Panic! At The Disco's Live Show Needs A Setlist Surgery
For an artist a decade old, Brendon Urie needs to learn to sacrifice the new for the classics.
I have seen Panic! At the Disco a total of five times, a few from each current era of Panic! (What fans call the "Too Weird" through the "Pray for the Wicked" eras.) But one thing has been slowly growing throughout the band's recent live tours: The lack of throwbacks in the setlist.
Now, their most recent tour, in support of their most recent album, "Pray for the Wicked," was fairly well balanced, but I think with some minor tweaks, I can present a new setlist that will give the average Panic! fan a greater taste of the band's killer discography.
(For reference, I'll be using the band's most recent touring setlist, and show y'all what the final, revised version would look like at the end!)
"The Overpass"
Seriously, this track off "Pray for the Wicked" is like James Bond meets Bruno Mars. High energy, incredibly funky, and a cinematic chorus could make this a killer opening number. And that horn intro?! @BrendonUrie get on it!
"Time to Dance"
Keep the high energy of the show going with this 2005 throwback to one of the band's first songs they ever recorded! The demo for "Time to Dance" is one of the small yet key moments to Panic!'s early momentum; it deserves to be honored!
"That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)"
We know Urie loves to rock out with the guitar every one in a while, so why not break it out for one of the band's most fan-loved tracks off "Pretty. Odd.", aka the album that gets the least amount of attention? It's upbeat enough that it still flows with the fast-paced nature of Panic!'s live show, and could even be shortened if the band wanted to trim it down for fear of losing the audience's attention.
"House of Memories"
It's been a fan favorite since the drop of 2015's "Death of a Bachelor," and even the band's concert VIP experience was named after it in 2017, #JusticeForHouseOfMemories. It also would bring a more dramatic, cinematic feeling to the band's live show, and could perfectly follow up some of their bigger, climactic set-piece moments.
"Collar Full"
One of the more unique sounding cuts off 2013's album, "Collar Full" is full on '80s John Hughes, and I'm here for it! It's upbeat, vibrant, and something that isn't obnoxiously high energy and falsetto laced (like almost every other Panic! track). It would be a refreshing way to gear the audience up for the show.
"Hurricane / Let's Kill Tonight / Nearly Witches"
What's a Panic! show without their arguable comeback album? After the band split post-"Pretty. Odd.", Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, the two remaining members, produced the most emotional, and one of the more iconic Panic! albums to date. A mashup-tribute to it in one form or another should be in order!
Brendon Urie, if you're out their: I'm not asking for much. We're gonna need to remove some of your favorites, and some (arguably fillers), but I think the new setlist will turn out just fine.
Below is the revised setlist, pass it along, and maybe Urie and co. will bless us with it in the future. #FingersCrossed
"The Overpass"
"Vegas Lights"
"Time to Dance"
"Ready to Go"
"Hey Look Ma, I Made It"
"La Devotee"
"(F**k a) Silver Lining"
"The Ballad of Mona Lisa"
"Nine in the Afternoon"
"One of the Drunks"
"Collar Full"
"Dancing's Not a Crime"
"This Is Gospel"
"Death of a Bachelor"
"Dying In LA"
"House of Memories"
"Girls Girls Boys"
"Hurricane / Let's Kill Tonight / Nearly Witches"
"King of the Clouds"
"That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)"
"Miss Jackson"
"Roaring 20s"
"Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen cover)"
"High Hopes"
"Emperor's New Clothes"
"Say Amen (Saturday Night)"
"I Write Sins, Not Tragedies"
"Victorious"