A&E

Memorable moments from Panic! At the Disco’s huge Vegas show

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Panic At The Disco! brings their ‘Pray For The Wicked’ tour to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Sat. Aug 18, 2018.
Photo: Christopher DeVargas

Panic! At the Disco wrapped its Pray for the Wicked tour with a packed-house concert at T-Mobile Arena Saturday night, a victorious homecoming and comprehensive showcase for Brendon Urie. The 31-year-old showman did it all during a two-hour-plus set. He floated across the arena on a piano; backflipped off a drum riser; played with pyrotechnics, dancing close to actual flames during “Crazy=Genius” (sample lyric: “You can set yourself on fire/But you’re never gonna burn, burn, burn”); and sauntered through the crowd serenading fans through high-fives and hugs.

While the young crowd was at its wildest for Panic! hits and fan favorites like “Ready to Go,” “Hallelujah,” “Nicotine” and Urie’s gleeful, shirtless rendition of 2005 breakthrough “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” his performance of three disparate covers stood out and best displayed his dynamic versatility:

Panic At The Disco! 'Pray For The Wicked' Tour

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” After that trip across the arena floor, Urie climbed aboard a mini-stage and sat down at a piano to sing Bonnie Raitt’s 1991 ballad, explaining how his love for the song comes from how his mother played it to calm his youthful hyperactivity. Urie’s version is pretty and sad, and the performance provided the most Instagrammable—and magical—moment of the show when the piano slowly floated above the audience back to the main stage.

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” Urie’s onstage confidence is at an all-time high, likely due to his Broadway turn in Kinky Boots. As a sort of homage to Cyndi Lauper, who wrote music and lyrics for that production, he’s covering her candy-pop '80s hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and having a lot of fun while doing it. Predictably, many of Panic!’s younger fans weren’t familiar with the source material, but the parents in the audience joyfully bounced along.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Throughout the night, the audience shrieked every time Urie belted out an ultra-high note—and had plenty of opportunity to appreciate his range during a powerful rendition of the Queen classic, complete with Wayne’s World-style headbanging. The insane operatic track is clearly difficult to cover, but Panic! went above and beyond. Consider it a challenge for the actual Queen, and vocalist Adam Lambert, when they play the nearby Park Theater in September.

 

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of editor-at-large at Las Vegas Weekly magazine. ...

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