Panic! At the Disco • October 13, 2022• Vivint Arena
Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson
On Thursday, October 13, Panic! At the Disco brought their Viva Las Vengeance tour to Salt Lake City’s Vivint arena. The Las Vegas pop rock band that once consisted of multiple members is now a solo project for Brendon Urie. Accompanied by a group of talented touring musicians, Urie spent the evening entertaining thousands of his fans with his incredible vocals. Known for his on-stage swagger and impressive four-octave vocal range, fans arrived with high expectations, ready for a fun night.
As an arena full of eager fans waited for Panic! At the Disco to take the stage, a large screen displayed a countdown, only adding to the excitement. When the countdown hit zero the crowd erupted in cheers. The arena went dark except for slow flashing strobe lights. Low-lying fog rolled over the stage. There was a catwalk that wrapped around a pit full of fans enclosed inside. Silhouettes of the other musicians and instruments could be seen in front of a large screen backdrop. All eyes were on the stage waiting for Urie to appear. The performance seemed to have already begun as his voice was heard over the speakers singing “Say Amen.” The screen that previously displayed the countdown now showed live footage of him walking somewhere behind the scenes.
The suspense turned into pure excitement when all at once he appeared. Raising out of the floor, Brendon Urie stood in the center of the catwalk, a single spotlight covering him as flames shot off on the stage. He didn’t skip a beat with excellent showmanship as he traveled around the catwalk singing to all his swooning fans. The incredible entrance was just the very beginning of what Panic! At the Disco had in store for the evening.
Keeping the energy level up, they went right into their hit song “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”. Urie’s vocal performance was flawless, sounding just as good live, if not better, as he does on their albums. The crowd enjoyed the song, singing along to the chorus as Urie danced around the stage and catwalk. They continued with the mini set of their hits, “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time,” “This Is Gospel,” “Miss Jackson,” and “Emperor’s New Clothes.” It surprised me to hear them start with so many of their already well-known songs right away.
Of course, the hits are what the fans all look forward to at these concerts, but I knew this tour is to promote their new album. I was expecting some new songs to be mixed in with the older ones. Panic! At the Disco decided to take a unique, and bold approach with their setlist for the evening. Instead of mixing in a handful of the new songs like bands usually do, they played through the entire new album.
After they had finished their first set of hits, they began playing through their new album. Beginning with the first track “Viva Las Vengeance,” the track both the album and tour are named after, they played all twelve songs in the same order they appear on the album. The album itself has received some mixed reviews, and this was my first time hearing any of it. Many of the new songs had retro-rock vibes, and I picked up on some very strong Queen influences.
While there were a few stand-out songs in the set, it did feel like many in the crowd were eager for Panic! At the Disco to get back to playing their old stuff. As exciting as it can be to hear a band perform their new stuff live, all twelve songs in a row felt like a lot. Even though this portion of the concert had a noticeably lower level of audience engagement, there was still incredible energy in the arena. “Don’t Let the Light Go Out,” “Middle of a Breakup,” and “God Killed Rock and Roll” seemed to get the biggest reactions from the crowd.
I was impressed with the selection of musical instruments played by the accompanying musicians. A string trio played on one side of the stage, while a horn trio played on the other. There of course were talented musicians on guitars and the drums as well, and a cowbell made a brief appearance. For a couple of songs, a piano was raised onto the catwalk for Urie to play while he sang. The visual displays for the concert were equally impressive. The graphics displayed on the screen behind the stage changed throughout the night, setting a scene and keeping the audience engaged. A laser light show, flames, and confetti all added to the excitement.
After playing their way through their entire new album, Panic! At the Disco finished their concert the same way they began, with a set of their hits. Their last seven songs were all fan favorites, including, “Nine in the Afternoon,” “House of Memories” and “Death of a Bachelor.” When they sang “Girls/Girls/Boys” the arena lit up with a rainbow of lights as fans held up colored paper hearts to their phone flashlights. The colored hearts had been placed on each seat before the guests arrived and had instructions explaining when to use them. Each section was given a different color which resulted in a rainbow around the arena. The paper hearts also included the message “Love is not a choice.” The entire display was a beautiful message of love and acceptance.
Urie told the crowd he was about to sing an oldie as the familiar tune of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” began to play. After singing the first line, he took a step back and let the audience take over in singing the verse. Even when he began again, the crowd continued with every word. Urie, loving the energy, went silent again, smiling as the arena full of fans carried on with the chorus. After keeping the crowd on their feet with their last set of songs, they finished off the night with “Victorious,” and “High Hopes.” Overall, the concert was very exciting, and Panic! At the Disco fans had an excellent time.
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