So here's the deal.
Back in August 2014, I didn't go to Pre-Orientation. Trust me, I was just as hyped about the idea of Pre-O as the next outdoors-loving, thrill-seeking freak. But there was something else that was going to be happening in my city at the same time that Pre-O would be in full swing, and I couldn't miss out on it. It was this:
Did your inner 11-year-old fangirl screech there? Mine did.
This was me finding out that one of my preteen crushes and present idols, Brendon Urie, would grace southeast Texan land with his quasi-celestial qualities. God, was I happy for my old and new selves, and I still don't regret missing out on Pre-O in exchange for the awesome experience my friend Freya and I shared.
Seeing Panic! at the Disco live was an actual spectacle. When we got there, I noticed the setlist included songs from the newest album–"Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!"–as well as older songs from a mix of the other albums.
And then... Well, I have to admit I had been saddened by the knowledge that Ryan Ross and Brent Wilson had long left the band. After all, both Freya and I had known how wonderfully cohesive the founding members of that band were together. We'd been preteens back then, and we had therefore obsessed over the bubbling romance that appeared to be coming into existence between Ryan and Brendon (come on, it was adorable, how couldn't we?), we had enjoyed seeing the boys teasing each other during interviews, and we had prayed for that joy to last.
[caption: BABIES]
There's always been a certain vitality about Panic! at the Disco, though, and I think the release of their latest single, "Hallelujah," shows it off well. While the only founding member of the band left is Brendon (Spencer left this year... *cue sad emoji*), that quality in their music and performances has never been lost. The concert I went to had everything: lights (although it didn't depend on light plays), guitar solos (although these weren't excessive), backflips (though Brendon's acrobatics were far from the main attraction) and music, music, music.
Plus, Youngblood Hawke and Walk the Moon opened up for them, too, so that entire night was insane. I didn't even hold it against Texas that it was a barbarically hot evening, because it actually lead me to witness this divine ocurrence. Wow.
I love Panic! despite and with the changes the band has undergone throughout the years, both in membership and in sound. I think whenever a band's sound is so unique that you can't pin down what genre it is, that's a good thing–it shows that there's been growth, or at least a good deal of artistic exploration throughout the years.
So, yeah: Keep on doing you, Panic!... Just try not to pull an MCR yet, okay? My heart's still recovering, here.
As for my dear readers–
I know the world's a broken bone,
But melt your headaches, call it home.
--Panic! at the Disco
Happy summer! May it be full of good music (nudge nudge, Panic!), good people (s/o to Freya), and good thoughts. x
