After growing up with a sister who was fully submerged in the pop-punk scene of the 2000’s, Panic! At the Disco has been a part of my life for several years now. From “A Fever you can’t Sweat Out” to the most recent “Death of a Bachelor,” Brendon Urie has influenced my life in a positive way. I’ve always wanted to see Panic! live, but have always been unavailable, until this year, when I saw the Death of a Bachelor tour was coming to the Pepsi Center on St. Patrick’s Day.
Now I know I’m a little late to seeing one of their shows, as Brendon Urie is now the only original member left, but I had to see them live, it was on my concert bucket list. How could I resist? I quickly texted my sister and we got tickets right away.
When I woke up March 17, the thought of finally seeing them live hadn’t even set in. I felt like I had waited so long that it wasn’t even a possibility. I thought I was dreaming until we got our seats and I was patiently waiting for the opening band, Saint Motel to take the stage. When I looked around, I was surrounded by fans in P!ATD shirts and knew I was indeed awake.
The lights dropped and roars from the crowd quickly followed as Saint Motel began their set. Both Saint Motel and Misterwives did not disappoint and complimented Panic’s sound very well. I danced a lot and had the most fun I could have without knowing many of their songs. Soon, they had both finished with their sets and we sat watching the crew set up the stage for Panic’s set, squirming in our chairs at the thought of seeing them in a matter of minutes.
After a long wait of crew setting up a huge stage scene, the screens flashed with a timer that read “10:00” and counted down. I was freaking out. We had 10 minutes to prepare ourselves. I was so excited I couldn’t sit still, I just wanted to see Brendon Urie and hear his beautiful voice ring throughout the stadium.
“I bet you he wears the sparkly blazer,” I said to my sister and she just laughed. We knew it was the truth.
After the clock finished its countdown and the lights went down, followed by enough screams from the crowd to make your ears ring, I paid close attention to the stage and just waited for him to pop up and for the music to start. Gold confetti shot out from everywhere as the beginning of “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time” started up. As my sister and I caught a long piece of confetti and wrapped it around ourselves so we could take it home, we heard screams and looked up to see the man himself…complete with that signature sparkly blazer.
I laughed to myself for guessing correctly and began to dance and sing. I thought to myself, “I finally made it to a Panic! concert and I’m listening to them in person, dancing to them and belting the words with them. No way! I’ve waited so long for this!”
I continued to fully feel the music as he flew through tracks like “LA Devotee”, “Vegas Lights” and a medley of classics like “Martyrdom” and “Camisado.” I was enjoying every second and I could see my sister was too.
After a video played on the screens and the band disappeared, Brendon popped up on a platform closer to our area where we were seated and sat at the piano. I knew it was going to be “This is Gospel” and I suddenly lost my breath. His piano was glittering in the lights shining above him and he laughed as he said, “hey guys!”
The song was absolutely gorgeous and his vocals just gave me chills. He quickly transitioned into “Death of a Bachelor” after the song ended and made his way up to the stage through the crowd, receiving hugs and handshakes. He took some selfies, danced and laughed as he continued to sing. I was in awe of his talent and his happiness in the crowd.
After making his way onto the main stage once again, he continued the set with “The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” a Billy Joel cover and several other songs. I was blown away when he took a moment from singing to do a drum cover of “24K Magic” and “Bitch Better Have My Money.” I just thought to myself, “is there anything this man can’t do?”
I knew the set was getting close to ending as he introduced the most famous “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by saying, “this is an unreleased track, never heard before,” followed by a laugh from the crowd.
I danced as hard as I could, making the most of the final moments I had with the talented Brendon Urie. After the song ended, he finished the show with “Victorious.” I left the stadium with a ring in my ears and a huge smile on my face, wrapped in confetti in utter shock of what I had experienced. Driving home that night I thought about what I was just a part of and couldn’t be happier.
Seeing Panic! was worth the wait, for even in 2017, the band is still so talented and fun; they always leave me with a sense of joy. When the band comes back to Denver, you better believe I’ll be there, ready to do it all again.
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