PANIC! AT THE DISCO / MARINA / JAKE WESLEY ROGERS 9.28.2022

Photos and Words By JULIA FINOCCHIARO

Panic! At the Disco took to Boston’s TD Garden on September 28th touring their brand new album Viva Las Vengeance. Fresh off of a sold out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Panic! and their supporting acts certainly brought this energy all the way back with them to Boston.

Jake Wesley Rogers opened the show with some songs from his upcoming album LOVE, which comes out next month on October 21. Dressed in a stunning head-to-toe white outfit with bright red boots and makeup, Rogers immediately set the mood for a fun and energetic night. He ended the night with his song “Pluto” and a surprise outro of “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, reminiscent of the rock band’s two-night residency at TD Garden earlier this month.

Next up was MARINA. The Welsh singer just recently finished up her own headlining tour around the Americas and Europe; and her energy and the crowd’s enthusiasm made it feel as if she was co-headlining with Panic!. MARINA played a mix of songs from both her new album Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land as well as some songs from her Marina and The Diamonds era. She wrapped up her set with two of her classics: “How to Be a Heartbreaker” and “Bubblegum Bitch,” and then the wait for the headliner began.

Before the show was set to begin, the screens to the sides of the stage displayed a ten minute countdown along with a “sing-along” as a way for the audience to get into the right mood before the show. Fans sang along first to Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” then to Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” and, finally, to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” made popular by the Netflix series Stranger Things.

Panic! At The Disco’s set began with a bang (literally), as strobe lights and loud noises filled the pitch black TD Garden arena. Smoke began pouring out onto the ring-shaped stage as a video of frontman Brendon Urie was shown on the screens as he began walking out. Seconds later he appeared from under the stage as fireworks went off behind him. Panic! opened with some of their classic upbeat songs, including “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”, “This is Gospel,” and “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time” (which included some very cool alien tentacle graphics on the big screens behind the stage). After this opening section, the lights went down as the band transitioned to play their new album, Viva Las Vengeance, in its entirety from start to finish, a somewhat unconventional choice for the band.

Although he’s the only original member remaining in the band after almost 20 years, Urie’s showmanship certainly hasn’t faltered. Viva Las Vengeance is about his experience growing up in Las Vegas, and the dramatic, rock-influenced album has a very different feel from Panic!’s previous LPs. Despite this, the star of the show continues to be Urie’s impressive vocal range, which seems to be impossible at times. The album also brings with it some different instrumentalists, which for this tour included full horn and string sections, both of which were amazingly talented. Nicole Row (bass), Mike Naran (guitar), and Dan Pawlovich (drums), returned as touring members as well.
After the culmination of Viva Las Vengeance with “Do It To Death,” the lights went down again as the band transitioned into the final third of their set. But while the stage lights may have been out, you could begin to see the crowd light up as people turned on their phone flashlights and held up colorful hearts in front of them. Next up would be “Girls/Girls/Boys,” a song which has become an LGBTQ+ anthem over the years. What started as a fan project a few tours ago has become a staple moment at each and every Panic! show. The Panic! At The Disco Rainbow Hearts Project organizes paper hearts to be handed out at every show, with specific colors given to certain sections so that the final product forms a rainbow around the entire arena.

Rainbow lights and lots of confetti later, the band rounded out the set with some classics, including “Nine in the Afternoon,” “Death of a Bachelor,” and of course “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” during which Urie enlisted lots of help from the enthusiastic Boston crowd.

Panic! At The Disco shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, and I’m confident we will be seeing them again in the near future.