REVIEW: Panic! at the Disco @ PPG Paints Arena 07/18
By Maggie Leone
Wow. That is the first word that comes to mind whenever I reflect on the Pray for the Wicked show that Panic! at the Disco has put together for fans this summer. Brendon Urie is one of the most talented performers the entertainment world has seen.
When the opening performers–Hayley Kiyoko and Arizona–took the stage, the seats in the area were still relatively unoccupied, which was unfortunate because both groups put on a great show! While I’d heard of Kiyoko before, thanks to her roles in a Scooby Doo live-action movie as Velma and in the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth, I’d never heard of the band Arizona. While they are from New Jersey, the lead singer definitely knew how to quickly make friends in Pittsburgh: by playing the set in a Pittsburgh Penguins shirt.
As the time for Panic! to take the stage neared, the timeless bop “Africa” by Toto began to blare over the arena speakers. Then, a huge timer started counting down from two minutes, indicating when Urie would take the stage. Of course, “Africa” was timed perfectly to end right as the timer hit zero and the crowd could not have been more psyched. Seconds before Urie hit the stage, three platforms rose, one of which revealed the drummer, one had three women with stringed instruments, and one had three men with brass instruments. A guitarist and a bassist–also Urie’s background singers–walked out and then from the middle of the stage, which was designed to look like Panic!’s mysterious triangular logo. Out of it emerged Brendon Urie himself singing one of the band’s new songs “(Fuck A) Silver Lining.”
Always stylishly dressed for performances, Urie had on a sparkly black sport jacket paired with black skinny jeans, which gave him the proper mobility for running around the stage, dancing, and doing his signature flip in the middle of “Ms. Jackson” from the album Too Weird to Live, Too Weird to Die. Urie also performed his cover of the classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, which he has been playing at shows for about five years now. But there were two covers I was not expecting, the first of which was “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper–who wrote the music for Kinky Boots, the Broadway musical Urie was in last year. The other was Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” during which Urie played the piano–but not just any piano. He disappeared from the main stage and then trekked to the back of the arena, through the crowd, to a tiny platform with a gorgeous piano on it, which then was suspended above the crowd. (He was not strapped in at all, might I add). From Bonnie Raitt, he transitioned seamlessly into “Dying in LA,” from Pray for the Wicked, as he traveled through the air back to the front stage.
Additionally, Urie showcased his drumming skills when a drum set emerged from the center of the main stage and he graced the audience with a ridiculous solo that left me reeling. Some of the other tricks from the show include: a fire display during “Crazy = Genius,” which features the lyrics, “You can set yourself on fire,” and, “I’m a fucking arsonist.” What never ceases to impress and stun me, however, is the frontman’s absolutely incredible vocal range; he has an angelic way of hitting high notes and expertly adding them into his live performances. The first time I heard it, I though the sound was produced by an instrument. When I realized it was Urie himself, I was beside myself.
Personally, I believe that everyone should see Panic! at the Disco at least once in their life, as Urie works seemingly effortlessly to please a variety of people, and he does it so well. The sense of community at Panic! shows is hard to find at other concerts. For example, when “Girls/Girls/Boys” was played, fans held colored paper hearts over their phone flashlights to create a rainbow glow throughout the arena to promote LGBT pride. The hearts were passed around before the show by fans in charge for the Pittsburgh date.
An hour and half after he took the stage, Urie ended the regular set with “Emperor’s New Clothes” from Death of a Bachelor, but quickly took the stage for the encore, featuring the latest single “Say Amen (Saturday Night),” the absolute classic “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies,” from Panic!’s debut album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, and “Victorious,” a hit single from Death of a Bachelor. Urie seems to genuinely love performing and encouraging his fans to love one another and themselves, constantly saying “You are worth it,” which is always a nice message to hear.