Panic! At The Disco

support The Sounds
author TL date 12/10/06 venue Store Vega, Copenhagen, DEN

If anyone had illusions about being special and rebellious because they were emo, tonights’ gig at Vega was a serious wake up call for them. It seemed like every emokid in Denmark had crawled forth from the underground (and from myspace) in order to congregate around tonights’ visit by Las Vegas emo-flavoured electro-punkers Panic! At The Disco. Thus the area around the entrance of Vega was filled to the point of bursting with black hair, tight pants and loads of eyeliner. Whether this sounds like a nightmare or a wet dream for you, I for one am thankful that the tickets for tonight sold out long before Panic’s hitsingle "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" broke through to the mainstream via the Danish charts. This fact ensured that the crowd was by far made up by die-hard fans that knew how to properly enjoy a concert – something that would later come to have great significance.

Before Fueled By Ramens’ most sky-rocketing emo-sensation were to relieve the fans of their anxiety, there was however, the small matter of the warm up set - a duty that was undertaken by the Swedes from the retro also-electro-punk-outfit The Sounds. Despite having had only limited success with their danceable disco-punk The Sounds is still a live band to be reckoned with, which became quite clear from the set they played this evening. Several classic tricks were employed in order to jumpstart the party. First of all, everything had a serious fuel-injection. On the cost of the funky sound attempted on record, the songs had been added a huge doze of energy, and were rapid-fired off the stage, leaving the audience little time to breathe in between. Maya’s voice sounded more like the (quite hot) woman she is than like the little girl you’d imagine her being from listening to the albums, and in general, the band surprised me by packing somewhat more of a punch, than especially their latest effort would suggest, even though it was clear, that hits from the debut "Living In America" had way more appeal on the crowd than the newer ones. Hence, with quality showmanship, The Sounds lifted their material to unforeseen heights, and performed a fine support set.

With the earlier described scene from outside the venue in mind, you'll probably have no trouble with picturing the complete hysteria that ensued when the fastest rising stars on the emo-sky entered the stage. Within seconds, the front was packed to the point where even larger guys couldn't really move. The band kicked off the show, sound was perfect and the fans went just as nuts as anyone would have expected. Hit upon hit from the Vegas boys' only full length gave the audience what they came for, and the overall mood was nothing short of euphoric. Panic! acted just as confident and motivated on stage as you'd expect from someone who has had the amount of success they've had for the past year, and even presented themselves with the challenge of performing covers of Radiohead's "Karma Police" and "Tonight Tonight" originally by Smashing Pumpkins. Judging how well they got away with that, I mercifully leave to the individual, but I was surprised by this, seeing how the band, despite having only a single album on the street, still has plenty of smash hits to treat us with. And then, before really haven shaken off this feeling, the show was over, after less than an hour. Despite the quality of deliverance this evening, I am still mildly confused to as why the band would play only so little time, and to why in that short period, they'd play two covers and the only weak track they have written ("Nails For Breakfast, Tacks For Snacks"). Also, when thinking back, I can’t help but wonder where all the fuss about Panic! comes from. The band did well while they were on stage, but they seemed to give only the expected and nothing more. This feeling rooted not only in the short performance, but also in the overall feeling of the show. Sure, the band came and rocked out, but not in a fashion that was in any way beyond control or expectation, and had it not been for the total ecstasy the crowd was whipped into by the mere sight of their idols, it might have been more apparent, that this may not have been more than another day at the office for the young stars. Just like when Razorlight played at Loppen, I left with the unshakeable feeling that even though I'd witnessed a great show, from a band of this caliber there could and should have been so much more.

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