If you don’t know who Panic! At the Disco is, well, first of all, you should, and second of all, I’m about to change that right now. Panic! At the Disco is an American Rock band originally formed in 2004 from Las Vegas Nevada. Presently the lead singer Brendon Urie is the only remaining original member of the band. They are best known for their hits “High Hopes”, “Death of a Bachelor”, “Say Amen” and “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. Recently in June of 2018, they released their sixth album Pray For the Wicked and embarked on a global tour. Over the Summer I had the extreme pleasure of attending one of their concerts in Toronto, Canada. Since I live back in my hometown of Rochester New York over the summer, Toronto was the closest venue that they were playing near me. My friends and I decided to make a weekend of the trip, which made the time there that much better, side note the drinking age in Canada is 19, which didn’t hurt the experience either. Below I’ve divided my overall concert experience into three different categories.
The Music
For starters, can we just give a round of applause for Brendon Urie, because the man sings 28… yes 28 songs in the course of their concert with little breaks in between. The band plays both songs from their most recent album as well as some from their other five, which I really enjoyed since I’m a fan of all their albums. Something I have always loved about their music is how upbeat and fun it is. As a result, their concerts have the same feel with everyone screaming their songs and constantly dancing around. On the entire setlist, there are only about two slow songs which are still just as amazing as the more upbeat ones. The band even pays tribute to the legendary band Queen by singing a cover version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” which I found to be seriously phenomenal live. There isn’t a boring moment in the show as the band plays alongside props such as fire shooting up from the stage and thousands of pieces of confetti set off as the concert closes.
The Stage Presence
Urie has an insane stage presence; he’s always hyping up the crowd and filled head to toe with an endless amount of energy that only increases as the concert progresses. He starts off the show jumping up from under the stage and goes right into their opening song “F*** a Silver Lining”. There are even a few backflips involved during his performances as well. The only time he stops jumping around is when he takes a seat to play the piano, but even then he usually ends up getting on top of it and belting out some serious high notes. That’s another thing about Brendon Urie, his high notes are absolutely insane. His range varies from a pretty deep voice to hitting glass breaking notes, his range was so good live, it actually took my breath away. Oh, did I forgot to mention when Urie sings the song “Dying in LA” his piano is descended from the rafters which scales over the crowd as it moves from one stage to the other. I wasn’t kidding when I said there isn’t a boring moment.
The Shows Inclusivity
Something else I loved was before the concert starts someone comes around and passes out paper hearts that pays tribute to the LGBTQ+ community. You’re then supposed to hold the heart up during their song “Girls/Girls/Boys” which is a celebration of Brendon Urie’s own pansexuality. Everyone is accepted at their shows, and the band makes sure you feel that way. At my show, in particular, Urie wore the gay pride flag on his shoulder as he sang “Girls/Girls/Boys” which I thought was both fun and powerful.
My Overall Thoughts
I have been to a decent amount of concerts in my life with many great performers, but I can honestly say with ease I believe Brendon Urie is the best performer I have ever seen. Vocally and stage presence wise, he is truly unstoppable, and I found myself never wanting the show to end. I loved my time at their concert so much my best friend and I are going again to the Cleveland show in January 2019. Though I may sound bias (because I am) I can promise Panic! At the Disco is a band worth seeing, and I would 100% recommend going to see one of their upcoming shows before the tour comes to an end.