if I messed up any of the links or html, sorry 'bout it
So Houston is hosting the Men's Final Four this year. Part of the festivites is The Big Dance, a free three-day music series. Yesterday, Panic! at the Disco played and it was AWESOME. Here is a recap of sorts.
-Got to the venue around 8:00. Spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out if I had to pay for street parking. Paid the $6 just to be on the safe side, met up with Shirley.
-Hung out at one of the four entrances to the park. Sunny, Shonna, Heather arrived. Good hangs.
-Doors opened, hauled ass to the stage. Actually had to run. Ended up on the end of the barrier at stage left.
-Very soon realized that the two random televisions set up on stage were actually teleprompters and that the one on our side of the stage was smack dab in our line of view of Spencer's drum kit. Motherfuck.
- Opening bands were Vallejo and The Robert Randolph Family Band. Both fun in their own way. Vallejo had two drum kits, a regular set up and one with bongos and they did this bit where all five members of the band were rocking the percussion. It was cool. The Robert Randolph Family Band was okay. The lead singer played steel guitar and absolutely wailed on that thing, but this was so not the right venue for them. They're more suited to chilling at a bar for a few hours than a show like this.
-Finally saw Tony and Asian tech come out to set up for Panic. Hi Zack. He saw us in the audience and gave us a smile. Seemed perplexed by the random TV set on stage. Asked him if he could move it, he responded that he had no idea what it was. Emcee guy (named Steak (Stake?) came out and babbled about basketball and Zack stood behind him and quietly mocked his existence.
-Zack was precious and made sure things were set up properly for his boys, even going behind the random tech who spoke into each mic to check the levels to wipe the mics off with a towel and a very disdainful look on his face.
-Emcee guy had been teasing that a few celebs were gonna come hang out, Christian Laettner, some other basketball guy and Ludacris. We'd assumed that they'd be around to emcee the viewing of the games but Luda actually came out while Discos were being set up and talked about basketball or something and, looking extremely good in a lime green polo, he introduced Panic! Said that he'd hung out with them backstage and they were all cool guys and then brought them out.
-Panic entered to some kind of like, Middle Eastern sitar music? Idk, I don't remember it well enough to describe it but I do remember wondering if this would be part of the tour and the whole getting back to theatricality thing.
-Sunny won my eternal love when, after realizing that she could see Spencer from where she was standing, she offered to switch places with me. &SUNNY; First time I've ever given up the barrier but I was very happy to do so.
-Brendon was DE-FUCKING-LIGHTFUL. Very playful and energetic and not awkward at all!
-Dallon's mic stand was in my line of view to Spencer's drum kit but in a way that most of my view of Spencer was through Dallon's legs. I did not mind this at all. Dallon has very nice thighs, btw.
-I would love to be able to tell you the set list but I still don't know the names of half the songs off Fever. I do know that they played, in no particular order:
Lying, That Green Gentleman, Let's Kill Tonight, Ready To Go, ... the one that goes relax, relapse, the swear to shake it up if you swear to listen one, Nine in the Afternoon, Mona Lisa, closed with I Write Sins, Not Tragedies and some other songs
-Random highlights as I remember them:
* Coke or NCAA or someone was giving out free plush mini basketballs. Some guys had the bright idea of tossing them around in the down time between sets, which of course then translated to a few of them being thrown on stage which led Brendon to say, "Throw all your balls up here," with a smirk. "Trust me, we enjoy it."
* Then someone threw a necklace or something they'd made up there and Brendon caught it (or picked it up, maybe), read what was written on it, smiled at whoever threw it and then put it on his head.
* Which then led to a freaking barrage of crap being thrown on stage for the next two or three songs, things that people had clearly pulled off of their own bodies. It was mostly jewelry but there were a pair of sunglasses that Brendon wore and a purple hoodie that he put the hood of on his head and lots of bracelets. He caught and put on as many as he could, which was ridiculously cute. [ETA: And can be seen on this video at about 2:30]
* Someone threw a granola bar on stage which Brendon opened, then proceeded to eat. Took a bite, asked if it had been drugged, expressed disappointment when whoever said that it hadn't
* Don't remember what song that was during when he started catching and putting on all the stuff but after it, he asked us if he looked like an asshole. Said he felt like an asshole.
* At one point, Brendon was back talking to Spencer, turned around and walked to his mic stand and saw that someone had thrown a hot pink bra onto the stage. "Ooooh, shit!" He picked it up and held it against his chest, "Am I supposed to put this on now?" Walked back and put it on Spencer's drum riser and Dallon was all, "Is that my mom's?" I missed whatever Brendon said in response because Spencer shifted so I could see his entire face and not just the bottom half and he was grinning real big and it was beautiful.
* Backtracking, sometime after the first few songs, Brendon said something about not knowing what we'd been told about the regulations of the show but that it was, in fact, okay to get naked. Spent a bit of time trying to convince people to take their clothes off. Asked if he had to start it, was sure there was at least one person out there brave enough to do it. Then he drank more beer or whatever was in his red cup and they went into another song.
* Oh, they played New Perspective and did the bit where Brendon says it wasn't a very good movie but then Dallon disagrees and Brendon's all, "Oh yeah, it's in your top ten, right?" and Dallons says it's number three.
* He did the thing again where he chokes himself with his own tie. Breathplay, anyone?
* Brendon mentioned them going to the dueling piano bar the night before and was all, "God damn, dude. Y'all can really drink down here." huge cheer because yes, we are a bunch of drunkies.
* Before Sins, Brendon said something about the Things of Leon playing next. Is there beef with them? Zacki was being snarky on twitter, too. Idgi.
* Youtube just gave up the goods on Brendon talking about getting naked and then the part that I completely forgot about (?!) where he sings a bit of Let's Get It On and then intros Lying. Also, "It's fucking hot but this is still fun!" Also found "Stay tuned for the Things of Leon."
I'm sure there's lots more than I'm forgetting but there was a lot of vodka in my life last night. It was an excellent show. Probably not as good as the Final Four show in San Antonio but only because that was the show where we found Ludo and got The Roots and Fall Out Boy. But it definitely ranks up there as one of the best Panic shows I've seen, even with my somewhat limited view of Spencer. I am so excited for their tour next month!
ETA: Shonna has some wonderful pictures of Ian, Dallon and Brendon (stupid TVs) here!
-Got to the venue around 8:00. Spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out if I had to pay for street parking. Paid the $6 just to be on the safe side, met up with Shirley.
-Hung out at one of the four entrances to the park. Sunny, Shonna, Heather arrived. Good hangs.
-Doors opened, hauled ass to the stage. Actually had to run. Ended up on the end of the barrier at stage left.
-Very soon realized that the two random televisions set up on stage were actually teleprompters and that the one on our side of the stage was smack dab in our line of view of Spencer's drum kit. Motherfuck.
- Opening bands were Vallejo and The Robert Randolph Family Band. Both fun in their own way. Vallejo had two drum kits, a regular set up and one with bongos and they did this bit where all five members of the band were rocking the percussion. It was cool. The Robert Randolph Family Band was okay. The lead singer played steel guitar and absolutely wailed on that thing, but this was so not the right venue for them. They're more suited to chilling at a bar for a few hours than a show like this.
-Finally saw Tony and Asian tech come out to set up for Panic. Hi Zack. He saw us in the audience and gave us a smile. Seemed perplexed by the random TV set on stage. Asked him if he could move it, he responded that he had no idea what it was. Emcee guy (named Steak (Stake?) came out and babbled about basketball and Zack stood behind him and quietly mocked his existence.
-Zack was precious and made sure things were set up properly for his boys, even going behind the random tech who spoke into each mic to check the levels to wipe the mics off with a towel and a very disdainful look on his face.
-Emcee guy had been teasing that a few celebs were gonna come hang out, Christian Laettner, some other basketball guy and Ludacris. We'd assumed that they'd be around to emcee the viewing of the games but Luda actually came out while Discos were being set up and talked about basketball or something and, looking extremely good in a lime green polo, he introduced Panic! Said that he'd hung out with them backstage and they were all cool guys and then brought them out.
-Panic entered to some kind of like, Middle Eastern sitar music? Idk, I don't remember it well enough to describe it but I do remember wondering if this would be part of the tour and the whole getting back to theatricality thing.
-Sunny won my eternal love when, after realizing that she could see Spencer from where she was standing, she offered to switch places with me. &SUNNY; First time I've ever given up the barrier but I was very happy to do so.
-Brendon was DE-FUCKING-LIGHTFUL. Very playful and energetic and not awkward at all!
-Dallon's mic stand was in my line of view to Spencer's drum kit but in a way that most of my view of Spencer was through Dallon's legs. I did not mind this at all. Dallon has very nice thighs, btw.
-I would love to be able to tell you the set list but I still don't know the names of half the songs off Fever. I do know that they played, in no particular order:
Lying, That Green Gentleman, Let's Kill Tonight, Ready To Go, ... the one that goes relax, relapse, the swear to shake it up if you swear to listen one, Nine in the Afternoon, Mona Lisa, closed with I Write Sins, Not Tragedies and some other songs
-Random highlights as I remember them:
* Coke or NCAA or someone was giving out free plush mini basketballs. Some guys had the bright idea of tossing them around in the down time between sets, which of course then translated to a few of them being thrown on stage which led Brendon to say, "Throw all your balls up here," with a smirk. "Trust me, we enjoy it."
* Then someone threw a necklace or something they'd made up there and Brendon caught it (or picked it up, maybe), read what was written on it, smiled at whoever threw it and then put it on his head.
* Which then led to a freaking barrage of crap being thrown on stage for the next two or three songs, things that people had clearly pulled off of their own bodies. It was mostly jewelry but there were a pair of sunglasses that Brendon wore and a purple hoodie that he put the hood of on his head and lots of bracelets. He caught and put on as many as he could, which was ridiculously cute. [ETA: And can be seen on this video at about 2:30]
* Someone threw a granola bar on stage which Brendon opened, then proceeded to eat. Took a bite, asked if it had been drugged, expressed disappointment when whoever said that it hadn't
* Don't remember what song that was during when he started catching and putting on all the stuff but after it, he asked us if he looked like an asshole. Said he felt like an asshole.
* At one point, Brendon was back talking to Spencer, turned around and walked to his mic stand and saw that someone had thrown a hot pink bra onto the stage. "Ooooh, shit!" He picked it up and held it against his chest, "Am I supposed to put this on now?" Walked back and put it on Spencer's drum riser and Dallon was all, "Is that my mom's?" I missed whatever Brendon said in response because Spencer shifted so I could see his entire face and not just the bottom half and he was grinning real big and it was beautiful.
* Backtracking, sometime after the first few songs, Brendon said something about not knowing what we'd been told about the regulations of the show but that it was, in fact, okay to get naked. Spent a bit of time trying to convince people to take their clothes off. Asked if he had to start it, was sure there was at least one person out there brave enough to do it. Then he drank more beer or whatever was in his red cup and they went into another song.
* Oh, they played New Perspective and did the bit where Brendon says it wasn't a very good movie but then Dallon disagrees and Brendon's all, "Oh yeah, it's in your top ten, right?" and Dallons says it's number three.
* He did the thing again where he chokes himself with his own tie. Breathplay, anyone?
* Brendon mentioned them going to the dueling piano bar the night before and was all, "God damn, dude. Y'all can really drink down here." huge cheer because yes, we are a bunch of drunkies.
* Before Sins, Brendon said something about the Things of Leon playing next. Is there beef with them? Zacki was being snarky on twitter, too. Idgi.
* Youtube just gave up the goods on Brendon talking about getting naked and then the part that I completely forgot about (?!) where he sings a bit of Let's Get It On and then intros Lying. Also, "It's fucking hot but this is still fun!" Also found "Stay tuned for the Things of Leon."
I'm sure there's lots more than I'm forgetting but there was a lot of vodka in my life last night. It was an excellent show. Probably not as good as the Final Four show in San Antonio but only because that was the show where we found Ludo and got The Roots and Fall Out Boy. But it definitely ranks up there as one of the best Panic shows I've seen, even with my somewhat limited view of Spencer. I am so excited for their tour next month!
ETA: Shonna has some wonderful pictures of Ian, Dallon and Brendon (stupid TVs) here!