PANIC! AT THE DISCO plays Sleep Train Amphitheatre Aug 3, Santa Barbara Bowl Aug 5, Irvine Meadows Aug. 6; photo Shervin Lainez
Don’t panic but the innovative Panic! At The Disco is bringing their unique experimental style to SoCal in August as part of their co-headline tour with indie rock band, Weezer. The band will be playing at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista Aug. 3, Santa Barbara Bowl Aug. 5 and Irvine Meadows Aug. 6.
Founded in 2004 in Las Vegas, NV, Panic! At The Disco began as a high school rock band founded by four childhood friends: Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, Brent Wilson and Brendon Urie. Their rise to the mainstream is due to the band’s unique, genre defying approach to song making: combining music styles into all manner of unorthodox amalgamations, often critiquing society.
“This is Gospel” for example combines pop with emo rock resulting in a downbeat and sobering song about the alienating nature of conformity. Compare this to the 2015 song “Hallelujah!” which mixes 60’s style pop with traditional rock-n-roll. The more mellow and uplifting tone aids in providing a more inspirational message encouraging people to take responsibility for their behavior.
A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, the band’s debut album, despite being a double platinum album, is still considered “the most polarizing albums of our time” according to Billboard. This is owed to the wildly mixed reception the album received for attempting to blend pop music with stylings of vaudevillian melodies whilst exploring taboo topics.
PANIC! AT THE DISCO
The album’s lead song “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” one of the band’s most endearing songs, best exemplifies this polarization. The song is a blend of baroque pop and emo rock providing a strangely high-spirited tempo while simultaneously exploring the touchy subjects of adultery, the sanctity of marriage and human fallibility.
However, experimental songs like these have helped Panic! At The Disco earn awards, accolades and a dedicated fan base. They have continued to do so with their latest album, Death of a Bachelor. The album’s single “Victorious,” has recently appeared at the top of iTunes Top Songs chart as well as Billboard + Twitter’s Trending 140 chart.