When it was decided that the current Panic! At The Disco tour would be the last it must have been a short meeting.
Following various departures in the 18 years since emo-pop debut smash A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out the act is now a solo project for singer Brendon Urie who announced early this year that he’ll be shelving Panic! to focus on his family.
The opening act which launched them to stardom was followed by a stylistic volte face for follow-up Pretty. Odd., a bold psychedelic pop album indebted to The Beatles and The Beach Boys which proved divisive both with fans and the group. Guitarist Ryan Ross, whose lyrics about heartbreak and childhood abuse fuelled their dark first album, subsequently departed while Panic! At The Disco returned to more familiar ground.
Commercially at least that proved a recipe for success, as the huge crowd which files into the Hydro on a Friday night proves. The scale is so impressive that Urie’s mum and dad – Parents! At The Hydro anyone? – are spotted taking selfies in front of the expectant throng, and the band are welcomed with a deafening roar.
Kicking off with ‘Say Amen (Saturday Night)’, Panic! immediately get the arena bouncing, Urie limiting himself to a brief “how the hell are ya?” before launching into ‘Hey Look Ma, I Made It’. Mrs Urie has the selfies to attest.
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Things take a wrong turn mid-set though with the choice to perform the entirety of most recent album Viva Las Vengeance, a bold choice even with a classic album let alone one yet to celebrate its first birthday.
Urie’s vocals are as impressive as ever on the title track and ‘Middle of a Breakup’ while ‘Don’t Let The Light Go Out’ sees a sea of phone torches beaming back at the vast stage but the energy is soon sapped from the room.
For every ‘Star-Spangled Banner’, a KISS meets E Street Band ode to the “land of the brave, home of the freaks” that surely speaks to those in the crowd who once sported jet black hair and questionable piercings, there’s a ‘Local God’ which sees a notable shift toward the bars and toilets.
As befits someone born and raised in Las Vegas, Urie is a consummate showman and Panic!’s stage setup doesn’t disappoint, with lights, lasers and ticker tape providing a stunning visual backdrop. ‘God Killed Rock & Roll’ proves a little like the City of Sin itself – a bit camp, a bit tacky, mostly fun – but by the time the run-through of Viva Las Vengeance is completed more than one watch has been consulted.
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Urie & co get things back on track with ‘Nine In The Afternoon’ and ‘Death of a Bachelor’ before the arena goes wild for the only cut we get from A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Panic! hand over vocals to the crowd for key lines of ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’, with Urie declaring afterward “that might be the loudest I’ve heard it in 18 years”. Peppering the likes of ‘Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off’ or ‘The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage’ mid-set could have kept that volume up throughout.
The band finish up with ‘Victorious’ and international superhit ‘High Hopes’ before departing the Glasgow stage for what is, ostensibly, the last time.
An impressive arena show fronted by a man with a truly striking vocal range with a competent backing band to match. Just one suggestion: Edit! To The Setlist.
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