“Welcome to the end of eras / Ice has melted back to life / Done my time and served my sentence / Dress me up and watch me die”
As 2016 comes to a close, there’s a lot of validation to be felt if you’re Brendon Urie. Earlier this year, Death of a Bachelor became Panic! at the Disco’s first number one album on the Billboard 200, and the resulting success landed Urie his first Grammy nomination just a few weeks ago. As it turns out, taking full creative control of Panic has transformed the singer into a bonafide pop star and creative genius.
With snow and ice on the ground and a mighty chill in the air, Urie took the stage as the headliner for this year’s WZPL Jingle Jam, an annual holiday concert event in Indianapolis. While the previous night saw X Ambassadors take top billing, this evening’s event welcomed up and coming pop performer Daya and hip hop newcomer Jon Bellion in addition to Panic! at the Disco.
When I interviewed Urie in the spring of 2011, Panic had just released Vices and Virtues, the band’s first release featuring Brendon as primary songwriter and first without founding members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker. Sensitive and thoughtful, Urie was quick to note his fears and hesitations during the writing process of that album and how he often felt overwhelmed with creative responsibility. It’s amazing to see the same man nearly six years later so full of confidence, belting out, “The crown, so close I can taste it / I see what’s mine and take it” while absolutely owning the spotlight.
In the decade since Panic! at the Disco’s theatrical emergence into the public eye, Brendon Urie has become far more than a pretty face with an even prettier voice. In front of a solid out crowd at the Pan Am Plaza in downtown Indianapolis, he is the main attraction and he knows it. Once a stoic vocalist standing civilly at the mic, Urie is now a full-fledged performer, bounding (and even back-flipping) about the stage with swagger. You don’t dare take your eyes off him.
Stabilizing moments come when Urie sings a rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” or when he sits behind the piano for a performance of “Nine in the Afternoon”, the sole song on the setlist from 2008’s Pretty. Odd., which now feels like it released a lifetime ago. Most of the night is spent splashing in the revelry of Death of a Bachelor and even the sensual gloom of Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die. In an unexpected twist of fate, it is no longer the emo glamor of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” that the crowd clamors for. This new era of Panic is connecting with a whole new audience.
Earlier this year, I panned Death of a Bachelor as indulgence of the highest order. Lines like “I’m not as think as you drunk I am” still don’t excite me, but it’s impossible to not be impressed at how well Urie has played his cards. He has not only weathered the loss of multiple band members and creative contributors, he has taken the reins of a project that could have easily imploded and made it something his own, learning all of the necessary tools along the way to ensure it succeeds.
At times on stage, Urie takes on the character of drunken stupor and carousing that bleeds throughout Bachelor, perfectly executing to the crowd’s delight. He’s the life of the party with seeming ease and you can sense his confidence. There’s no need for makeup or costume – instead, Urie shines simply through self-assured performance, the new Sinatra for the Snapchat era. It’s certainly a bit brash and bright for some tastes, but it has the potential to make the success of 2016 something that repeats itself. Lord knows, he’s earned it.
By Kiel Hauck
Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.
it's all dead 
great article!