At 8:40 p.m. on Friday night in Nashville, the stage of Bridgestone Arena illuminated with a ten-minute countdown ticking away each second until Panic! at the Disco would hit the stage. Fans initially screamed and waited in anticipation, counting down the final ten seconds together as the arena went black and the music started with frontman Brendon Urie jumping forward from the back platform to start the show.
Even from the first song, which featured sliver streamers and confetti falling from the ceiling and Urie outfitted in his signature gold jacket, fans knew they were in for an energetic and fun set.
It’s easy to refer to Panic! at the Disco as “he” or “him” referring solely to Urie. Currently he’s the only original member still around from the start of the band in 2004, and he’s such an attention-grabbing frontman it’s easy to only see him. From his time on Broadway in “Kinky Boots,” to the band’s recent cover of “The Greatest Show,” from “The Greatest Showman,” his commandment of the stage and larger-than-life feeling songs are handled with such effortlessness; he makes it look like headlining an arena tour is easy. It helps he’s mastered the footwork and dance moves like a pro, and he has the vocal range to be able to hit some glass-shattering falsettos.
The setlist mostly featured songs from the new album, but ran 27 tracks long covering a lot of their previous releases as well. True to a Nashville show, famous guests were at the show including Hayley Williams of punk-rock band Paramore, who posed for a picture backstage with Urie and was featured on the band’s Instagram account.
The show was full of visual treats featuring Urie floating through the air on a platform with a white grand piano for a couple songs, a generous amount of on-stage pyro throughout, and a rainbow celebration for their track “Girls/Girls/Boys.” Urie even had a part set aside for a killer drum solo and backflip for extra rock show style points, and probably just to show off a couple more talents of his.
The “Pray for the Wicked” tour continues into early March in the U.S. before jumping over to Europe.
Set list:
1. “(F--- A) Silver Lining”
2. “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time”
3. “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)“
4. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”
5. “LA Devotee”
6. “Hallelujah”
7. “Crazy=Genius”
8. “The Ballad of Mona Lisa”
9. “Nine in the Afternoon”
10. “One of the Drunks”
11. “Casual Affair”
12. “Vegas Lights”
13. “Dancing’s Not a Crime”
14. “This Is Gospel”
15. “Death of a Bachelor”
16. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Bonnie Raitt cover)
17. “Dying in LA”
18. “The Greatest Show” (Pasek and Paul cover)
19. “Girls/Girls/Boys”
20. “King of the Clouds”
21. “High Hopes”
22. “Miss Jackson”
23. “Roaring 20s”
24. “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen cover)
25. “Emperor’s New Clothes”
Encore:
26. “Say Amen” (Saturday Night)
27. “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”
28. “Victorious”