"Friday was fun, foxy at Stage AE - It was a panic in Pittsburgh."

[06-04-2011] THE TIMES

Panic! at the Disco headlined a high-energy show Friday at Stage AE on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith — the pop-punk duo that is Panic! at the Disco — slammed onto the stage Friday with spirit. The two, along with Ian Crawford on guitar and Dallon Weekes on bass, plugged through an 80-minute set, performing an eclectic mix of older fan favorites and new songs, though a little too much time elapsed between songs.

Lead singer Urie belted through the opener “Ready to Go,” off the new album “Vices & Virtues,” which was released in March. The band also performed “The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” “Trade Mistakes,” “Hurricane,” “Let’s Kill Tonight” and “Memories,” all from the new album.

Older, familiar tunes also made an appearance, including “Nine in the Afternoon” and “Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off,” which came early in the set.

Though a large portion of the set sounded muffled, Urie’s acoustic performance of “Always” was crystal clear, with strong vocals and a beautiful melody.

The regular set ended with “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” an infectious pop tune off Panic!’s 2005 album “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.”

As the crowd — mostly age 20 and younger — chanted “one more song” and “Panic!,” the band came back on stage for two more numbers.

Before Panic! at the Disco came on stage, the fun started when the band fun. — yes, they spell it “fun.” — performed a 35-minute set. Lead singer Nate Ruess’s dreamy presence kept the crowd’s energy high as he led his band through a slew of songs from an album coming out later this year.

Though it was Friday, Ruess said, “We’ll pretend it’s a Saturday night.”

Ruess then led his band into the peppy pop song “All the Pretty Girls.”

Fun. made an appearance during Panic!’s set, performing the duet “C’mon.”

Foxy Shazam kicked things off Friday with a 32-minute set that included high kicks, a hand stand and cartwheels. While the whole set was a little odd, and the band’s musical performance left a lot to be desired, the audience didn’t really seem to notice or care.

Lead singer Eric Nally had the audience — especially the teen girls — eating out of the palm of his hand from the moment he stepped on the stage.

Nally spruced up his band’s set with a personal story about taking his son camping and little gems like “We’re a very dark band. So dark, you might think your eyes are closed. But they’re wide open, baby.”

The weirdest moment was midway through the set when an audience member threw cigarettes on stage to Nally, who motioned for a lighter, which appeared on stage seconds later. The lead singer then proceeded to light up.

Foxy Shazam brought the moves, but could use some work on its performance and production value.

At one point, Nally told the crowd, “I’m a white boy with no soul, but that’s what makes me rock and that’s what makes me roll.”

While they aren’t the epitome of rock and roll, Foxy Shazam — named one of Spin Magazine’s 10 artists to watch in 2010 — could make a name for itself based on its colorful lyrics and eccentric stage presence.


- Megan Miller