I had the pleasure of seeing Panic! At The Disco at their sold out Connecticut show on their Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! Tour. And, in a sea of disgusting fangirls, I miraculously ended up against the barricade, in anticipation of the band coming on stage.
As we all waited for Panic!, we heard a mix of Queen, Phoenix, and other classics that were by no means surprising choices, since they are so heavily influenced by them. And, as the lights went down, and my eardrums were bursting from everyone’s screams, the quartet stepped on stage.
The band opened with “Vegas Lights”, a powerful dance song off their latest album. With Urie being the charismatic front man he is, he put on a good show from the start. His confidence permeated his performance and his strong voice flooded the venue.
It turns out Urie woke up without a voice, and was regaining it throughout the day. It was funny because his speaking voice was scratchy and weak, but when he sang, it was smooth and clean.
There was diversity in the setlist, because they broke out into “Time To Dance”, the “Invisible Monsters”-inspired tune off their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. The energy and passion Brendon put into it mirrored that of when he was nearly ten years younger, when Panic! was just starting out. His ‘swagger’ and persona were overwhelming, and my eyes were glued to him.
The highlight of the evening was when the band played “Nearly Witches”, a complex and complicated masterpiece off of Vices and Virtues. I never really expected them to play it live, and yet it was happening right before my eyes, and it was better than the recorded version. All the twists and turns and intricacies in the studio version translated to a live performance incredibly well, and it was intensely impressive.
The last song the band played was their most famous tune they’ve ever put out, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. Urie did a backflip from a standing position, he was shirtless, the band went all out. It was intense and exciting, and it felt as though it would never end. The band didn’t even have to play anything, because the roar of the crowd screaming the iconic lyrics nearly overpowered the sound systems.
Panic! At The Disco is one of the greatest bands and, at only a decade old, have an incredible and thriving future ahead of them.