As I was growing up, my taste in music was greatly influenced by my two older sisters. One artist that has always remained one of my favorites to this day is Panic! At The Disco. The band has been together for about thirteen years, and has released five studio albums since: A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, Pretty. Odd., Vices & Virtues, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, and most recently Death of a Bachelor. Even if you are not familiar with the band, it is clear from the name and the albums that they are very unique. They are currently on their Death of a Bachelor Tour, and most recently performed in New York City, which was a milestone because it was their first time performing at Madison Square Garden. Even though this concert was not my first time seeing them perform live, it was still an amazing and unique experience.
After the two opening acts were finished performing, the setup for the main show began and eventually a timer counting down from ten minutes was projected onstage. So much excitement filled the air, I noted to my sisters that it was more exciting than New Year’s Eve. The entire audience was on their feet to count down the last ten seconds, and the incredible night began. During "LA Devotee", one of the first songs, a young boy ran out onto the stage and began singing with Brendon Urie, the lead singer. I was pretty confused until I realized that it was Noah Schnapp, the actor who plays Will Byers on the hit show Stranger Things.
After that I realized that the pairing made quite a bit of sense because Byers starred in the music video for "LA Devotee". From his experience in the sci-fi hit, it made perfect sense for him to be part of the music video which features creepy imagery, gore, and what seems to be cult brainwashing.
Urie and the band as a whole have made social statements in the past with their songs and performances. The song "Girls/Girls/Boys" from the album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die and is in support of the LGBT community. Since the beginning of the tour, people have been bringing different colored paper hearts to the show and lighting them up with their phone flashlights during "Girls/Girls/Boys". The stadium turned into a sea of rainbow hearts, and Urie held a flag while performing the song. This positive display of love and acceptance by the entire crowd was a very touching experience.
One of the most special songs of the night was when Urie ran out to a miniature stage in the middle of the audience to play "This is Gospel" on the piano. Spotlights came down and the platform began to rotate and raised into the air and silver confetti drifted from the ceiling. This song was a really amazing showcase of the more relaxed and artistic side of Panic! At the Disco, and seeing this performance almost brought me to tears.
At the end of the night I was sad to see them bow and walk off stage, but I was still in disbelief of how amazing of an experience it was. Panic! at the Disco had always been a part of my music taste, and so this night was my childhood dreams come true.
