C=T sent contributors Molly Müeller and Mindy Firestone to sweat in the blistering confines of the Ogden Theatre last night to scream like 15 year-old girls.
Panic! at the Disco feat. fun. C’mon (Fade) [mp3]
Funeral Party – Just Because [mp3]
By 9:30am a gaggle of teenage girls were already wrapped around the block waiting
for the front spots at the Ogden Theatre for the evening’s show. Considering the
heat, these are some dedicated fans.
The show kicked off with East L.A.’s Funeral Party, a band that opened for the
Deftones in April to a less than warm reception due to the fact that the second band
and the headliner were more metal than electro funk. This time the band, consisting
of Chad Elliot on vocals, James Lawrence Torres on guitar, Kimo Kauhola on bass,
Tim Madrid doing synth/percussion and Robert Shaffer on drums. The show
started with a fan shouting “I love your mustache, Chad!” and the performance was
on. A very enthusiastic audience fueled the band and it seemed to egg on Elliott as
he danced and pranced about the stage engaging both the audience and his band
members. This was a much different performance than the one in April. The band
performed a very short set that of course included “New York City Moves to the
Sound of L.A.,” “Just Because” and summer-perfect “Finale,” a song that had the
whole venue clapping and dancing
despite the incredible heat in the venue. Elliot ended the show by stating that this
was a celebration because this was their second to last show on the Panic! tour and
the whole band agreed that they had had an incredibly fun time with the headliners.
NYC’s fun was up next with a giant glowing “fun” sign above the drum set and
fun was what they were aiming for. This set the stage for what was to come. Fun
consists of a very talented touring band including barefooted vocalist Nate Ruess,
Andrew Dost (everything including a glockenspiel), Jack Antonoff on guitars as
well as touring members Nate Harold on bass, Emily Moore doing guitar, vocals
and keyboards and Will Noon on drums. The compilation of all of these talented
musicians proved to be well, fun! Nate bantered easily with the crowd between
songs, particularly to Denver’s ladies. When the band played “All the Pretty Girls”,
he cited inspiration from Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Big Baby Jesus. Nate also instigated
a round of applause for Denver’s famed (or infamous) Casa Bonita. “Seriously,
who puts cliff divers in a Mexican restaurant?” he pondered aloud. Other songs
performed were “Barlights” and “At Least I’m Not as Sad (As I Used to Be.)”
The much-awaited headliners barreled out with “Ready to Go” with such energy
you wondered if they could keep up the pace through the entire show. They
most definitely did. The combination of the band’s fervent love for performance
coupled with the fans’ absolute adoration of Panic! At The Disco made for a truly
memorable event. They transitioned into “But It’s Better If You Do” with seamless
enthusiasm, from both band and audience. It wasn’t until after “The Ballad of
Mona Lisa” that Brendon Urie (vocalist) addressed the crowd in grand fashion by
introducing the next song, “Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have with Her Clothes
On”, as practically mandatory because it’s “about fucking strangers casually”.
Adding, “you so sexy Denver…you so funny as don’t even know it.” Panic!, touring
with Dallon Weekes (bass) and Ian Crawford (lead guitar), continued to bring the
energy into “Kill Tonight”, Urie commented on the sweltering conditions in the
theater and propositioned the crowd to move their feet fast enough to ignite the
floor, offering “$300 CASH.” Apparently, they did so well, he ceded to “I’ll dedicate
this next song to all of you. It’s no three hundred dollars, but…” and began to play
an acoustic solo of “Always.” The set was concluded with Urie singing “Did you
ever know you’re fucking awesome? (An impromptu parody on “Wind Beneath My
Wings.”) and “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” The first encore was “for the parents”: a
beautifully harmonized cover of Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son.”
The evening was a hot, sweaty mess of great energy and music. The final words from
Urie succinctly summarized the evening: “Stay sexy, Denver.”
By: Molly Müeller and Mindy Firestone
I got to see this show in San Diego and I think Funeral Party KILLED it! They were incredible! I actually enjoyed watching them more than panic 🙂
Anyway, it’s awesome to see them up on the VEVO lift emerging artist program.. .good to know that people will finally get to hear them!!
I got to see Funeral Play at the Panic! At the Disco concert and would have to agree that I enjoyed them more than Panic! Their energy exploded throughout the venue and had the crowd on their feet! Can’t wait to see them again!