckie Duff were hitting drumsticks on the cymbals and shaking tambourines to hype the crowd.

During this time, the crowd was tamer in an effort to save physical energy for the next two bands. However, the audience did enjoy the short set despite not knowing much about the band.

On their MySpace.com page, Paramore has received 36,550,875 profile views and nearly as much in plays. Based on their rapidly growing fan base, Paramore may have brought an edgier crowd to see Jimmy Eat World.

The majority of the crowd was younger and wearing Paramore T-shirts, which may have been a sign that many of them were not as familiar with Jimmy Eat World.

Hailing from Franklin, Tenn., power punk band Paramore electrified the stage with hits from their latest album, Riot!, as well as from their first album titled, All We Know is Falling.

Audience members were sweating and dancing as lead vocalist Hayley Williams was belting out familiar tunes like “That’s What You Get,” “Let the Flames Begin” and “Miracle.”

A special acoustic rendition of “When It Rains” was a crowd favorite as the stage lit up with camera flashes while Williams sang and played a piano keyboard.

Throughout their set, lead singer Williams made sure to stop and thank the crowd for attending, whether or not they were hardcore fans or first-time listeners.

In doing so, she was able to have the entire crowd, both on the ground floor and in the stands to raise their fists in the air at the same time.

Lead guitarist Josh Farro and bassist Jeremy Davis took turns to jump around and switch places across the stage while Zac Farro was pounding out beats on the drums.
With the crowd singing and dancing along to nearly every line while sweating, many fans surfed above the crowd to find their way at the front of the stage.

The intense atmosphere continued with constant screaming and cheering to make Paramore a must see band based on their energy.

Many fans were in attendance for the headliner, Jimmy Eat World, a band from Mesa, Ariz. who has been around since 1993 playing alternative rock hits. The arena was packed from the seats in the bleachers to the true fans rocking out on the general admission ground floor.

The band was able to provide an eclectic vibe with clear light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and large streamers hanging in the background.

For a band with a more melodious indie sound, Jimmy Eat World surprised fans with their liveliness and had the entire arena jumping.

The band played tracks from their albums, Clarity, Bleed American, Futures and 2007’s Chase This Light.

With Jim Adkins on vocals, Tim Linton on guitar, Rick Burch on bass and Zach Lind on drums, the band was able to play about two dozen tracks as part of their set list.

As their final performance, the band played another five-song encore for the crowd finishing the night with that song.