FEATURED PHOTO BY SARA FISH

It’s January of 2014 during a snow storm. Las Vegas based band Panic! At The Disco have sold out Skyway Theater and are riding high on the release of their 4th studio album Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! A couple of years later Brendon Urie and company would end up selling out the venue just down the street…the Target Center.

The Pray for the Wicked tour kicked off its run in Minneapolis to a sold out crowd of fans old and new. Although a staple of early 2000s emo, Panic! has refused to be a nostalgia act. Riding the wave of their second number one album in a row, Urie and crew put on a show that was bigger and better than ever! 28 songs back to back, this show absolutely destroyed me.

I loved the fact that this was the first stop on tour. I am a total fanboy so on their previous tour I had the setlist totally memorized. This time I got to be completely surprised and could really live in the moment. Opening the show with “(F—k) A Silver Lining” the audience was taken on a tour of the band’s 14-year-old discography. Playing classics such as “Nine In The Afternoon” and “Ballad of Mona Lisa,” listeners were also treated to deep cuts like “Casual Affair” and a cover of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

With a Broadway background, Urie knows how to create a spectacle. The 31 one-year-old singer started off the show by literally popping up from the floor. Vocally, he was on point. He showed off with dozens of high notes that were always met with cheers from the crowd. It doesn’t stop there though, as Urie continued to show off his skills with a drum solo in the middle of “Miss. Jackson,” followed by a backflip. I firmly believe this man is the greatest performer of our time. That thought was only solidified as Urie literally rode on a piano over the audience during “Dying In LA.” The man rode across the arena over our heads on a piano. What!? Absolutely jaw-dropping.

Urie’s backing band did an incredible job as well. A full string section and jazz band made for beautiful arrangements in a live setting. Guitarist Kenneth Harris and bassist Nicole Row had an incredible solo together during the extended outro of “This Is Gospel” (my all time favorite song).

As a diehard Panic! At The Disco fan, I have to say this was my favorite concert of all time. This may sound nerdy, but seeing everyone love this band as much as I do makes me so happy. Imagine being the nerdy kid who loved Spider-Man growing up and now as an adult all the cool kids love Spider-Man like you do. That’s literally me (with Spider-Man and Panic! At The Disco). It’s been a wild ride seeing this group go from 1,500 cap rooms to 18,000. The best part of all of this was that I got to be right next to my future wife. This was her very first Panic! show and it was the best thing ever to see her sing and dance along to every song with me.

The opening acts were Hayley Kiyoko and ARIZONA. Kiyoko was a perfect fit for this crowd as she stated that it is ‘Twenty Gayteen’ and got the crowd on their feet with the hit song “Girls Like Girls.” She should have been the second opener because I felt like ARIZONA wasn’t the best fit. However, they did a decent enough job and stated that this was their first ever arena show. I guess I was just too excited for Panic! to really get into them.

Although I wish they had played more than just 7 new songs off the latest release, I really can’t complain because they did 28 songs back to back with no stopping. At previous Panic! shows they would only do 18-22 songs, so this was incredible. This band means so much to me and I had the best time at their show. If you ever get the chance, see Panic! At The Disco live…you won’t be disappointed.

Setlist:

Fuck A Silver Lining Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time Ready To Go Hey Look Ma, I Made It LA Devotee Hallelujah The Ballad of Mona Lisa Nine In The Afternoon Golden Days Casual Affair Vegas Lights Dancing’s Not A Crime This Is Gospel Death of a Bachelor I Cant Make You Love Me By Bonnie Raitt Dying In LA Girls/Girls/Boys Nicotine Girls Just Wanna Have Fun High Hopes Miss. Jackson King Of Clouds Crazy = Genius Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen Emperor’s New Clothes Say Amen (Saturday Night) I Write Sins Victorious