Panic! At The Disco
16th October 2018
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
For the third time this year Auckland was once again graced with the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, Nevada as the one and only Panic! At The Disco rolled into town. While both The Killers and Imagine Dragons also delivered outstanding shows, Panic! At The Disco had an almost surgical precision to theirs which allowed them to belt out a staggering twenty-eight tracks from across their back catalogue in just over an hour and forty-five minutes.
Following an energetic set by Auckland locals Openside – who you can catch performing live every day at Armageddon this coming long weekend in celebration of the release of their brand new comic ‘Character Flaws: Episode One’ – fans waited with bated breath for the main act to arrive, a countdown clock of ten minutes that appeared on the back screen to rapturous applause not only assisting in making the decision for a last minute bathroom run but to also build up a level of almost over-whelming anticipation.
As the lights came up and front man Brendon Urie stepped out into the spotlight, screams of delight tore through the air, and barely failed to lower in volume for the rest of the show, fans desperate to prove their love and devotion by singing to each and every track. Urie – the only original member since the formation of Panic! At The Disco fourteen years ago – has ridden the tumultuous waves of music industry trends and come out the other side shinier than a new-found penny. From his beginnings as an angst ridden emo that was riding the coattails of bands such as mentors Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance at just seventeen – yes seventeen, Urie has been at this game for fourteen years now, a fact that even he declared tonight amazed him – through several metamorphoses that have included phases of pop-rock, EDM, jazz, six studio albums and continuous shedding of band members, Urie has emerged triumphant at the other end. A fact that is clearly illustrated by many of the tracks off Panic’s latest offering Pray for the Wicked, an album brimming with songs about the arduous journey to stardom; it’s dramatic, theatrical and overflowing with gigantic hooks.
While the Auckland show was sadly scaled back in comparison to many of their overseas performances – there was no levitating piano or walks through the crowd tonight – it was however bursting with an exuberance that only a self-declared “hyper-adult” like Urie could deliver. Focusing on the live aspect and illustrating once again Urie’s love of jazz and old-fashioned big band extravagance, the multi-levelled platforms on stage featured not only a drumkit and grand piano but a three piece horn section of men in suits and a trio of women who delighted with their phenomenal string playing. While never once introducing his band members, both Panic’s bassist Nicole Row and latest addition to the touring line-up guitarist Mike Naran impressed greatly with their often-synchronised stage performances and sheer skill level – Urie himself donning a guitar to rock out with them during the track ‘This Is Gospel’.
But ultimately Panic! At The Disco live is very much the ‘Brendon Urie’ show – and rightfully so in many ways. Not once throughout the almost two hours does he falter, his vocals phenomenal in not only range (there is not a note this man cannot hit, a fact he continuously likes to show off throughout the night) but clarity and strength. Dressed in a black ensemble that combined both skin tight leather and a jacket with just the right amount of sparkle, Urie dazzled with both his smile and his dance moves. Here was a man who genuinely looked like he was enjoying every single hedonistic moment of being on stage.
Coloured paper hearts with instructions to be held in front of phone lights during the track ‘Girls/Girls/Boys’ proved popular, Urie commenting on how beautiful it looked as each coloured section melded into the next to create a rainbow, Urie himself draping his shoulders with several rainbow flags that were thrown on stage before making his thoughts on the inclusivity of all sexual orientations clear much to the audience’s delight.
Piano solos, pyrotechnics, dazzling graphics and Panic! At The Disco’s spectacular rendition of one of their favourite covers (Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’) all led into a three song encore that included – yes that song that started it all – ‘I Write Sins not Tragedies’. Finishing on the confetti laden ‘Victorious’ and Urie appeared just that, standing before thousands of screaming fans his arms raised triumphantly towards the sky.
It would certainly seem that the golden path of success has a few miles left to it yet for the king of reinvention.
Were you there at Spark Arena to check out this pop-rock extravaganza? Or have you seen Panic! At The Disco perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- (Fuck A) Silver Lining
- Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time
- Ready To Go (Get Out Of My Mind)
- 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 Can’t Make You Love Me [Bonnie Raitt cover]
- Dying In LA
- Girls/Girls/Boys
- Nicotine
- Girls Just Want To Have Fun [Robert Hazard cover]
- High Hopes
- Miss Jackson
- King Of The Clouds
- Crazy=Genius
- Bohemian Rhapsody [Queen cover]
- Emperor’s New Clothes
- Say Amen (Saturday Night) [encore]
- I Write Sins Not Tragedies [encore]
- Victorious [encore]
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