Panic! At The Disco ‘overcome with gratitude’ after final show
‘For the last 18 years, it's truly been an experience that I’ll always be grateful for,’ said Brendon Urie
Panic! At The Disco‘s Brendon Urie has said that he’s “overcome with gratitude” after the band played their final show on Friday (March 10).
The Las Vegas-formed pop-rock band performed the closing gig of the ‘Viva Las Vengeance’ European tour at Manchester’s AO Arena, marking an end to their 18-year run.
Announcing the band’s planned disbandment back in January, frontman Urie citied the impending birth of his first child as one reason for breaking up the band, sharing that he wanted to “put my focus and energy on my family”.
Reflecting on their final show in a social post this weekend (March 12), Urie said: “I’m overcome with gratitude. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. For the last 18 years, it’s truly been an experience that I’ll always be grateful for. So if you’ve been with us for 18 years, thank you very much.
“And if you’ve just joined us, welcome and….farewell. Either way, I love you very much, and I just can’t say thank you enough. Let’s live every day like it’s our last, babyyyyy!”
The band performed a 25-song setlist for their final show, which included all 12 songs from new album Viva Las Vengeance in order, according to Setlist.fm.
Announcing the break-up on the band’s social pages earlier this year, Urie wrote: “Well, it’s been a hell of a journey… Growing up in Vegas I could’ve never imagined where this life would take me. So many places all over the world, and all the friends we’ve made along the way.
“Sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin.”
He went on shared they he and his wife, Sarah, were “expecting a baby very soon”, adding: “The prospect of being a father and getting to watch my wife become a mother is both humbling and exciting. I look forward to this next adventure.”
The post continued: “That said, I am going to bring this chapter of my life to an end and put my focus and energy on my family, and with that Panic! At The Disco will be no more. Thank you all for your immense support over the years.
“I’ve sat here trying to come up with the perfect way to say this and I truly can’t put into words how much it has meant to us. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or are just finding us, it has been a pleasure to not only share the stage with so many talented people but also share our time with you.”
Panic! At the Disco formed in 2004 in the Las Vegas suburbs when Urie connected with guitarist/songwriter Ryan Ross and drummer Spencer Smith while they were all still in high school. After several line-up changes over the years, by 2016, with the release of Death of a Bachelor, Panic! At the Disco was effectively Urie’s solo project.
Their final album, Viva Las Vengeance, came out in August 2022, which Rolling Stone UK said takes a “definitive move away from their formative emo sounds to channel the spirit of classic rock giants”.