Between the loud music and audience screams, lead singers Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, preached about the importance of pride and self-worth.

On Saturday, June 2nd, Panic! At The Disco and Weezer took the stage in front of 10,000 people at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Aside from me being in awe over both performances, I was amazed by the way both of the bands incorporated the importance of self-love into their show. Both Panic! At The Disco and Weezer had their own way of expressing the importance of pride and being able to do what you love. From the talks to the songs, here are some things Brendon Urie and Rivers Cuomo taught the audience:

1. Take Pride In Yourself.

As Brendon Urie said, “You can be whoever you want to be. If anyone tries to tell you to be something you’re not… say two simple words, F*ck You!” Although the ending of that is a tad abrupt, Brendon Urie does make a point. If you are comfortable with who you are, embrace it. Do not let others bring you down. You should be able to flaunt who you are and be proud of it. Panic! At The Disco continued to preach this mindset by singing “Girls/Girls/Boys.” Audio:

2. Be Inspiring.

Weezer sang “Thank God for Girls” during their set and had a montage of influential women throughout history. By showing the influential women across the screen, it showed a message that is truly inspiring. The montage ended off with a huge image of a pride flag. This may symbolize how anyone can be inspiring and influential in his or her own way. Audio:

3. Love Is Love.

At one point in the night Brendon Urie blatantly said that people should be able to love whoever they want. A lot of us already preach this saying, but it was pretty incredible hearing him say it to over 10,000 people with everyone singing a song together about loving whoever they want.

4. Pursue Your Passion.

Panic! At The Disco and Weezer both talked about how much they always wanted to perform and how it is a dream come true to do the shows. Their passion is music and they are pursuing it everyday. It is important to keep in mind that you are the one in control of your destiny. If your passion is art, pursue art. If your passion is teaching, pursue a career in teaching. Whatever it may be, do not let people come in your way of doing what you love. Of course, there may be major setbacks, but at times you have to put yourself first and do what you love.

If a couple inspiring famous figures in music can bring forth this message to audiences, others can as well. What Brendon Urie and Rivers Cuomo reinstated for me is that a person should love him or herself in order to be happy in life and strive to accomplish a passion that he or she has. Having over 10,000 people listen, I hope that at least half of those people took away the important message from the show and are able to spread that knowledge to others.