A star-studded lineup took the stage at downtown Phoenix’s Footprint Center on Oct. 23.
Panic! At The Disco’s “Viva Las Vengeance” arena tour, featuring Jake Wesley Rogers and MARINA, marked the return of Brendon Urie to the stage for the first time since his “Pray for the Wicked” tour in 2019.
The show opened with up-and-coming pop singer Jake Wesley Rogers, a self-described “rhinestone on the belt buckle” of America’s bible belt. The 25-year-old shared moving songs, speaking from his heart in between songs, keeping a joyful but heartfelt energy in his interactions.
Rogers’s approach seemed to gain him some new fans from the crowd. Hunter Sweetser, a concert attendee, said he wasn’t familiar with Rogers, but enjoyed the show nonetheless.
“His performance was really amazing. He was like a mix between Elton John and David Bowie,” Sweetser said.
Rogers ended his set with a tribute to the early-2000s alternative rock that many P!ATD fans are familiar with. As Rogers played the iconic G note on the piano, fans sang along to his cover of “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance.
To continue the show, MARINA opened her set with the title track from her latest album, “Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land”.
Her set included songs from her most recent album, as well as throwbacks with songs like “Froot” and “Oh No!” She featured one of her more popular albums, “Electra Heart” at the end of her set with two of her most streamed songs, “Bubblegum Bitch” and “How to be a Heartbreaker.”
Concert attendee Shiara Bradley stated, “I never listened to MARINA much before this concert, but her performance made me want to study her discography. The blends of electronic music, pop, and punk as well as her energetic, fun performance makes her a force to be reckoned with.”
After a brief intermission, Urie kicked off his set with “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” from his last album, “Pray for the Wicked.” The opening songs called back to some of the band’s bigger hits from earlier eras, before getting into the songs from the new album.
Anna Olp, who attended the show, said “This was my first time seeing Panic! At the Disco, and even though I’m not super familiar with their music, I really enjoyed the performance. They played a good mix of their new album and some of their most popular classic songs.”
Urie ended the show with a few more of his classic hits from “Death of a Bachelor,” including its title track, joined by “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” and “Victorious.” The show concluded with one of the band’s most popular songs, “High Hopes.”
After the show, Bradley said “I’ve been a Panic! At The Disco fan since middle school so seeing them live was a dream come true. Brendon Urie has a spectacular voice on record that’s only amplified in person. You can tell he really cares about his music and the fans and he does his best to just give everyone a wonderful experience.”
“Viva Las Vengeance” is Panic! At The Disco’s seventh studio album. Released in August, the record ranked number 2 in Billboard’s U.S. Top Alternative Albums.
While it’s currently unknown when P!ATD or MARINA will be returning to the valley, Jake Wesley Rogers plans to come back next March during his upcoming “Peace Love & Pluto” tour.
Contact the reporter at llmay@asu.edu
