Paramore Abruptly Cancels Major Concert Performance

Paramore‘s current state continues to be the subject of much hand-wringing. The band made a brief statement via Instagram Stories on Monday informing the fans that they will be unable to attend the iHeartRadio ALTer EGO festival at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Jan. 13.

The statement simply stated, per Loudwire: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Paramore can no longer attend and perform at iHeartRadio ALTer EGO on Jan. 13. The band apologizes for any inconvenience.”

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They canceled their appearance following a month marked by mystery and speculation for the group. The band posted an excerpt from an interview with UPROXX on their Instagram stories in mid-December, reading, “Now that Paramore has spent the year touring behind This Is Why (and making sure to take better care of themselves while they’re at it), a chapter of the band’s career has come to a close. They’ve now fulfilled all label obligations and are effectively free agents. As for the future of Paramore, all three members agreed that there’s a level of uncertainty.” 

A link to the full interview was also included on their social media pages. Following the excerpt that concerned the band’s fans, it was added, “But one thing’s for sure — they’re still going to be together, and they’re still going to keep having fun. ‘The only thing that matters is we will still get to be each other’s community,’ Williams says. Farro agrees, ‘I just hope we can keep building the Paramore empire and then rule the world.’” 

The band then deleted their official website and Instagram accounts on Dec. 26, updating them with blank profile photos and wiping their Instagram and X accounts clean, leaving fans puzzled. Hayley Williams’ birthday on Dec. 27 was predicted to trigger a new statement about the future, but no change was seen on their social media pages. The ALTer EGO cancellation further complicates the band’s current situation.

Now comes another news story that compels Paramore’s fanbase to remain calm. Following ALTer EGO, Variety reports that most of Paramore’s online presence has been wiped clean because the band is a free agent, not because the band has split. According to the outlet’s sources, “that cancellation was truly a case of scheduling conflict issues for key participants.” The publication also quelled rampant speculation that Paramore was amid a breakup and would vacate their spot as openers for Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour in Europe. 

Paramore’s Atlantic deal is actually a solo contract with Williams, who signed what has been known as a “360 deal” in 2003 that involved artists sharing not only revenue generated by their albums but also concert sales, merchandising, and other income with the label in exchange for what was supposedly substantial career support. Nevertheless, the nature of the agreement caused friction within the band and was cited as a major reason for Zach Farro and Josh Farro leaving the band in 2010. Zach Farro rejoined in 2017 alongside Williams and guitarist Taylor York, who joined the band in 2009; they are the band’s current official members.  

Paramore’s This Is Why album was released on Feb. 10, 2023, to positive reviews. At the end of November, Paramore performed several headline shows in Australia following their appearances on Swift’s Eras Tour last spring and summer.