Panic! at the Disco
Best of Both Worlds
Panic! at the Disco finds a happy medium on Vices & Virtues
By Andy Argyrakis
When Panic! at the Disco debuted in 2005, it was at the peak of the same emo/pop/punk frenzy that birthed acts like Fall Out Boy. Sure, P!ATD didn’t quite fit the mold. There was also a decidedly different baroque grandeur to the band’s freshman effort, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. And then three years later, the group went in a completely different direction on Pretty. Odd. Like the title implied, it contained an idiosyncratic mash-up of the band’s original sound with tripped out psychedelic and alternative rock elements. Fast forward to its new album Vices & Virtues and the Las Vegas-based boys find themselves at a stylistic melting pot between the first two projects.
“The best of both worlds idea is partly true; we definitely wanted to express some of the ideas that were older, plus some of these songs were written between the first and second record,” considers front man/multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie. “We paid some homage to the older stuff, but are always excited to push something new sonically and lyrically.”
It’s impossible not to hear bits of the Cars to the Killers mixed in with some pop/punk rebellion across the current collection, thanks in part to split production duties from John Feldmann (Goldfinger front man and producer of the Used, Good Charlotte and Plain White T’s) and Butch Walker (former Marvelous 3 leader turned knob twirler for Weezer, Pink and Avril Lavigne).
“Both were amazing to work with, just very different,” notes Urie. “John is a workaholic and I mean that in the best sense because he pushed us and gave us a drive. With Butch, he has such amazing equipment and guitars that it was like being a kid in a candy store. We spent more time focusing on what mics make this sound and how that reverb sounds. We also listened to a lot of bands we hadn’t listened to in the past, like Peter Gabriel and XTC, and newer bands like Arcade Fire, Fun and Steel Train.”
Even with the album’s sunny sounds, there’s a darker lyrical side at times that truly lives up to the Vices & Virtues moniker. Never ones to shy away from touchy subjects (previous songs have tackled everything from alcoholism to adultery), the duo came up with provocative titles like “Let’s Kill Tonight,” “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind),” “Trade Mistakes” and “Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...).”
“We came up with the title after looking through the lyrics and seeing a lot about inner struggles and our human behavior,” explains Urie. “It’s about the habits we fall into and how we save ourselves in the end. The main themes are self-deprecation and ambition, which are explained and tied together in light of everything we’ve been going through.”
As for the conflict the singer alludes to, all you have to do is look at the album cover to realize this is literally a different Panic! at the Disco. Aside from Urie, Spencer Smith is sitting behind the drums these days, but guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker have gone their separate ways.”
“If we didn’t talk about splitting with Ryan and John, it would be weird for us and our fans because it’s something so personal,” the leader says. “None of this was an overnight decision. It happened over the course of half a year. The way I saw it was Spencer and I were on the same page musically, but Ryan and John felt kind of tired and wanted to start something new, which we totally understand but it still sucked. A month went by without us talking, but when I look back, we should’ve been talking the whole time. Music is the only thing we disagree upon and we’re still friends.”
On tour, the original pair will be augmented by touring guitarist Ian Crawford and bassist-keyboardist Dallon Weekes. Expect a set list sampling all three albums and loads of theatrical action, as the guys have always been known to dress up in some sort of outlandish outfits.
“We’re actually talking about it right now and finishing up the ideas for the stage,” says Urie. “We don’t want to give too much away, but we’re going to make each show feel like a special occasion and even plan on surprising ourselves. And there are always fun costumes to wear or maybe take off!”
Tour Dates
5/22 Boston, MA House of Blues
5/24 New York, NY Terminal 5
5/25 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
5/27 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
5/29 Pompano Beach, FL Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
5/31 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
6/2 Norfolk, VA Norva
6/3 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
6/4 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
6/5 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
6/7 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
6/9 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
6/10 Milwaukee, WI Egyptian Room @ Murat Center
6/11 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
6/12 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club
6/14 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
6/15 Houston, TX House of Blues
6/17 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
6/18 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
6/19 San Diego, CA House of Blues
6/21 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
6/22 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
6/24 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
6/25 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
6/26 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
6/28 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
6/29 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium
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