Tour setlists tend to run like clockwork. Rehearsals lock down the lighting cues, the transitions, and the nightly pacing, leaving very little room for sudden deviations once a production hits larger venues. Audiences generally know what to expect, especially during major outdoor dates where precise staging keeps the schedule intact. On Wednesday night at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, Hayley Williams pushed those expectations aside. Stepping onto the stage, she reached back into her past to revive "Airplanes," a track that had been absent from her live sets for more than fifteen years.
Hearing any artist dust off a song after a fifteen-year gap is an immediate surprise for concertgoers. The track had remained completely dormant since 2010, leading many to assume it had been retired permanently. Touring acts naturally refine their programs to favor current material and familiar catalog staples, which means older pieces that stay out of the rotation for over a decade rarely return. Resurrecting an unplayed cut breaks the predictable routine of the road, offering audiences a distinct performance rather than a copy of the previous stop.
The presentation in Queens provided another dimension to the moment. When vocalists revisit older collaborative material, they often face practical compromises. Some choose to condense the arrangement into a solo acoustic interlude, while others bypass the guest contributions entirely or leave those verses to pre-recorded backing tapes. Williams bypassed those shortcuts. Instead of singing over canned vocals, she invited Rico Nasty to take the microphone and deliver the rap sections in person.
That decision drew directly on the lineup already assembled for the night. Rico Nasty serves as the tour opener, and the two musicians share a close friendship alongside a history of working together. Bringing an opening act back out into the spotlight during the headlining performance rewards concertgoers who made an effort to arrive early. It creates a unified atmosphere across the entire bill, demonstrating how shared dates can turn backstage rapport into spontaneous live chemistry.
Forest Hills Stadium has long provided an expansive outdoor setting for notable concerts in Queens, but the impact of Wednesday's performance came down to the deliberate choice to rethink older material. Williams avoided presenting "Airplanes" as a dusty museum relic, using Rico Nasty's presence on stage to give the verses immediate life. Reviving a cut untouched since 2010 bridged two separate eras of her career, showing that older songs can still find a fresh context under the stadium lights.
