Pandora put on a thrilling live show and stream with Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, G Easy and Cash Cash.
With free entry and the rare occurrence of both Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco performing back to back, New Yorkers flocked to Pier 36 Dec. 10 for Pandora’s holiday event.
Cash Cash kicked off the night with an upbeat DJ set. The trio consisting of Jean Paul and Alex Makhlouf and Samual Frisch put together a bass pumping set that got the crowd dancing and shaking their glow sticks in the air in anticipation for the night’s performances. Sprinkled throughout were the trio’s original songs including “Lightening” and “Satellites” both happy and energetic tracks.
G Eazy followed as the only rapper of the night and a good representation of the genre in general. He utilized both electronic elements and a live drum kit for a dynamic sound prevalent in hip-hop music today. He brought out Bebe Rexha for “Me, Myself, and I” from his latest album When It’s Dark Out stunning the crowd with her unique vocals.
Cash Cash returned to keep the crowd pumped. They had a wide selection of samples from Fetty Wap to ’90s hip hop and boy band tracks. They have the appealing ability to hit the sweet spot of a build up long enough to intrigue the crowd but short enough to avoid becoming annoyingly repetitive.
The excitement of Cash Cash transitioned nicely in to Panic! at the Disco’s high energy performance. Swaggering out the boys started off the show with “Vegas Lights.” The most striking part of the show was lead singer Brendon Urie’s falsetto. With it’s popular return to pop music, Urie’s is extremely clear and striking despite coughing and his complaints of a weak immune system during the show. The band treated the crowd to a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as well. Urie flitted across stage taking up the drums for “L.A. Devotee,” hopping on the keyboard for the Queen cover and flipping off platforms for “Ms. Jackson.” All the while the rest of the band maintained a strong base for the singer’s antics, keeping the mood light and fun.
Once Fall Out Boy took the stage it was clear a lot of their original fanbase was present. After coming on to Trans-Siberian Orchestra they rolled right in to their classic “Sugar We’re Going Down Swinging.” Their set truly demonstrated their mind set as a band. They’ve been able to maintain the fans from their early years despite expanding, including their contribution to Disney’s Big Hero 6 “Immortals” and track “Centuries” that became ESPN’s theme for the 2014 College Football Playoffs. Every one of their songs comes off as an anthem and the crowd sings along as if they are, both old and new.
Fans were treated to another cover, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” Pete Wentz explaining they had to do it because Panic! performed Queen. Prior to “My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark,” Wentz expressed the band’s love for live performances and wanting to keep the practice of live music alive. It’s easy to suspect why that love is present. With a rather simple approach to performing they focus on putting on an incredible show and the fans are clearly thankful for it, yelling lyrics and screaming every second of the show.