Friday night at 8:00 p.m., the fun began; or for some loyal fans, about 1:00 p.m.
Although the concert openers were scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m., fans lined the entrance to Junker Center almost seven hours earlier to secure their spots and prepare to fan hard.
Behrend’s spring concert openers, Secret Weapons, set the mood and stage for the rest of the night. Secret Weapons played an upbeat and energizing set to get the crowd ready to Panic! I only knew a few of the Secret Weapons songs, but I surprisingly found myself saying, “Oh I didn’t know this was them?!” As their set ended, the energy and the excitement in the crowd were palpable. You can catch them again in July at Lollapalooza.
In a sold-out concert at the Junker Center, headliners Panic! at the Disco rocked the shirts off the audience and themselves (literally). Panic!’s set list was everything a fan could’ve wanted, and more. They played everything from “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” to some of their new stuff like, “Hallelujah” and even covered Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Aside from playing songs better known in their earlier years to their popular songs now, the passion for their music and playing an awesome show was no joke. The band’s genuine love for their music and fans added to the overall show, driving the experience home.
Almost four years ago, I saw P!ATD, along with Blink 182 and Fallout Boy for the first time in Pittsburgh. I can confidently say, this concert was incredibly more intimate (selling out at 2500 tickets), and made the two experiences vastly different. When I first saw them, I was at an outside, grassy venue and sitting in the very back. In Junker, even from the very back the view I had was crystal clear and I’m almost positive I could probably see the sweat dripping off Brandon’s face if I looked hard enough.
As for the sold-out aspect of the show, it was apparent that there were fans from all generations. From parents as chaperones to their teenagers, to PSB students, to PSB faculty and staff, every person at that concert was dancing and singing to the music. There wasn’t one time during the entire set list that the crowd wasn’t belting out a song, screaming at the top of their lungs, or jumping up and down waving their phones in the air. The light show and loud music truly made it a Panic! at the Disco concert fans know and love.
With spring semester coming to a close, the Panic! at the Disco concert gave us all the push and inspiration we need to power through the next few weeks. You can find me in the library as I, “say my prayers.”
#Panic!AtBehrend
Photo Cred: 1 and rfrankphoto instagram