Hayley Williams on cancelling four Paramore shows: "Touring is different at 34 than it was at 16"

Last week, Paramore were scheduled to perform in San Francisco, but at the last minute decided to pull the show due to illness in their "touring party". The following day, they announced that they would also be postponing shows in Seattle, Portland, and Salt Late City, "in the interest of our health and the ability to put on a show you all deserve".

Following speculation from fans, who thought food poisoning was the culprit, Hayley Williams has decided to set the record straight. "As you now know, we postponed a handful of dates due to illness. We kick back up Saturday in Tulsa (!!!) after a week of misery, sadness, and bellyfuls of antibiotics and steroids," her statement began.

"For the record: we did not have food poisoning or a band-wide shit fest. And furthermore, god bless the Wolfies x Paramore Crave Box because that shit was delicious," she added, referring to the vegan food collaboration they did for their Madison Square Garden shows."In fact, I postmates'd one to myself today when I saw they still had it on the menu."

a new message from hayley regarding the postponed shows and sickness ♥️ pic.twitter.com/YtlPPjp38W

— jen (@YELYAHG00N) July 28, 2023

Williams went on to explain that she had started to feel ill during whilst they were in Houston on 11 July, and "muscled all the way through LA", which included performing shows for nine more days, thanking adrenaline as the way she was able to push through.

"By the time the excitement and all the nerves from all the LA shenanigans wore off, my body just gave out... Touring is different at 34 than it was at 16, when leaving home felt like the greatest escape. Even in my 20's, I benefitted from the constant music. It was a perfect distraction from relational issues and my own mind," she continues.

"This tour has done my heart a lot of good. I couldn't be more grateful for the faces I see the first few seconds after we walk onstage during the intro, Williams adds. "Those people revive me nightly."

Paramore will finish their North American tour, which has seven more dates, including the rescheduled ones. "May need a little extra support for these first shows back – so warm up your voices and stretch your necks. We can't wait to see you again."