What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas — occasionally it seeps out in the form of a surprisingly persistent rock band.
Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie has forged ahead with his group despite an onslaught of adversity. Musically they've ticked all the boxes; their audience has grown in a steady, exponential direction, but behind the scenes things have seemed in a constant state of flux. Members have come and gone, release dates have often done the same, and on one occasion an entire album was simply shelved.
Brendon's one constant was best mate and fellow founding member, drummer Spencer Smith, who has sadly been forced into hiatus while he tackles a struggle with addiction. Still, Brendon and the entity that is Panic! At The Disco are tirelessly soldiering on with last year's release, ‘Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!’, giving them the momentum they needed to circle the world on yet another tour. “There is an energy change between Christmas and now,” Brendon says. “Once the record's out I get so excited to play the shows because the songs have been inside my head for so long and trapped in this personal space.
“To actually share that with people is always an exciting moment. It's true that the songs really take on a new life when the audience starts singing things back to you; it gives a whole new life to this thing that you've created. There's no hatred or frustration on tour; it's all love and excitement.”
So does Brendon mind seeing the thing he's worked on for so long suddenly appropriated by a hungry audience? “There's always that connection you have to the thing you've created, but similar to having a kid, you raise this thing and then it's 18 years old,” he says.
“With a song, you put it on an album and then it gets all this experience and grows up. It's such a validating feeling as well to hear from people who enjoy the music — and people who don't enjoy the music — and to be able to get some sort of criticism off of something that you've done. That's a special thing.”
Musically, the band's performances haven't necessarily been suffering without Smith behind the drum kit, but of course, his absence casts an emotional shadow over the group. “He's still at home but he's getting really well and doing really good,” Brendon says. “At that point when it was decided he'd take time off, it was so tough. When your personal life and business collide and you make these weird decisions that don't feel like they're the best thing but really they are. It has ended up being the best thing … It's a different dynamic but the shows have still been awesome, and the absolute best part of all this is that the fans have been especially supportive of the whole situation. I really love seeing that; that's made it all so much easier.”
Brendon is excited for his band's Australian dates — he seems relentlessly enthusiastic about his band's future work, and yet you can't help but wonder: is Panic! At The Disco now just a one-man band? “Honestly I haven't felt that way,” he says. “I have a great support group of friends — Spencer definitely included — and they've always believed in my vision for this band and my musical direction and they've helped me make this happen.
“You can get down and it is really hard, but for the most part I really enjoy being able to take a creative lead. This is something I have so much love and adoration for, and yet, despite all the times we've nearly split up or I haven't wanted to go on or things have looked too hard, we've all been there for each other. In the short ten years we've been together we've been through a lot and we have a lot more to give. I just feel so lucky to have people who stick by me as we take these risks, even when I'm like, 'I know this is gonna be scary and I don't know how this is gonna go, but let's jump down the rabbit hole together’.”
Written by Krissi Weiss
Panic! At The Disco play Soundwave Festival:
Sat Feb 22 - RNA Showgrounds (Brisbane)
Sun Feb 23 - Olympic Park (Sydney)
Fri Feb 28 - Flemington Racecourse (Melbourne)
Sat Mar 1 - Bonythin Park (Adelaide)
Mon Mar 3 - Claremont Showgrounds (Perth)
Sideshows with Jimmy Eat World and Alkaline Trio:
Mon 24 Feb - The Hi-Fi (Sydney)
Tue 25 Feb - The Forum (Melbourne)
