Hayley Williams' Tour Diary Part 3: Joining the Ranks of Iron Maiden

Only two bands have ever headlined the Garuda Wisnu in Bali, Indonesia: Iron Maiden and, now, Paramore. First of all, anytime we're on any sort of list with a band like Iron Maiden, I'm OK with it. They're the kind of band you want to be lumped in with one way or another -- one of the real giants. I'm not sure they'd be as stoked as we are, but that's beside the point. What made this venue so special was that it wasn't actually a venue. It was basically a stage set up in between all these massive rocks that were cut out like cliffs. The closest comparison I can think of is Red Rocks. If you've ever been to a show there, you know what I'm talking about. There was just an amazing vibe that night. We spent a whole three and a half days before the show sitting by the beach and swimming at the hotel pool. We stayed at this crazy resort where komodo dragons roamed around like stray dogs and "beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano" (name that movie). I think we were the only people there who were not on our honeymoon and I think the other guests really appreciated that our band was staying there. You could tell by the way they stared at us, so adoringly everywhere we went (please sense the sarcasm). Anyway, I guess I can't blame 'em. We're not exactly a quiet bunch! Quite possibly the best part of the whole experience was the family dinner we put together for everyone on the tour. The resort had a dinner theatre in the middle where they would put on shows, so we all went down to watch. Seriously, the craziest dancing and singing... The costumes were these beautiful colored fabrics with the most decorative patterns. I'd never seen anything like it. The culture and the history of Bali felt like it was hanging in the air. I was in love with all of it. However, if you're not that into Balinese culture you could always go across the resort to the Octopus bar where the bar band will play Tom Petty covers for you all night! Oh, have you heard The Swellers? They're friends of ours who also happen to be our labelmates. We told them if they didn't join us on this tour we'd get them kicked off the label (again, sarcasm). They spent their day off hanging with Balinese monkeys. Sounded like fun, but I think they caught some kind of rabies cause their eyes looked crazy when they got back. I mean, it didn't seem to affect their show all that much. I'm so glad they are out here with us. It would be a shame to suffer the paradise of the Pacific Rim all alone. -- HAYLEY