A triple threat line-up rocked Acer Arena on Friday night as Panic At The Disco and friends shake and shimmy their way through fun, infectious sets.
To say that Cobra Starship’s only claim for fame is the theme song to Snakes on a Plane would be a gross understatement. This fun, colourful and dancey-as-all-hell American band had the crowd “putting their fangs up” to electro-fused pop punk. Joined onstage by William Beckett and Sisky Business of The Academy Is… for Snakes On A Plane (Bring It), you could have been fooled into thinking it was the final song of the headline act. Cobra Starship are obviously seasoned performers, jumping straight onto the Australian tour after three months on Warped in the states.
Another band that has jumped straight from Warped into our arenas is Chicago-based band The Academy Is… With a new record about to hit our shelves, their set consisted of some new tunes like About a Girl and Summer Hair Forever Young, mixed with old classics (_Slow Down_) and radio-friendly tunes like Neighbors and We’ve Got a Big Big Ness On Our Hands. Singer William Beckett is a rare frontman, actually sounding better live than on record. After announcing guitarist Michael Guy Chislett was a native Sydney boy, the crowd seemed a little more receptive to them. It was tough to follow the completely infectious stylings of Cobra Starship, but The Academy Is… received a fairly positive response from the mainly teenage crowd.
Surrounded by floral patterns and in front of a large silhouetted screen, Panic At the Disco took the stage to a completely deafening roar. Opening with We’re So Starving, the Nevada boys played songs from their new Sgt. Pepper inspired album Pretty Odd, as well as hits from their debut record A Fever You Cant Sweat Out.
Panic’s new album is so vastly different from their previous work that there was a fear that it wouldn’t be as popular amongst the young audience. While it didn’t get the rousing roar of I Write Sins Not Tragedies or Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Pants Off, the new material was, on the most part, well-received. The songs from Pretty Odd are clear and melodic live – real pop throwbacks to the late sixties. Nine In The Afternoon and That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) the first two singles from the album sat in the middle of the set, surrounded by album tracks Behind the Sea and She’s A Handsome Woman. The highlight of the new tracks was Northern Downpour, with mobiles and lighters out in full force around the audience.
Brendan Urie’s voice carried spectacularly to the back of the arena. He has one of the most versatile and powerful voices in rock music, particularly in the punk-pop genre. Doing an acoustic version of Time To Dance during the encore, his skills as a frontman and as a singer were on clear display for all of Acer Arena to witness. Bubbles, Flowers and a sing-along later, the Panic boys said farewell to Sydney. But they promise they’ll be back, maybe with another pretty odd album in tow…
