Panic! At The Disco – Vector Arena February 2, 2017

4

Tragic at the Disco…

For better or for worse, music has the ability to capture a moment, a feeling or a mood. It is something that is almost primeval, that defies any carefully curated notions of taste. For this writer, the woefully bad pop-punk phase circa 2005-2006 is one that continues to tug on my heartstrings over a decade later.
I was bullied quite badly in high school. A good day meant that I ostracised myself before anyone else did. Despite my natural appreciation of all things odd and highbrow (for a 16 year old) I found myself drawn to bands such as Panic! At the Disco’s cheesy grandiose angst. As whiney their lyrics and vocals and as trite as their heavy fringes and kohl-rimmed eyes were, compared to my appreciation of say, MBV, I felt a connection to their debut album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, along with a plethora of objectively terrible bands that understood what it was like to be misunderstood in like, a really deep way.

It was with those nostalgic memories of white-private-schoolgirl angst that I went along to Panic! At the Disco’s show at Vector Arena last night. Turning up in customary emo stripes, smudged makeup and tussled hair, I found my friend who amusedly showed off his original chequer board sweatband and matching studded belt. Feeling appropriately referential, we entered the venue ready for a fun evening of pop-punk bitterness.

How wrong we were.

Turns out Brendan Urie and his band makes his (predominately) female audience scream rather than cry nowadays. Post Fever, it seems they make music bereft of emotion; possibly because they put all their creative energy into their suit patterns and haircuts.  While Urie can undoubtedly sing, his easily digestible banally danceable  pop songs were hollow and trite giving him the air of Adam Lambert lite. A cover of Bohemian Rhapsody was patchy at best, and I found myself being far more entertained by the interpretative dance version that broke out next to me. Nevertheless, the song provided ample opportunity for Urie to flex his falsetto much to the delight of his adoring fans.

Possibly because I was expecting the high drama befitting P!ATD circa 2005, the performance felt generic and lacklustre. But the rest of the crowd didn’t seem to mind. They threw their hands in the air during the confetti explosion, snapchatted their friends, sang along to every word minus Queen, and had a great time despite critics almost universally panning P!ATD’s five albums to date.

With a setlist that comprised of two Fever-era songs, it was easy enough to close the goddamn door on my nostalgia. P!ATD have become yet another L.A Devotee, swapping one scene for another. Then again, maybe we have both grown up.

Not a terrible show, just disappointing.

Kate Powell

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Flynn:

Panic! At The Disco set list:

  1. Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time
  2. Vegas Lights
  3. The Ballad Of Mona Lisa
  4. Hallelujah
  5. Time To Dance
  6. Emperor’s New Clothes
  7. Girls/Girls/Boys
  8. Nine In The Afternoon
  9. Bohemian Rhapsody
  10. Crazy = Genius
  11. Miss Jackson
  12. Golden Days
  13. Death Of A Bachelor
  14. LA Devotee
  15. I Write Sins Not Tragedies
  16. This Is Gospel
  17. Victorious
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