Paperweight - FINAL SHOW - Stay Gold
Review By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith
There are some shows you attend because you like the band.
And then there are shows you would cross state lines for because the people on that stage genuinely matter to you.
Paperweight’s final ever show at Stay Gold somehow became both.
Honestly it still feels strange writing the words “final show” because for so many years Paperweight have just always existed in the background of Rawing In The Pit Media almost from the very beginning. Luana and I essentially started our creative projects around the same time and through endless music promotion, conversations and mutual passion for live music we somehow accidentally formed a friendship that extended far beyond “band person” and “media person”. She is genuinely one of those people you cannot help but want to support because she gives so much of herself to the people around her. The type of person who would drop everything to be there for somebody she cared about without hesitation.
So there was absolutely no universe where I was going to miss this show.
Especially when the final show was taking place at Stay Gold, a venue also preparing to close its doors, which somehow added another strange layer of emotion hanging over the entire evening before the first note had even been played.
I arrived early enough to catch soundcheck, dragging myself through Melbourne after hopping on a flight from Sydney purely for one single night, and honestly I regret absolutely nothing about that decision. I also had a little surprise hidden on the back of my hoodie thanks to my incredibly talented friend Kristy who had illustrated a cartoon version of Luana riding the origami T-Rex from the artwork of Waster. Massive across the back. Impossible to miss. I had smaller stickers of the design too which ended up getting handed around amongst friends and family throughout the night and watching people smile whilst seeing them honestly made the whole thing feel even more special.
I usually spend gigs hiding behind a camera or lurking somewhere towards the back after the first three songs in the photo pit. I rarely throw myself fully into crowds anymore unless work requires it. But this night felt different from the beginning. Instead of standing there mentally calculating shutter speeds or worrying about venue lighting I found myself planted proudly at the front directly in front of Luana like some emotionally invested stage parent who had accidentally wandered into a pop punk show.
And honestly? I had the absolute best time.
The second Paperweight started playing the entire room erupted into movement. Not aggressive chaos. Not one of those crowds where everybody is trying to outdo each other for attention. It felt joyful. Genuine. Like every single person inside Stay Gold understood the importance of what was happening and wanted to squeeze every final drop of happiness out of it together before it disappeared forever.
I spent most of the set dancing around, bouncing like an idiot, grinning uncontrollably and quietly but subtly mouting along with the lyrics (my awkward autism makes me grin like a moron most gigs rather than singing lyrics back to bands), alongside everybody else who was screaming the lyrics with their entire chest back at the band in a pretty packed into the room. Friends, family, fans and people who had travelled ridiculous distances all collided together into this sweaty emotional little community gathered around one final moment.
And the love inside that room was overwhelming.
Between songs there were dedications to important people, endless gratitude thrown towards those who had supported the band over the years and visibly emotional smiles exchanged between the band and the crowd every time another wave of cheering erupted back towards the stage. At one point beach balls started bouncing around the venue because apparently emotional devastation also needed a touch of chaotic birthday party energy thrown into it. Then somehow the triangle made a short but iconic appearance because of course it did.
And then came Fat Lip.
Watching a packed room scream every single word to Sum 41 whilst people flooded onto the stage alongside one of Luana’s favourite bands being covered felt less like watching a gig and more like witnessing a giant celebration of friendship, nostalgia and shared history exploding all at once. It was messy, loud, hilarious and weirdly emotional all at the same time.
The thing I will probably remember most though is not even a singular song or moment.
It was the atmosphere.
That room did not feel like a crowd simply watching a band play music. It felt like a giant collision of people who genuinely cared about one another. The entire venue radiated this warmth that almost felt tangible. Support. Passion. Gratitude. Pride. Heartbreak. Joy. Everything existed simultaneously inside those walls for a few hours and somehow nobody wanted the night to end because everybody knew once it did, this version of Paperweight would only exist in memory afterwards.
Flying from Sydney to Melbourne for about twenty four hours probably sounds mildly unhinged to normal people but honestly it was one of the best decisions I have made in a very long time.
Because sometimes music is not really about the songs at all.
Sometimes it is about showing up for the people who helped shape your life along the way.
