Hayley Williams, Rico Nasty, & Magdalena Bay Bring 'The Hayley Williams Show' to San Diego
‘The Hayley Williams Show’ rolled into San Diego this past weekend, bringing an explosive lineup of Hayley Williams, Rico Nasty, and Magdalena Bay to North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre on October 3rd. From the moment cars began lining up outside the venue to the final notes of Hayley’s encore, the night felt less like a traditional concert and more like an immersive celebration of music, art, community, and self-expression.
The crowd arrived in full force, filling the venue with fans eager to experience music’s most exciting acts. Long lines formed at the merchandise booths, where fans picked up tour shirts, signed vinyl, collectibles, and other limited-edition pieces celebrating the artists. But the experience extended well beyond the stage.
Fans also participated in a series of REVERB activations and giveaways, including a one-of-a-kind Hayley Williams pin featuring the city of the show. Concertgoers could make a $20 donation to receive a Hayley Williams water bottle, while the trading post became a meeting place for fans exchanging and collecting Hayley-themed pins, keychains, stickers, and other memorabilia. Commemorative Hayley Williams concert stubs were also distributed throughout the evening, giving fans another keepsake from the San Diego stop.
Rico Nasty Starts the Night at Full Volume
Rico Nasty kicked off the night with the kind of unapologetic energy that immediately jolted the amphitheater to life. Moving across the stage with confidence, she commanded the crowd and set the tone for what would become an increasingly unpredictable night. Her performance brought a heavy dose of punk attitude, hip-hop aggression, and pure adrenaline. By the time she left the stage, the audience was fully warmed up and ready for what came next.
Magdalena Bay Turns San Diego Into a Dreamscape
Magdalena Bay followed with a Psychedelic Pop performance that transformed the amphitheater into something closer to a surreal dream sequence. Dreamy visuals filled the screens while the duo moved through a performance packed with color, movement, and theatrical moments. Lead singer, Mica Tenenbaum, appeared in a series of striking costumes, including looks that evoked everything from fire, sunflowers, to angel wings. The audience responded in kind, singing, dancing, and becoming part of the dreamlike atmosphere Magdalena Bay created. Their set perfectly bridged the gap between Rico Nasty’s explosive opening performance and the theatrical, emotionally charged world Hayley Williams was about to bring to the stage.
Hayley Williams Delivers an Emotional performance
When the lights finally shifted and Hayley Williams took the stage, the energy inside the amphitheater changed instantly. Williams’ set moved through songs spanning her solo catalog, creating an emotional whirlwind that traveled from intimate and vulnerable moments to explosive, visually stunning performances. The current tour draws from her three solo albums — Petals for Armor, Flowers for Vases / Descansos, and Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.
The San Diego set opened with “Get Thee Behind Me Satan,” followed by “Just a Lover,” “Over Yet,” Portishead’s “Wandering Star,” and “Simmer.” From there, Williams moved through “Creepin’,” “Ice in My OJ,” “Kill Me,” “Hard,” and “My Friend.”
The setlist continued with “Leave It Alone,” “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris,” “True Believer,” Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “Cinnamon,” “Dead Horse,” “Pure Love,” “Crystal Clear,” “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party,” “Glum,” “Disappearing Man,” and “Dream Girl in Shibuya.”
Williams brought Rico Nasty back onto the stage for “Airplanes,” giving the crowd one of the night’s biggest collaborative moments. Williams followed with “Good Ol’ Days” and a “Just a Lover” reprise before returning for an encore of “Mirtazapine,” “Brotherly Hate,” and “Parachute.”
A Show Built Around Art
Visually, the production was just as ambitious as the music. Dreamy backdrops, dramatic lighting, and lamps moving up and down above the stage gave the performance a constantly shifting atmosphere. One moment the stage felt intimate and stripped down; the next, it exploded into a full sensory experience.
During “My Friend,” a painter joined Williams onstage and applied shimmering gold makeup flakes to her face, turning the performance into something resembling a live piece of performance art.
A photographer was also positioned close to the action, capturing intimate photographs and video of Williams throughout the performance. Then came “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris.” As Williams performed the song, a floral scent filled the air, creating one of the evening's most immersive moments. It was a subtle detail, but one that reinforced the show's emphasis on making the audience experience the music with more than just their eyes and ears. Williams also took moments throughout the night to introduce her bandmates, recognizing their contributions and explaining how they helped produce and shape her latest album.
A Night of Music, Community and Expression
There was a sense that The Hayley Williams Show was designed to be more than a greatest-hits performance. It was part concert, part art installation, part community gathering — and San Diego embraced every piece of it.
From Rico Nasty's crowd-hyping opening set and Magdalena Bay's Psychedelic dreamscape to Williams' emotionally charged performance, the evening moved through radically different sounds and visual worlds without ever feeling disconnected.
Williams also used the stage to make a political statement, saying “Free Palestine” during the performance.
By the time the final encore ended, fans were left with more than photographs and merchandise. They had experienced a night filled with music, visual art, unexpected collaborations, fan-to-fan exchanges, activism, and the kind of theatrical details that made the San Diego stop feel distinctly its own.
With Southern California continuing to host The Hayley Williams Show, the San Diego performance proved that Williams' solo era has developed a visual and emotional identity all its own — one where dreamy imagery, vulnerability, experimentation, and community can exist on the same stage.
And for everyone who walked out of North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre that night, the gold flakes, floral-scented air, soaring vocals, dancing crowd, and unexpected “Airplanes” reunion with Rico Nasty made the San Diego show one that will be difficult to forget.
Featured Image Credit: Google Images
Coverage by Veronica Potes // Instagram: @veropoteart
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