Paramore condemns physical and verbal assault of 'multiple women' at Utah show

Paramore condemns physical and verbal assault of 'multiple women' at Utah show
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After a four-year hiatus, Paramore is back with a new album and hitting the road again. But after an incident at the Salt Lake City leg of their fall tour, the band is reassuring fans they are still into them and are not in the misery business.

In a message across their social media platforms, the band addressed the incident, in which a male fan "physically and verbally assaulted multiple women, including an engaged couple." Hayley Williams and co. made sure to note that this kind of behavior is unacceptable at their shows.

BOSTON, MA – MAY 25:Hayley Williams of Paramore performs onstage at Harvard Athletic Complex on May 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Natasha Moustache/GettyImages)
BOSTON, MA – MAY 25:Hayley Williams of Paramore performs onstage at Harvard Athletic Complex on May 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Natasha Moustache/GettyImages)

Natasha Moustache/Getty

"After last night's show in SLC, we were made aware of an incident that happened in the crowd while we were on stage," the band wrote in a statement shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. "A man physically and verbally assaulted multiple women, including an engaged couple at our show. Our security team and venue staff were made aware and were able to restrain and remove him. We did not realize this was happening, as the incident took place out of view from stage. Had we seen any of this happening, we would have stopped the show until the situation was under control."

Paramore went on to emphasize that they do not condone  "violence, homophobia, or bigotry of any kind. It is supremely unwelcome in our community and has no place at our shows."

Paramore rose to fame in the early-00s on the strength of such pop-punk bangers as "Misery Business, " That's What You Get," and "Still Into You." Frontwoman Hayley Williams also lent her powerful pipes to a number of hits including B.o.B.'s "Airplanes" and Zedd's "Stay the Night" before releasing her debut solo album Petals for Armor in 2020, and its follow-up Flowers for Vases / Descansos in 2021.

Amid internal turmoil, the members of Paramore took a break from each other in 2018, only to return with their upcoming sixth studio album, This Is Why, which is set to be released next year on Feb. 10. The album's lead single, also titled "This Is Why," was released at the end of September, just before the band launched its first tour in four years.

The tour kicked off in Bakersfield, Calif., then headed to Utah. After the assault incident at that show, the band apologized to "the fans who were hurt by or who witnessed what happened," and hoped that they know "we will always do anything we can to protect you and make you feel celebrated."

"To make things as clear as possible," the band's statement concluded, "Paramore shows are meant to be a safe place for people. If you can't respect that, do not come."

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