Released: November 25, 2008
Genre: Pop Rock, Alternative Rock
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Number Of Tracks: 15
It is the second official live album by the band Paramore and was released on November 25, 2008 with a bonus DVD containing the full live concert plus behind the scenes footage.
The Final Riot
Reviewed by:
idiotbox919, on august 21, 2009 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Overall the sound on both the CD and accompanying CD are of a very high standard. The band rarely miss a note with Hayley also hitting the vast majority of hers (she misses a few here and there, but you can count them on a single hand) and the energy of the band captured well. Apart from the issues with the crowd mentioned later, everything comes through clearly.
Generally, the live recording is of a good standard but I have a couple of problems with both the CD and the DVD. Firstly, on the CD the crowd levels seem too low. I don't necessarily think the crowd levels should be boosted, that's personal preference, but on some parts where the crowd have been invited to sing it seems incredibly quiet. My main problem with the sound on the DVD is that for a recording in 5.1 surround the rear channel is barely used, except for crowd noise, which as I stated earlier seems incredibly quiet, to me this seems a waste. // 9
Content: As for the set list, I was reasonably satisfied with it. All the expected hits are present such as, Misery Business, Here We Go Again, That's What You Get, etc. In addition to this there is a nice surprise in the form of decoy (a North American B-Side, I think) and the first verse of Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah.
However, having said that there are issues with the set list, firstly the inclusion of an acoustic version of My Heart which was, in my opinion, a mistake. If you're familiar with the band you will know that they have quite a few slower songs which, when you take one of the faster songs and slow it right down, resulted in too much "down time" where you're waiting for the energy to pick up again.
The final gripe I have with the content is with the CD, where a lot of the talk between the songs is cut out. This for me is a problem for two reasons, firstly, I think it robs the band of their chance to show their personality. But more significantly, is that before playing "We Are Broken" Hayley speaks of a charity they are working with called Love146 which raises awareness of sex slavery, however, this is cut from the CD and were it not from the DVD I would not have known about it.
In addition to the concert there is a short 40 days of riot documentary about the tour and life with the band. It's a nice little feature but I feel it could be much longer and more in depth, for a case of how I believe it should have been done look at Lamb of God's "Walk With Me In Hell" DVD.
However, all gripes aside, it should be noted that you are getting the CD and DVD for the same price that I would expect to pay for the CD alone, so value for money is high. It is for that reason that content gets an 8 instead of 7. // 8
Production Quality: The production is good, without ever being great. The camera gets nice shots of the crowd with some stunning shots of Hayley, however, it is clear that, as far as whoever edited the DVD is concerbed, Hayley Williams IS Paramore. The clear focus for the entire show is always Hayley with very little screen time for anyone else, particularly Zac on drums, who is rarely seen at all.
However, there is good reason for this, Hayley is by a large margin the energy of the band. She runs about stage, headbangs and gets the crowd going. The others are much less exciting. Jeremy and Taylor do have their moments (the flip in "Pressure" is awesome) however, they are less consistently energetic. The big disappointment in terms of showmanship is Josh, who seems to be under the impression that because he is occasionally needed for backup vocals he can never be more than a foot away from his mic.
The cameras capture the energy of the band well and get some nice sweeping shots of crowd action. Overall, the picture quality is good, however, if you do want the best quality you should pick up the blu-ray copy which is a significant increase over the DVD.
There are occasional dramatic slow-mo bits or freeze frames, which add to the intensity without becoming tiresome.
Please note: Add 2 to the score if referring to the blu-ray version. // 8
Impression: Overall, I would definately recommend this. It is by no means groundbreaking, but it ticks all the boxes without ever doing anything exceptional. As I mentioned earlier, special features are somewhat lacking when compared to the Lamb of God DVD I used as a comparison, however, Lamb of God outdid themselves with this and had I not been somewhat spoilt by their offering I may have rated the content here more favourably.
The highlight of the DVD is definately the near perfect performance given by Hayley Williams, further confirming that she is an incredibly talented vocalist for someone of her age and experience.
If it were stolen or lost I would definately buy another copy as I think it's a very well done CD/DVD set, as I stated it doesn't really do anything extra, but it does all the basics very well. // 8
The Final Riot
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 26, 2008 5 of 13 people found this review helpful
Sound: A little over a year after the release of the critically acclaimed 2007 album 'RIOT! ', Franklin, TN's Paramore has, as their hit single 'Misery Business' predicted, watched their wildest dreams come true. Since the release of 'RIOT! ', Paramore have been nominated for a Grammy, an MTV VMA, won the Woodie of the Year award, been on the cover of Rock Bible Alternative Press twice (being heralded band of the year by editor's and readers alike), headlined two national tours and four warped Vans tours, and received their first RIAA Platinum Certification as sales for 'RIOT! ' still continue to build each week. Summer 2008 marked the end of the 'RIOT! ' era for Paramore as the band embarked on The Final RIOT! Summer Tour 2008, and director Brandon Chesbro was along for the ride, filming every second of the tour for the 'The Final RIOT! ' Live CD/DVD, in stores now on Fueled By Ramen. 'The Final RIOT! ' is a Live CD/DVD that documents the band in their most intimate moments on tour, with exclusive interviews with the band, full access behind the scenes and on the bus, at soundcheck, at rehearsals and more. On top of all that extra footage is an entire 15 song live set that was filmed at the Chicago stop of The Final RIOT! Tour, for what the band has called their 'Best Show ever! ' Join millions of fans around the world as they experience The Final RIOT! // 10
Content: 01.Intro: nice little intro of the band just as their about to go on stage. Then Josh appears on stage playing a little intro he created, then Taylor joins in, as does Jeremy and Zac and then Hayley appears and they burst into...
02.Born For This: great song to start off the show as Hayley does some moshing and jumping around the stage and the band not missing a note of the song, with the crowd singing loudly back to the band.
03.That's What You Get: the band start off this song and the crowd go wild. Another great song
04.Here We Go Again: nice little song. Once again the crowd go wild.
05.Fences: haven't heard the band play this live in a while. Nice to hear it again.
06.Crushcrushcrush: the crowd sing at their possible loudest for this song.
07.Let The Flames Begin: do a nice little guitar intro for this song. One of the band's best song's.
08.When It Rains: nice soft song with the crowd singing along.
09.My Heart: the band perform an acoustic version that's quite good. Unfortunately no Screamo from Josh.
10.Decoy: a B-side on some versions of RIOT! A great song all aroun with Hayley hitting all notes.
11.Pressure: the crowd go crazy with this song.
12.For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic: one of the band's best song's and the band not missing a note.
13.We Are Broken: one of the soft song's but a brilliant one.
14.Emergency: the crowd go wild... yet again.
Hallelujah: Great version of this song with Hayley singing a verse from Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah.'
15.Misery Business: great song, with Hayley hitting every note and doing a lot of moshing. // 9
Production Quality: Great camera views. With amazing view's of the crowd and the band and occasionally freeze-framing for the best parts of the show. Great production quality. Camera quality is amazing. Nice Sound. Can't complain about one thing on this DVD/CD it's simply amazing and it shortens the distance between the band's next album. // 9
Impression: All around a good live DVD with the inclusion of the CD making it that much more better. Although Hayley missed a few notes during some part's of the show. If it were stolen I would hunt that person and torture them to death. I just love this DVD/CD I've listened or watched it at least once every day I just can't put it down! // 10
This is an appallingly written review and doesn't make me want to go out and buy this CD. However, I can excuse the revewer because this review does show an obvious enthusiasm for the band.
I like some of their songs. But they really are overrated. I got to see them one time live...it was not worth my money. Their performance was below avarage.
But the crowd did got wild. Which was annoying because all these little girls were screaming along, and let me tell ya; that ain't nice to your ears.
Moshing on stage on your own? Lame.
But they are an good studio band. Gotta love Crushcrushcrush and Decoy.
does "Riot" really have to be emphasized? a good reviewer would be able to avoid overusing words like that by alternating the way that they refer to the live album other than by it's name. I also prefer review that are not bias, is there really no flaws worth mentioning or any reason people may not like the album?
wow i really cant wait to get this dvd for christmas now! i love paramore , and i cant wait for the new album , and hopefully a UK tour! great review btw
This is an appallingly written review and doesn't make me want to go out and buy this CD. However, I can excuse the revewer because this review does show an obvious enthusiasm for the band.
Why the hell would a noob band, with like two albums, go ahead and make their SECOND live album???? MONEY GRABBERS!
Or their Record Label is making them. Or they are trying to get out of their current contract asap. Do you have any idea how Recording Contracts work? My guess is that their label is making them do it, more money for them.
I'll probably pick it up sometime, I like Paramour so =).
This is an appallingly written review and doesn't make me want to go out and buy this CD. However, I can excuse the revewer because this review does show an obvious enthusiasm for the band.
THERE WAS THIS CRAZY ASIAN KID WITH A MOHAWK AND NO SHIRT COVERED IN SWEAT (im pretty sure he was on X) AND HIM AND THIS OTHER GUY WERE TRYING TO GET US TO RUN INTO EACH OTHER! IT WAS KILLER!
on a lighter note, seriously it was good but i wish they didn't do my heart acoustic
To the guy who questions this band making a live cd... maybe they did it because there kind of what people call 'A Big Deal'. You'd be surprised how huge this band is in there genre. Hitting over a million on Myspace alone. And have you been to one of there concerts? This band has a HUGE fan base for being such a new band. Maybe that's why they did it. Sure, money could be a factor, but they made it, and people bought it. And it wasn't that expensive. I got it for 12 bucks at Hastings. Usually those cd's.dvd's are up to at least $20.
Why the hell would a noob band, with like two albums, go ahead and make their SECOND live album???? MONEY GRABBERS!
There's worse money grabbing bands out there mind. Look at Linkin Park for example, 7 albums, and only 3 are proper studio albums. Even my favourite 2 bands Iron Maiden and Megadeth release live and best of albums too often.
it's good that she can actually sing live too. there's far too many bands that release live albums, and they can't sing, and that gets really disappointing.
GoldSoundzUKNZ :
it's good that she can actually sing live too. there's far too many bands that release live albums, and they can't sing, and that gets really disappointing.
The band members drop the tunings an entire step lower sometimes to accommodate for her vocals. I own the cd/dvd/limited edition package and I am a big fan of them, but I'll be honest and say she could def sound better live. She sounds a lot deeper and little things like her "HEY JOSH!!!" in a weird tone before the Misery Business solo, the "WE ARE PARAMORE!" yelling, and little subtle note changes in That's What You Get make moments seem somewhat laughable.
To the guy who questions this band making a live cd... maybe they did it because there kind of what people call 'A Big Deal'. You'd be surprised how huge this band is in there genre. Hitting over a million on Myspace alone. And have you been to one of there concerts? This band has a HUGE fan base for being such a new band. Maybe that's why they did it. Sure, money could be a factor, but they made it, and people bought it. And it wasn't that expensive. I got it for 12 bucks at Hastings. Usually those cd's.dvd's are up to at least $20.
honestly this is just going to be one big Avril Lavigne repeat. They are pretty good now but eventually they'll do the whole pop sellout thing once again like Avril and like Fall Out Boy. I believe they're actually playing at Z100's Jingle Ball this year. Its happening. To you personally i just laughed that your username is Demon Hunter and you're happy you saved 8 bucks on a Paramore DVD. Finally to the reviewer, to properly review something you need to not be incredibly biased or at least not show it in your reviews. Dont use so many superlatives.
Good god, who gives a damn about all this selling out shit?
There is just one point that should be accepted. ONE.
If YOU like the music, then listen to it. If they start making music you DON'T like, then don't listen to it. That simple.
Give the whole "selling out" crap a break. Let bands be bands and quit holding them to these f**king "You must be loyal to the cult, Paramore!" crap.
im from australia and i LOVE paramore and to all those paramore haters out there..ur all just jealous cause they're doin what u dont have the guts to do what they r ,and ur also jealous cause all u losers do is sit at hme on the computer and dis them..get a life ppl i have the cd/dvd and i rekon its heaps cool and if u dont like them then dont even bother writing anything about them cause it just proves that ur jealous...to all those paramore fans out there!! U ROK!!
THERE WAS THIS CRAZY ASIAN KID WITH A MOHAWK AND NO SHIRT COVERED IN SWEAT (im pretty sure he was on X) AND HIM AND THIS OTHER GUY WERE TRYING TO GET US TO RUN INTO EACH OTHER! IT WAS KILLER!
on a lighter note, seriously it was good but i wish they didn't do my heart acoustic
i laughed when i saw that guy in the DVD... it was during Emergency i believe...
ANYWAYS...
this isnt as good as the reviewer makes it to be,
there are some sketchy notes on Hayley's part, but some songs were spot on, mostly towards the end though...
and the intro is pretty sweet, not gonna lie...
personally i prefer her live voice
it takes a bit of getting used to but at least you nd all know shes not miming. and props to her for being able to sing as well as she does, granted shes running around all the time
and btw if you watch their acoustic sets she sounds flawless and you know thats her voice and not just a recording. i think she deserves a lot of credit
GoldSoundzUKNZ :
it's good that she can actually sing live too. there's far too many bands that release live albums, and they can't sing, and that gets really disappointing.
The band members drop the tunings an entire step lower sometimes to accommodate for her vocals. I own the cd/dvd/limited edition package and I am a big fan of them, but I'll be honest and say she could def sound better live. She sounds a lot deeper and little things like her "HEY JOSH!!!" in a weird tone before the Misery Business solo, the "WE ARE PARAMORE!" yelling, and little subtle note changes in That's What You Get make moments seem somewhat laughable.
Dude, I FULLY know what you mean. When she says "There's a million other girls who do it just like you I spat out all the water I was drinking.
I thought she was off on this album, actually. There is a whole Norwegian show on Youtube. Look that one up. The crowd sucked, but Hayley was spot on in every song.
There were 3 things wrong with this DVD. Firstly they should have taken audio from the microphones on the crowd. Especially in born for this and crushcrushcrush. I sing backing vocals in my band when we play born for this and the "back to the same..." bit that is in the first verse adds so much character. she got the crowd to sing this and it was killed. for another example of this see Awesome as **** (green day). Billie joe gets the crowd to sing the entire 1st verse of american idiot and it takes them 10 seconds to work out wtf was happening
Secondly the DVD of the concert in chicago was (rudely) interupted by various 5 min clips from the '40 days of RIOT! ' doco. this killed the flow of everything.
Thirdly almost all the camera shots are of hayley. Yes she sings and leads the band but its not like bill hayley and the comets or in example hayley williams and paramore. everyone else on stage needed more presence.
otherwise I loved the video and it proves why paramore are great live.
