“The Hayley Williams Show” arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina!
On September 8th, Hayley Williams graced the stage at the Truliant Amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina for the very first time. This show was a part of her The Hayley Williams Show tour, which kicked off in Florida a few days prior. This tour follows her At A Bachelorette Party tour that occurred earlier this year, spanning across North America and Europe.
Hayley Williams walked on stage at 9pm that sent the crowd into an uproar, starting off the show with “Just A Lover,” off her 2021 album FLOWERS for VASES / descansos, before transitioning into “Over Yet” and “Simmer.” There was so much excitement from both the crowd and Williams that night, this tour has been eagerly anticipated by her fans for a long time. “These shows have been six years in the making,” Williams stated after thanking fans for coming out and giving her the chance to play these songs in venues of this size.
This tour features the live debut of a majority of her music released before her 2025 album Ego Death At The Bachelorette Party, her planned tour for her first solo album Petals For Armor (released in 2020) was highly anticipated but sadly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the debut songs include “Dead Horse,” “Cinnamon,” “Crystal Clear,” and “Creepin’” off Petals For Armor. Williams took multiple moments to acknowledge the joy she felt to finally get to play these songs for the first time on stage and the gratitude she has for her fans for coming out and continuing to support her. The majority of her setlist contained songs off her most recent album including “Ego Death At The Bachelorette Party,” “Glum,” “Good Ol’ Days,” and “Ice In My OJ.”
Before playing her song “True Believer,” Williams played a cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Understood,” while also including a reference to Simone’s song “Mississippi Goddamn,” carved into her piano, which Simone wrote after the murder of four black girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The song became a defining Civil Rights anthem from that era.
The stage visuals for this tour are some of the best that I have ever seen. The set up seemed fairly simple at first glance, with white drapery all over the stage, but it serves as a blank backdrop for projections of album/song visuals, silhouettes, and more. The different projections blended so well within the show while also representing each song in its own uniqueness. During songs like “Dream Girl In Shibuya” and “Ego Death At The Bachelorette Party,” vivid scenes of those cities were projected to bring the audience to those places. She wrapped up the show with an encore of “Mirzapine,” “Brotherly Hate,” and “Parachute,” thanking Charlotte for coming out and she’ll see them again!
Williams is truly a force to be reckoned with. Her stage presence is undeniable. Her voice and lyricism are phenomenal. She has no problem speaking her mind and fighting for what's right. In my three years of photographing musicians/artists, I have been to many concerts, but Williams’ show is one of my favorite ones I’ve attended. She is one of the artists who always has the most fun on stage, no matter what personal battles she is facing, the stage is her safe place to sing, dance, and scream it all out and she implores her fans to do the same, sharing with them that her shows will always be a safe space for them.
Hayley Williams continues her tour throughout North America and South America until October before picking back up in South America in November. Magdalena Bay and Rico Nasty will continue opening for her in North America and Annie DiRusso will join her on the road opening for her dates in South America. She will also bring The Hayley Williams Show to Europe and the U.K. in June of 2027 with an opening slot for Fontaines D.C. on June 26th, 2027 at Slate Castle in Ireland!
Words and photos by Montana Donahue.