Panic! At The Disco

There was a time once, when I, as a young and inexperienced columnist, would take any and every opportunity to include a pointed jab at the members of Panic! At the Disco and their ilk. Granted, this was back when they had four original band members, dressed like a turn-of-the-century circus sideshow, took themselves way too seriously and likewise had fans who took themselves way too seriously. Apparently, all they had to do was cut their lineup in half and instead dress like regular non-circus performing Victorian gentleman for me to start liking them. Regardless of the hows or whys, the members of Panic! have grown up quite a bit since their early days, grown into their respective instruments and grown to be deserving of that early buzz they got years ago. Though, there’s still the same theatrical aesthetic element to a Panic! performance, the fact that the band outlived the criticism to become a full-fledged art-pop band is a respectable feat by itself. The Panic! fandom still terrifies me a little bit, but hey, baby steps. - Brien Overly