Hayley Williams never wanted to tour her solo projects. Six years after releasing Petals for Armor, she gave in. The result was more special than she ever imagined. On Sept. 11, 2026, she brought “The Hayley Williams Show” to the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Shortly after opening for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour with her full band, Paramore, Williams announced her highly anticipated third solo studio album: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party. Initially, the album was available only on Williams’ website and included 17 tracks. After adding the infamous “Parachute,” Williams officially released the album on streaming platforms.
Later that year, Williams added two more songs, bringing the album to 20 tracks. The addition of “Parachute,” “Good ‘Ol Days,” and “Showbiz” confirmed for fans that the album was, in fact, a breakup album about Williams and her longtime friend and bandmate, guitarist Taylor York. The “Para-lore,” as the fandom calls it, was finally clear.
Williams’ first-ever solo tour, the Ego Death Tour, was set to include intimate shows and several festival appearances worldwide in early 2026. During these sets, she played the album in its entirety and nothing more. Still, fans began to speculate that Williams wasn’t done. This past May, she announced The Hayley Williams Show, another international tour where she would perform a variety of her solo music for the first time in larger outdoor and amphitheater venues. In July, Williams headlined Newport Folk Festival and performed a Petals For Armor song for the first time: “Roses/Lotus/Iris,” building excitement for the upcoming tour.
As fans milled around the Xfinity Center courtyard before the show began, the excitement was palpable. The dress code varied from decade-old Paramore band tees paired with jeans and sneakers to colorful dresses with combat boots. Fans could grab a slice of pizza or a blue raspberry slushie from food vendors and bars, or buy merchandise ranging from t-shirts and hoodies to pins and dog plushies. Throughout this leg of the tour, Williams also installed Sustainable Artist Villages at every stop. The row of tents consisted of several local and national aid initiatives, from Support & Feed to voter registration. After scanning a few QR codes and signing petitions, fans received exclusive stickers and pins and were automatically entered into a raffle to win a signed guitar.
Before the show, Skye Goba, filmmaker and Norton native, said Williams’ openness about her personal beliefs fuels her strong, decades-long support. “She’s so inclusive,” Goba said. “She’s a supporter of everyone, unless you’re a bad person,” said Emerson College student Aislinn McCoy. “She’s so well spoken. She knows how to relay information,” Colorado State University student Haley Brikay added. “I love how unapologetically open she is about her beliefs,” McCoy agreed. “Very few artists nowadays are open to talking about their beliefs.” McCoy went on to praise Williams’ ability to maintain her status and respect as a female artist while also using her voice for good, calling her a “preacher.” TJ, a student born and raised in Westwood, likened live music to being taken to church. He referenced a recent post on X that read, “I grew up going to church, but then I went to live music, and I realized I just really like live music.” TJ explained, “That’s what it is for me.” Audrey Slotter, a student at Emerson College, recalled the profound impact Petals for Armor had on her and how much it means to hear the songs performed live. “That album saved my life,” she professed.
After stellar opening sets from Rico Nasty and Magdalena Bay, the lights dimmed, and it was time for the Hayley Williams show. Williams walked on stage wearing a The Cranberries long-sleeve and a burgundy leather skirt with a window-shaped cutout, accessorized with fishnets and combat boots. Her famously ever-changing hair fell in waves, a bright shade of yellow-blonde with chocolate-brown streaks. Brushing her bangs from her face, she sat at the piano and began with “Just a Lover” from her 2021 studio album Flowers for Vases/Descansos.
After the buildup of “Just a Lover,” which left Williams screaming into the mic while ripping on her guitar, she went straight into older tunes: “Over Yet,” “Simmer,” and “Creepin’” from 2020’s Petals for Armor. While much of the massive crowd went wild hearing these first couple of songs, which Williams had never played on tour before, the entire amphitheater seemed to come alive when the audience heard the first second of “Ice In My OJ,” the first song on Ego Death. Williams sang, “I got ice in my O.J., I’m a cold hard bitch.” After which, she and the crowd shouted in unison, “Fuck ICE!” Next, Williams performed “Kill Me” from Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, another fan favorite to hear live because of Williams’ vocal improv toward the end of the track. Williams lets loose completely, shaking the mic around her face while riffing wildly, dancing, and tossing her hair.
Later, after Williams played some more older tunes, she invited Brian O’Connor to the stage while performing “My Friend” from Petals For Armor. O’Connor is Williams’ longtime hairstylist, makeup artist, and friend, with whom she co-founded her vegan and cruelty-free hair color brand Good Dye Young. Williams sat on a stool, back toward the audience, singing into her mic as O’Connor restylized her, live on stage. Beyond touching up her makeup, he methodically created a glitter eye look that resembled a tear-stained face, adding layers to her emotional performance.
Williams eventually returned to the piano to play “True Believer” off Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, prefacing it with this message: “The greatest threat to American democracy is Christian nationalism.” As she played the haunting piano intro, the crowd roared and clapped in agreement. Afterward, still on the piano, Williams smoothly transitioned into a slow, melancholic cover of Nina Simone’s “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.”
Out of all her older music, the die-hard fans in the room seemed most excited to sing along to the next few: “Cinnamon,” “Dead Horse,” and “Pure Love.” She told the crowd, “It means so much to get to play Petals for Armor songs… six years is a long time to wait to play anything.” She added, “In 2020, I didn’t think this many people would come. But I’m fucking glad you’re here now!”
The stage shifted from curtains and silhouettes of Williams and her band to something like an ocean: the lights turned blue, and the music video for “Crystal Clear” from Petals For Armor projected across the stage. Although the song is surely emotional for Williams to play every night on this tour in the aftermath of her relationship with Taylor York, the crowd supported her by knowing every lyric and swaying along to the beautiful ballad.
From there, Williams strictly performed songs from Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party (aside from playing “Just A Lover” once again). She exclaimed, “I can’t believe I’m playing here!” But there was no doubt: every single person in the nearly sold-out crowd was incredibly grateful for this show. As Williams returned to the piano to play “Dream Girl In Shibuya,” the stage transformed once again as a video of the colorful, bustling city was projected onto Williams and her band. During the wistful ballad, the amphitheater lit up with fans’ phone lights. Williams looked toward the crowd, beaming as she played. After the song ended, she mused, “Wow. That was gorgeous.”
Before her last song, “Parachute” — arguably the most popular and powerful on Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party — Williams extended her genuine gratitude to the crowd: “Thank you for leaving your house and gathering with strangers. We put a lot of good energy out there tonight.”
While Williams may not see herself as a preacher or a savior, she is undeniably one of the most talented performers and songwriters of our time, and her fiercely loyal fanbase will undoubtedly continue to hang onto her every last word and lyric and support her through everything for years to come.