It was still hours before the doors to the Uptown Theater were to open on Sunday night, but dozens of Panic! At The Disco fans were already there, lined up down the street. As time went by, that line proceeded to stretch around the corner and then down two blocks. It was roughly 6:30 when we arrived and also joined that line, half an hour before the doors even opened and 45 minutes before we made our way inside.
When we entered, we watched the two opening bands, X Ambassadors and The Colourists. Both bands were good, but it was obvious who everyone was really there to see. The seemingly endless wait for Panic! At The Disco to take the stage dragged on while the stage tech made their last checks. As the time came closer, the crowd continued to grow into the hundreds; and you could tell by the excited screams that the anticipation was increasing. Finally, the lights went down and everyone went “Mad As Rabbits.”
Panic! started out their set with “Vegas Lights”, with the huge video screens on stage counting down along with the lyrics “5-4-3-2-1” as frontman Brendon Urie strutted out in his black leather pants and gold blazer. The screams of the hundreds of fans filled the air, along with the blasting amps and speakers projecting the band’s music. It all really brought everyone’s energy up, and obviously the sound level too.
Their setlist was an ever flowing mix of their most recent album “Too Weird To Live, To Rare To Die!” and their past albums. This created an environment where everyone was either dancing or singing along; or most often both. With pre-recorded sound-clips connecting each song, the fluidity of the concert made it a constant party. It wasn’t until after they performed a few songs that they introduced themselves with “We’re Panic! At The Disco, and you’re f***ing great!”. Their introduction was short and sweet before they jumped right back into performing.
With every lyric the crowd went crazy, swooning with every beautiful falsetto note Urie hit (myself included). The man knows how to work a stage, and an audience. The high point of his crazy stage act though was most definitely during “Miss Jackson”. As the first single from their recent album, the crowd obviously went mad as the first few notes rang through the venue. But the real highlight was when, during the silent period in the song, Urie did a backflip off the drum platform. This drove the already-crazy crowd even madder, which continued when it was followed it with their major hit “Nine In The Afternoon” from their 2008 album “Pretty. Odd.”
After playing a good 30 minutes worth of energy-packed songs the band went into one of their slower ones, the beautiful “The End Of All Things”, giving the crowd (and the sweat-drenched Urie) a break to slow dance for just a bit before plunging back into the sexual, suggestive and downright hot “Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” that once again ignited the crowd. The boys brought the intensity as they performed their last few songs, before “ending” with the hypnotic and romantic “Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)”.
The flashing lights may have gone down, but the energy exploding through the room was far from drained. Chants of music-hungry fans filled the theater making the anticipation grow even more. Finally, the lights flashed back on and so did the band. This time featuring a now shirtless Brendon Urie, an extremely attractive shirtless Brendon Urie. His toned body created a rather ecstatic reaction from many a fan (again, myself included). One could say “hot damn” and that would sum up the situation. They started their encore with “Girls/Girls/Boys”, a song that happens to have a music video featuring a similarly naked Urie. It was a sadly short encore, but the band ended with a sweet good bye and by performing the good old “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” from their 2005 album “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”, leaving everyone singing along and dancing the same way they did when the concert had started.
Panic! At the Disco is one of my favorite bands, and seeing them in concert for the second time definitely solidified that. They are one of those bands that sound amazing, but then are even better live. I wished the show would never end, but at the same time the hour and a half long performance felt just right. Next time Panic! are in town, I know I will be there, and I would recommend anyone else to follow suit. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that night was one of the best nights of my life.
Set List:
Vegas Lights
Time to Dance
The Ballad of Mona Lisa
The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage
Let’s Kill Tonight
This Is Gospel
Camisado
Hurricane
New Perspective
Casual Affair
Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)
Miss Jackson
Nine in the Afternoon
The End of All Things
Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off
Nicotine
But It’s Better If You Do
Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)
–
Girls/Girls/Boys
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
Leave a Reply