Panic at The Disco! Viva Las Vengeance at The Vivant Arena
October 20, 2022
Las Vegas based pop rock outfit, Panic! At the Disco, made their return to Utah last week for a stop on their Viva Las Vengeance Tour at The Vivant Arena. The group was treated to a hometown welcome with Utahns turning out in full force to welcome founder and currently only full-time member, Brendon Urie back to his hometown state. Urie was born in Utah but moved with his family when he was 2 to Las Vegas but Utah and his fans here are quick to claim him as one of our own.
Panic! Has come to be known for putting on an incredible show that both showcases Urie’s vocal range and a production that keeps the audience in awe of it visually. This night it started off with a countdown clock that started at 10 minutes out and kept the audience looking at it. Once it hit the 10 second mark the venue was filled with the sound of everyone counting down the seconds. The arena erupted in cheers when it hit zero and then the fog rolled in masking the stage in an ethereal light with silhouettes of the band playing as the sound come forth. Then in the center of the fog and closer to the audience on the outside of the catwalk that extended out and encompassed those in the pit, Urie appeared rising out of the catwalk to the cheers of the fans, singing “Say Amen (Saturday Night.)” Moving into the next song, the smash hit “Hey Look Ma I Made It,” Urie moved around the catwalk letting his voice and performance work the fans into a frenzy. This is perhaps my favorite song of theirs and seeing it live was almost as entertaining as the video is, which if you haven’t seen you need to.
After a few more of their hit songs the band moved into playing their new album “Viva Las Vengeance” in its entirety. Usually when I have seen bands do this it is for an anniversary of an older album but Panic! Wanted to showcase their new album and judging by the fans reactions this one is going to be another major success in their collection. This new album has a lot of gems in it but my favorite one has to be the retro feeling “God Killed Rock and Roll.” This song has Urie performing in a different vocal range than normal, but the song is a major success and watching him play the piano on stage and sing this song live for my first time hearing it is a highlight that I will always treasure. Another song that stuck out is the already fan favorite, “Middle of a Breakup,” off the new album. The crowd were all on their feet singing along to every word of this song which is a testament to how strong the song has performed seeing as how it was only released just a few months ago.
The last half of the show saw the band performing the rest of their fan favorites from their older albums. In Traditional Urie fashion he didn’t stop to speak to the crowd to many times throughout the night but when you have a voice like his you just let the singing do your talking. The first song up after the Viva set was “Girls, Girls, Boys” This performance had the audience collect different colored hearts that had been placed on their seats and place them over the lights on our phones. The effect was thousands of lights across the venue forming a rainbow pattern representing the LGBTQ+ flag illuminating the venue and Urie as he performed with the message representing “Love is not a Choice” being inscribed on the hearts. It was a deeply moving performance and visual showing support and a message of love.
The last three songs of the night saw the audience on their feet singing at the top of their lungs to “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” “Victorious” and “High Hopes.” Urie performed these hits smiling the whole time as he sang almost being drowned out by the audience. As he performed the light and pyrotechnics of the show highlighted the most energetic part of the concert in a spectacular way. It showed why Panic! has built a reputation as a band whose production is a must see and leaves the audience in awe. Closing out “High Hopes” Urie stood in the middle of the stage thanking the audience as confetti rained down from the rafters and the fans cheered him.
This was an extremely satisfying and engaging concert and left the fans heading home with hoarse voices from singing along to the whole show. I’m already checking the calendars to see when the next time I can catch their show is.
