NY Post: Raw Panic Steals the Show

By DAN AQUILANTE
May 10, 2008 -- A youthful vibe reigned at the Honda Civic Tour at the Roseland Ballroom Thursday night as fresh- faced fans rocked out to optimistic music played by Motion City Soundtrack, Phantom Planet and headliner Panic at the Disco.

With low alcohol consumption (most of the crowd was under 21) the party was fueled by music, dancing and togetherness.

All of the acts played well, but clearly the night belonged to the Las Vegas rockers Panic at the Disco.

Theirs was an abbreviated set, but they made the time count with well-selected songs tapped from their '05 debut, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," and the recently released "Pretty. Odd." There were no missteps or snoozy lulls.

The show opened up with "We're So Starving," a theatrical song wherein the band talks directly to the fans, telling them Panic has been off writing new songs - but not to fret, because they're still the same.

Wrong. Panic is better than it's ever been. In fact, this "Sgt. Pepper"-spiced opening song - as well as the band's growing dependence on psychedelic sonics - made you feel the weight of The Beatles' influence on this group.

In contrast to the layered arrangements of the new record, Panic's live show is streamlined to a rawer sound. That hardly dampened their enthusiasm for waving the Fab Four's freak flag, especially on "Do You Know What I'm Seeing?" and the night's showstopper, "Northern Downpour."

The band, which originally bowed with a gimmicky, makeup-heavy production, has evolved into a stunningly good live band, confident in themselves as musicians and in the quality of their songs. They're still underrated, but with shows like this - and an album like "Pretty. Odd." - that will change fast.