As Panic! At The Disco take to the stage for the first of their two sold-out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace, the aptly titled ‘Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time’ kicks off the energetic set and it doesn’t slow down for the next 75 minutes.
The energy and drama that you hear on Panic! At The Disco albums truly come to life at their shows, as the band bundles as much dynamism and theatrics into their live performance as possible. Brendon Urie is a stunning front man to behold, not only because of his incredible vocal range but also his ability to become a character on stage, making you believe in the stories he sings about. Oh, and his back flips are pretty impressive too.
Their set is a great mix of new and old, with ‘Time to Dance,’ ‘Miss Jackson’ and ‘Golden Days’ being stand out tracks. Half way through ‘Crazy = Genius’ Brendon takes to a second drum kit and performs an epic ‘drum off’ with Spencer Smith, before returning to centre stage to finish the rest of the song, leaving us wondering whether there’s anything he can’t do. The band even find time to cover Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ commenting that they wish it were their song in the first place, though they certainly make it sound like their own.
Starting their encore with ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies,’ Brendon jokes “this is a new song,” yet as they perform with incredible energy and excitement, it quite easily could be. It’s always great to see bands embracing their most famous songs. There is nothing less fun than a band who are ‘too cool’ to play the hits.
‘Victorious’ ends the night on a massive high with streamers, buckets of glitter and smoke cannons teamed with a roaring crowd. One girl was so excited she downed her pint of beer, so she had both hands free to dance. With such a buzz in the room, it felt a shame that it had to end there. Their surprisingly short 18 song setlist felt like it was over all too soon and certainly left us wanting more.
Aside from their outstanding musicianship, Panic!’s humbleness shines through as they thank fans old and new for spending their Saturday night with them. After 12 years they clearly still adore what they do, and by the looks of things, their fans do too.
