Hayley Williams Performs All Of Ego Death & Brings Out Josh Scogin At First Solo Tour Opener

Last night, Hayley Williams kicked off her first-ever solo tour after her 2020 run for Petals For Armor was canceled because of the pandemic. At the Tabernacle in Atlanta, the singer-songwriter performed all of her latest record Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, giving live debuts to most of the tracks. Her live band includes Paramore touring members Brian Robert Jones (guitar) and Joey Howard (bass).

For the finale, "Parachute," Williams brought out Josh Scogin, who currently plays in '68 and has performed in the Chariot and Norma Jean. "The people we looked up to played like 300-, 400-cap rooms," Williams said about Paramore's early days on Popcast last year. "Like, I wanted to be Josh Scogin from the Chariot." The ‘68 launch their farewell tour in May.

She also covered Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." A lyric in "True Believer" references the Simone-performed protest song "Strange Fruit"; when Williams performed it on The Tonight Show last year, a cloth on her keyboard had the handwritten words "Mississippi G-d Damn" — a reference to another civil rights song performed by Simone.

Water From Your Eyes (whose Rachel Brown met Hayley Williams when interviewing her for Stereogum last summer) are opening this tour along with Snuggle, depending on the date. It's entirely sold out.

Watch footage from the night below.