Late 2000s pop-punk lovers were in for a treat of a lifetime when singer-songwriter Finneas O’Connell (famed producer and co-writer to his younger sister, Billie Eilish) brought out Hayley Williams to perform a Paramore throwback at his Ryman Auditorium show on February 13, 2025. Finneas’ Nashville appearance was one of 14 dates on the U.S. leg of his “For Cryin’ Out Loud!” tour and the only one to feature Williams.
Finneas and Williams’ stage presence was fairly casual, but the audience’s reaction certainly was not. But who wouldn’t get a little rowdy when they heard this iconic single from Paramore’s 2007 debut album?
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Watch Hayley Williams and Finneas Perform Paramore Throwback
Finneas brought out Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams for the final number in his 20-song set list at the Ryman Auditorium, much to the delight of everyone in Nashville’s Mother Church. “Wow, what an honor,” Williams said to the cheering crowd. “You guys are such a great crowd, too.” Finneas introduced the song they were going to perform as Williams exchanged pleasantries with the band on-stage: “crushcrushcrush.”
The pop-punk classic comes straight from Paramore’s debut album, Riot!, which they released on Fueled by Ramen in the summer of 2007. The song became one of the band’s defining tracks in their early years, serving as the third single alongside “Misery Business,” “Hallelujah,” and “That’s What You Get.” Williams famously doesn’t perform much material from this era of the band, undoubtedly because of the artistic and personnel changes they’ve made since their late 2000s debut. The Ryman encore marked the first time Williams sang the song since 2018.
The entire performance seemed casual in the best way. Everyone wore casual clothes. The musicians smiled and laughed together on stage, including a comically cute moment between Williams and the lead guitarist, Ricky Gourmet, bouncing back and forth with each other. And, of course, Williams delivered her highly energetic, heavy-on-the-dance-moves stage presence as Finneas played rhythm guitar and sang harmony vocals.
A Touching Display Of Mutual Respect Via Rock & Roll
Before Finneas, Hayley Williams, and the rest of the band broke out into “crushcrushcrush,” the tour headliner took a moment to share his appreciation for Williams and the musical legacy she and Paramore have created since their 2007 debut. “Thank you so much for really changing my life with your music,” Finneas said. “Your band is so f***ing sick. I’m so lucky to know you as a person and luckier to just be in the presence of your talent.”
Their rendition of “crushcrushcrush” was a rocking homage to the original, made even more intimate and special as you hear Williams laugh through some lyrics and add interpretive dance moves to some of the cheesier lyrics like, I’d rather waste my life pretending then have to forget you for one whole minute. (She was a teenager when she wrote it, after all.) The song ended with a hug as the Ryman crowd yelled and cheered. And just like that, all of us had swoopy bangs and skinny jeans on again.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella