Panic at the Disco bringing all the fun to Madison Square Garden (opened by Saint Motel and MisterWives)
On March 2nd 2017, Panic at the Disco played the Madison Square Garden for the first time in their thirteen-year career during the Death of a Bachelor’s arena tour. The seventy five minute show was jam packed with a constant surge of endorphins, showcasing the lead singer Brendon Urie’s vocal talent. Before the Panic at the Disco took the stage, indie pop bands Saint Motel and Misterwives opened the show. Both bands were highly energetic, which prepared the crowd for the show to come.
Hailed from California, Saint Motel first took the stage and breezed through their set playing songs from their albums Voyeaur, My Type and Saintmotelevision. Keeping the design of the stage simple; the focus was kept on the band themselves with most of the band members wearing collared up shirts and jeans. They got everyone in the audience to sing along to their newest single, “Move” and serenaded the crowd with My type, encouraging everyone to love and to connect before ending with another slow jam Born again.
MisterWives took a different approach with their stage design. Beginning their show with a video and the song, “Pure Imagination” playing in the backdrop, they invited the audience into their musical world. Utilizing LED lighting, choreographed dancing and props on stage that changes color with the song; the band provided visual stimulation in addition to the wonderful vocals of Mandy Lee. She wore a bedazzled jean shorts paired with a sleeveless “I love New York” T-shirt and fur like coat. Her nimble and flexible vocals were demonstrated right from the beginning with the songs “Imagination Infatuation” and “Reflection” from their critically acclaimed EP Reflections. They then sang new songs from their up coming album Connect the Dots like “Drummer Boy” before ending another new track with “Our Own house”. They covered “Same Drugs” by Chance The Rapper with an uplifting message to never give up on oneself and the importance of accepting everyone regardless of race, faith or orientation.
Panic at the Disco revved up the audience with a ten-minute countdown before commanding the stage. Brendon Urie wore a simple outfit of black shirt and jeans paired with a shiny-sequined jacket. There were strong visuals of pyrotechnics and 3-D screens in the background that changes with each track to mimic the nature of the song. There was a deceptively simple stage that featured the 5 piece band but usage of fire shooting behind the drummer as they played upbeat songs, confetti showering the crowd and even fire works showering the stage gave a huge spectacle throughout the night. There was even a special appearance by Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things during “Ready to Go (Get Out of My Mind)”. The band covered a lot of songs from their five albums, packing an impressive twenty-two songs in that time. For most of the part, the band allowed the music to do the talking, which gave it a continuous movement of euphoria. But at the front and center of this entire spectacle were Urie’s powerful vocals. There were moments of political influences in the show such as the shout-out to LGBTQ rights during “Girls/Girls/Boys” and a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Even during moments where Urie wasn’t singing, his musical talent was highlighted when he played drums to Bruno Mars “24k Magic” and Rihanna’s “Work”.
There were both younger and more mature fans among the crowd, showcasing the appeal of the band to all demographs. More often than not, the fans were singing right along with the band, especially with their first hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. There were even poignant pauses during the show to tease the audience to scream even louder, showing Urie’s command of his stage and crowd. Quiet moments were also appreciated as he played, “This is Gospel” from stage B. Closing with “Victorious”, Panic at the Disco sent a clear message to the audience; fighting for what you believe in and standing on the right side of history is always worth it.
Tour Dates below!
3/4 Worcester, MA DCU Center – SOLD OUT
3/7 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
3/8 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center at CSU
3/10 Auburn Hills, MI Palace of Auburn Hills – SOLD OUT
3/11 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena – SOLD OUT
3/12 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Entergy Center – SOLD OUT
3/14 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena – SOLD OUT
3/15 Omaha, NE Baxter Arena
3/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center – SOLD OUT
3/18 Orem, UT UCCU Center – SOLD OUT
3/19 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena
3/21 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater – SOLD OUT
3/22 Portland, OR Moda Center
3/24 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center
3/25 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena – SOLD OUT
3/26 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
3/28 Inglewood, CA The Forum – SOLD OUT
3/29 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
3/31 Allen, TX Allen Event Center – SOLD OUT
4/1 Houston, TX Toyota Center – SOLD OUT
4/2 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
4/4 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
4/5 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
4/7 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena – SOLD OUT
4/8 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum
4/9 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
4/11 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
4/12 Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center
4/14 Orlando, FL Amway Arena – SOLD OUT
4/15 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Check out MisterWives “Machine” Here
-Summer Luk