Last Thursday, my middle school dreams came true when I saw Panic! at the Disco along with Weezer live at Jones Beach. Of course, one can jam to either band at any age, but eighth grade Paige would have died to see Brendon Urie covering "Bohemian Rhapsody" shirtless. There's something special about seeing a band perform that meant so much to you at a different time in your life -- the passion infused with nostalgia leaves a lasting impression on the heart. This happened to me three years ago when I saw the Jonas Brothers' reunion tour in Atlantic City after being so obsessed in fourth grade that I had a JoBro fedora. While Panic! holds a special place in my heart from a time where I wore obnoxiously large hair and raccoon makeup, Weezer is more of a classic listen-to-at-any-time band, but neither ever grow old.
Panic! was first after the opener, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, starting at promptly 8:00 and I was overwhelmed with wanting to cry: I couldn't believe that Brendon Urie and I were in the same vicinity. I must admit, I was a little wary about seeing them after their past two albums, being a sucker for their older music, but I was left extremely surprised in the best way possible at how enjoyable their set was. You never know a vocalist's true talent until you see them live, and I can easily say Brendon outperformed his recordings with out-of-this world frequencies and creative improvs. Not to mention, he was shirtless and backflipping within three songs, and let me tell you -- that man is not hard on the eyes.
All of the songs sounded amazing, but there were three that I could've died contently after hearing: "The Ballad of Mona Lisa," "Nine in the Afternoon" and "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," which are pre-"Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die" and "Death of A Bachelor." I think there was a tear when the opening notes to "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" played, especially when Brendon let out a huge laugh after he sang, "...the poor groom's bride is a..." followed by the crowd shouting, "Whore!" This is a song plenty of now-young adults can remember turning down right before that part came on so their parents wouldn't yell at them for listening to "inappropriate music."
Weezer was absolutely incredible as well -- I couldn't help but dance and sing along to every... single... song, and I don't dance. The older man next to me was clearly only there for them, considering he sat down for the entire set of Panic! and stood up as soon as Rivers Cuomo came out on stage. The crowd's energy amplified by 10, and the music rattled your bones. Beach balls were everywhere, as well as streamers and sweat. I was even in a group's Facebook live stream of "Beverly Hills," although I probably looked like an idiot jamming out -- I think they were drunk, though, so it's OK.
