Weezer/Panic! At the Disco Concert Review

Nothing can compare to the rush of adrenaline that pulses through your body the moment the lights go dim at a concert. That can only mean one thing – the concert is about to begin. Nothing can compare to the high pitched screams that erupt throughout the venue when your favorite artist rises onto the stage. The person who you’ve only been able to experience through your ears is now right in front of your very eyes. Nothing can compare to that feeling. Fortunately for me, I was able to experience this last Friday at the Weezer/Panic! at the Disco summer concert in Virginia.

I was mainly there to see PATD, but I was also curious to see what Weezer was like in concert. This was my first time seeing either of them live and words could not describe my excitement.

But let’s backtrack to the part about actually getting to the concert. Which was a total nightmare. The venue was pretty far away from where I lived, but I was determined to see them. Traffic was awful… as you could guess. I knew that panic was going to go on first, but I didn’t know what time exactly. So when my friend and I fast-walked up to the entrance, we heard a faint echo of “Hallelujah” playing in the distance. Needless to say, I’ve never run faster in my life.

We sprinted around the amphitheater trying to find the right entrance for our seats. Our seats were dead in the middle, five rows back from the pit. (I have no idea how I scored that good of seats)

After I awkwardly scooted past everyone in our row, I was finally able to look up at the stage. And to my amazement, Brendon Urie was standing on the stage, directly in front of me, singing.

He went straight into “Time to Dance” and I was finally able to collect myself to realize that I had made it. The rest of the concert was occupied with my friend and I dancing like madmen to all of the songs. People stared but I didn’t care at all. Not one bit. I was finally seeing one of my favorite bands perform live and I was not about to let self-conscious bystanders get in the way of me having the time of my life.

Panic! at the Disco’s performance was mesmerizing. Lights flashed everywhere – it was as if we were in Vegas. Brendon Urie danced all over the stage, keeping the audience members engaged and dancing. What makes Brendon’s voice so unique is his ability to deepen his voice and immediately snap it into a high falsetto at will. He also backflipped a couple of times off of the platforms – to which the crowd went wild.

One of the highlights of the concert was PATD’s Queen cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Word couldn’t explain the hype that the audience created eagerly waiting for the famous end of the song. And when it came, all insecurities went out the window – people were jumping, dancing, going absolutely crazy. Brendon hit all of the high and low notes perfectly. It was incredible.

The PATD half was basically an all out sprint. Rarely stopping, Brendon sang song after song with little gaps in between. This kept the energy alive and pulsing.

After an hour and a half of nonstop dancing and singing, PATD performed their last song, thanked the crowd, and walked off stage – leaving my friend and I in awe of what we had just experienced.

Then Weezer was up next. My friend was a bigger fan of them than I, so we decided to stay for awhile and see what a Weezer concert had to offer.

Weezer began with “California Kids” and the crowd went insane. The pit in front of me seemed like a war zone – people were jumping, dancing, waving their hands. I felt kinda left out and mad at myself for not learning the lyrics to their songs.

The band’s concert can be described as a classic rock band concert. Lights flashed everywhere and flashy and bright backdrops shined behind them. The guitarists solos were awesome and very rockish. Although I know that they are very involved with the audience, they mostly just stood behind their microphones playing their instruments. I would like to have seen more audience interaction and movement of the band members.

However, I still had an amazing time dancing and listening to the great music.

All in all, it was an absolutely amazing concert. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I missed those few songs in the beginning. But life goes on even though all you want to do is reminisce about the past. And I’ll never forget the day when a shirtless Brendon Urie stood right in front of me. It was quite the night to remember.

~Stay Punk Rock~

Panic! At the Disco Videos:
Miss Jackson
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
Ready to Go
Golden Days
LA Devotee
Death of a Bachelor
Girls/Girls/Boys

Weezer Videos:
California Kids
Beverly Hills

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