Panic! at the Disco

Panic! at the Disco have returned and are without a shadow of a doubt better than ever, the buzz surging through the queue snaking around Birmingham’s HMV institute was truly one to behold. By simply glancing around at the faces of the hundred upon hundreds of fans eager to see the newly formed PANIC’s latest tour onto UK shores anyone could tell that the night was going to be one to be remembered.

Panic!’s recent album ‘Vices and Virtues’ is certainly a change of pace from the very Beatles esque 2008 album ‘Pretty Odd’ in more ways than one. The main line up of the band changed but the departure of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker doesn’t seem to have affected Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith in a negative way, instead giving them the push to create an array of great songs that remain hooked in your mind days after listening to them. But the question is can they still deliver the same standard live with out the full band?

Postponing the excitement for about a half hour was Panic!’s support act ‘Love Letters’ from London bringing with then a rather samey set of rock and roll inspired electro-pop songs. The sound was on the most part okay but Love Letter’s biggest flaw (besides the lead singers unfortunate attire) was their inability to connect with the audience at all, The singer attempted to get a clap going on a few occasions but there was no real energy to get involved in. Tie that in with the fact there was no real stage presence at all left me wondering how they were chosen to support Panic!

Following this Panic! at the Disco burst on stage and kick right in to their latest single ‘Ready to Go’ as a backdrop cascaded down behind Spencer to reveal their new logo. The excitement of every teenage girl at the venue could me measured in the sheer volume of the screams as Brendon, dressed in black and white, braces and bow tie, instantly brought the audience to life with such amazing energy and awe inspired showmanship that no one could resist the urge to go crazy and sing along. The audiences’ enjoyment, excitement and involvement were reflected in the band themselves who seemed happy to be back in the saddle.

To the music side of things now; the gig was perfect for any type of Panic! fan new or old as the balance between all of their albums was just right and pretty much every song choice fitted the mood. The only song I felt shouldn’t have been left out was ‘Time to Dance’, but was made up for with the inclusion of five of ‘A fever you can’t sweat out’s’ great classics like ‘Camisado’ and ‘But it’s better if you do’. A rather unexpected song came in the form of The Smiths cover ‘How soon is now?’ during which Brendon jumped down into the crowd, which escalated the screams to that which could rival a full blown festival crowd.

Brendon was not shy to show off all his brilliant musical talent in the form of his unique and fantastic voice which held throughout the show without faltering once. Aside from that he showcased his talent by jumping from keyboard to guitar and timpani, which all the band got to have a go with including PANIC!’s new tour partners Ian Crawford (lead guitar and backing vocals) and Dallon Weekes (bass guitar, synthesizers and backing vocals). This is one of the many things that make Panic! at the Disco one of those ‘absolute must see’ bands as they don’t simply perform - they put on a show for their audience putting everything they have into it. When it was time for the band to go the already rallied audience pulled together with enough chanting and cheering to bring them back for one more song, ‘Nearly Witches (Ever since we met)’. No other song in my opinion could have ended that night better. Panic! and the audience both left happy, which was shown through the unified singing of the crowd through the streets ofBirmingham.

To sum up the night the enthusiasm from the crowd was amazing, the sound quality of the show was a few notches above pure excellence. In between songs Brendon’s banter was great and continued to entertain the audience during instrument changes. A brilliant time for the crowd and an even better time for the band as the smiles on the faces of all therein showed that Panic! at the Disco loved the night as much as the audience love them. A whole lot.

- Review by Brandon