Hayley Williams is one of the best frontpeople working today, but even the greats can't always put on the show they want to. Last week, Paramore had to postpone a handful of dates on their North American tour behind This Is Why due to "an illness within the touring party" — and Williams went on to reveal in a statement on the band's Discord channel that she's the one with the illness.
"In all seriousness, this past week has been really tough," she wrote. "Nobody would know this but I started getting sick in Houston (non contagious) and muscled my way all the way through LA. Adrenaline is a wonder! But by the time the excitement and the nerves from all the LA shenanigans wore off, my body just gave out."
"In all seriousness, this past week has been really tough," she wrote. "Nobody would know this but I started getting sick in Houston (non contagious) and muscled my way all the way through LA. Adrenaline is a wonder! But by the time the excitement and the nerves from all the LA shenanigans wore off, my body just gave out."
The band picked their tour back up over the weekend in Tulsa and St. Louis, but that still wasn't enough to satisfy the discerning standards of "internet bros." Williams took to Instagram stories yesterday (July 30) to respond to some of the criticism she had received for postponing the shows, including dudes citing how both Metallica and Iron Maiden "manage" to stay on the road, "all of which are much older than you love."
The singer-songwriter replied, "Neither James [Hetfield] NOR Bruce [Dickinson] are gonna suck your dick for this, LOVE." When someone else brought up that time in 2015 when Dave Grohl broke his leg at a Foo Fighters show but continued performing, Williams added, "I have a lung infection you soft shit! Not a broken limb. One you can sing with for two hours, another you can't."
She continued:
Internet bros have been pressed by my proximity to rock music and all its subgenres since 2005. The only thing thats changed is the platform from which they spew their ignorance.
Don't think for a second your fav bands – metal or punk or otherwise – endorse your weird incel ass lifestyle.
So many of these bands have stood side stage at our shows and treat us with respect. Why? Because they aren't threatened by a strong woman front [sic] a great band in a completely different genre of music.
Williams has previously spoken about her long history of sexist mistreatment in the scene, even from fellow musicians. Earlier this year, she recalled NOFX's Fat Mike making lewd comments about her on stage when she was 19.
