It’s weird how the older I get, and believe me I am feeling very geriatric as of late, the younger my musical tastes have become.  Much is the case with my recent purchase of Paramore: The Final Riot!, a Blu-ray concert in my opinion, that’s a must-have for any Paramore fan.  I seem to be living in this fantasy world, much like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, when it comes to my recent musical selections as of late.  It kind of scares me as I see myself breaking all the trends and unwritten rules I feverishly established for myself during my teenage angst years.  I just hope my Benjamin Button disease doesn’t progress to non-recoverable advanced stages where I am following the likes of the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus.  God help me.

I was first introduced to the band Paramore through my purchase of the Rock Band 2 video game box set I got for my wife last Christmas.  Within the video game there happened to be this really fun pop/rock song I fell in love with playing.  Coincidentally, I also fostered a whole new respect for Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, but that’s a whole other epilogue.  Anyway, back to that fun song I was just referring to.  I kept making my wife play it over and over again with me in our fictional rock band.  That song, of course, was Paramore’s smash hit “That’s What You Get,” and that’s what I got, as I became an instant overnight fan of a band I have never heard of before.  It has a great driving rhythm that I never grow tired of playing on Rock Band 2, the Playstation 3 edition, of course.

Paramore, hailing from Franklin, Tennessee, was formed not so long ago in 2004.  The band’s lineup consists of Hayley Williams (lead vocals), Josh Farro (lead guitar), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar), Zac Farro (drums) and Taylor York (rhythm guitar).  When I referred to younger music in my first paragraph above, look no further than the ages of some the band’s members.  For instance, Hayley is only 20 years old while Zac is even younger.  They genuinely make me feel like an “old man.”  Where have the years gone?  At such a young age they have already received a Grammy nomination and platinum honors on their second studio album, Riot!.  But wait!  I have not even told you the best part.  They actually write their own songs!  In a world ran amuck by the likes of the Britney Spears and Rihanna clones, where anyone can be made into a star, it’s nice to know there are still young musicians out there who are recognized for their hard work, sweat and uncompromising talent.  Let’s put your hands together for Paramore!

The Film 

Paramore: The Final Riot! was recorded live at the Congress Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on August 12, 2008.  The band belts out fourteen songs from their past two albums, Riot! and All We Know Is Falling, and their newest single from the Twilight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.  The band’s performance is youthful and energetic throughout.  This keepsake concert is a real testament to their fans and a must own for any Hi-Def enthusiast looking for the next good Blu-ray concert purchase.  This Blu-ray has become a staple for the background music I chose when my wife and I have our ping pong tournaments in the basement.  It gets me pumped up for sure victories, although she probably begs to differ as she usually wins, no matter how good I think I am.

Oh, and about Miss Hayley.  Well, let’s just say that this young spirited singer can hold her own compared to the other Gwen Stefani’s of the world.  She possesses a commanding stage presence as she controls the crowd with her never-ending energy, interactions and dynamic vocals.  In other words, she is the perfect rock star as she tears apart the stage in her trademark black-and-white striped shirt and bright orange hair.  Her voice is perfectly tuned and smooth just like pouring Liquid-Plumr down a clogged drain.  When she is performing she holds the world in the palm of her hand and all others must obey.  I also forgot to mention that the guitarists could actually play solos, something that has been lost and sorely missed in the world of pop rock since the 1990′s.

I took the liberty of listing, in order below, the high-octane set list that is found on this Blu-ray release.  So stand up, pump your fists in the air and enjoy the finest in mainstream pop rock, Paramore style.  From the beginning of the set list to the end, this is how all concerts should be.  Check it out now!

Born For This

That’s What You Get

Here We Go Again

Fences

CrushCrushCrush

Let The Flames Begin

When It Rains

My Heart

Decoy

Pressure

For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic

We Are Broken

Emergency

Hallelujah

Misery Business

Video 

Contrary to what you expect from a Blu-ray release, the video encode included here is probably the worst part of the Blu-ray release.  The video quality is just not up to snuff for me or on par with other top-notch Blu-ray releases out there.   While we are treated to a 1080P, AVC MPEG-4, 16×9 video presentation, the quality never looks indicative of a Blu-ray feature we have grown accustomed to on the blossoming format.  The video, although boasts a pristine print and vibrant colors, never really captures the essence of the three-dimensional pop we all expect to see on the Blu-ray format.  I would have wished for the image to be sharper, but instead it consistently keeps a soft flat look to it throughout with some intermingled grain.  While this certainly has to be better than it’s DVD counterpart, I truly am disappointed in the video quality.  While in comparison to the Beyonce and Shakira Blu-ray releases I own, I just don’t know what went wrong here.  Just to forewarn you, the editors have taken artistic control throughout.  Be prepared to see the onslaught of some erratic edits and 24-like windows at times.  Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a standard three camera shoot.

Audio 

The audio improves upon the video’s failures, but only by a smudge.  The audio is supposedly presented in a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD surround track.  I say supposedly because the word ‘surround’ is almost a facade in this Blu-ray release.  While I am not the biggest fan of Beyonce, I hold her Blu-ray concert up to the highest degree of excellence in terms of its audio quality.  It is loud, engaging and in your face.  This Paramore release, not so much.  The audio is crisp and clear throughout, but it just lacks the dynamics and boldness that the Beyonce Blu-ray showcases, not to mention the crowd noise.  I mean where is the crowd noise in this mix?  I will tell you.  It is almost always in the front.  Why can’t it be predominant in the rear channels too?  Every other concert I have witnessed on a home theater format is.  So why isn’t this the case with the Paramore Blu-ray?  I guess we will never know.  With that being said, I do need to point out that the dialogue was always loud and clear.  It is weird because while I felt the audio track was decent for the most part, I just have this sneaking suspicion that this should have sounded louder.  The somewhat lower audio and video scores here still do not take away from the fact that this is still an outstanding concert experience.

Special Features 

I probably would have given this supplemental package a lower score had it been a motion picture release, but that is not the case here.  For a musical Blu-ray release I was ecstatic to find all the special features in 720P High-Definition.  However, as you have probably come to expect from me I can always find problems.  Here is my biggest gripe with this Blu-ray release and I bet you will all agree with me here.  I am going to underline this next comment.  This Blu-ray disc does not have a pop-up menu.  That’s right folks.  There is no pop-up menu to be found here.  That means if you are watching the concert and want to search for a song you have to go all the way back to the main menu.  How sad is that?  Did Summit Entertainment forget that this was a Blu-ray and not a DVD?  I really would like to know.  So let me stop dwelling on all the negatives and tell you what you can expect to find here.  Again, the below special features are all in High-Definition.

• 40 Days of Riot – This 40-minute documentary is the best special feature I have found yet on a Blu-ray concert release.  It kept my wife and me glued to the television screen.  It played better than any VH1 behind the scenes documentary I have ever seen.  This lengthy documentary chronicles the band’s rehearsals, backstage antics, touring lifestyles and much more as the band traveled the country for The Final Riot! tour.  Everything you want to know about your favorite Paramore band member can be found here.  How they act, how the live, how they feel…it’s all here.  In addition to the energetic concert, this documentary makes it a must-own for any Paramore fan.
• “Decode” Music Video from Twilight - Here we have the music video that brought Paramore out into the limelight with their hit single, “Decode,” from the Twilight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
• “I Caught Myself” Audio from Twilight – Presented in Dolby TrueHD, “I Caught Myself” is another song from Paramore that can be found on the Twilight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.  All you hear is the audio of the song as it is played over the Blu-ray disc’s main menu image.

Final Thoughts 

I debated for about a week now whether to rate this a must-buy or a fans only Blu-ray release.  I finally decided on a fans only recommendation simply because while I do believe any Blu-ray music fan should own this, I simply cannot put my stamp of approval on it because of my qualms with the video and my minor audio quips.  However, I do believe that this is a must-own for any Paramore fan, no matter how big or small of a fan you are.  I did not even own a Paramore CD as I bought this on a leap of faith, plus a good price doesn’t hurt either.  Check out the Amazon link below.  This Blu-ray title can easily be found for $16 just about everywhere.  With that being said, this Blu-ray release has transformed me into a full-fledged Paramore fan and I am proud to say I am the owner of both their studio albums now.  The supplemental package alone makes this a worthy purchase for any Paramore fan, as you get to see the fruit of the band’s labor behind the scenes of the Final Riot! tour.  If you take into consideration all the things I mentioned above, I don’t think you will be disappointed or let down no matter if you decide to buy this or find it as a rental somewhere.  So what are you waiting for?  Start rocking with Paramore today!

I hope you enjoyed my review of Summit’s Paramore- The Final Riot! Blu-ray release.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.  I look forward to receiving any feedback from my readers.

Paramore – The Final Riot! was released on Blu-ray March 21, 2009.  If you like what you read in the review above, then please show your support for our site by clicking the shopping cart link above to order and save with Amazon’s Everyday Lowest Price Guarantee.  Thanks!

Disclaimer: Images used within this review are from the Paramore – The Final Riot! tour Flickr photostreams of Lisa Lotte, Trish Shoots, Elenaa_.