Artist of the Week: Panic At the Disco

 

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(All photos, credit: Bryan Hainer)

You’ll either be incensed or elated that Panic At the Disco is this week’s MTV Artist of the Week. Or you might not even recognize them — the band that used to sound like nervous teenagers trapped in a fun house with a few synthesizers, some Ringling Brothers costumes, and a severe anxiety disorder dropped the extraneous punctuation, stopped writing songs with titles that could double as character-count-maxing Twitter updates, and completely revamped their sound.

Three years and several personal triumphs and tragedies (the death of Ryan Ross’ father, the replacement of Brent Wilson with Jon Walker and the ensuing fallout, scores of sold-out shows, a Grammy nomination) after selling more than two million copies of their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, Panic is now all grown up. And, for a band that’s taken a lot of s— from knee-jerk anti-emo reactionaries, they appear more determined than ever to keep on the sunny side.


Of all of the blogs, comments, articles and talk of Panic’s transformative sophomore album, Pretty. Odd. (which impressively debuted at #2 its first week out) and its similarities to the Kinks, the Beach Boys, the Beatles and ELO, perhaps the most astute and succinct observation was that of Spin magazine writer Barry Walters, who summarized the new album’s tone thusly: “Pretty. Odd. lives up to its title because it dares to be optimistically beautiful at a time when sadness and ugliness might have won them easier credibility.”

Indeed, the album bounces and shines with harmony and hope (just enough zeal without too much eye-roll-inducing zest — vigor without the nauseating vim), indicating that Panic seems to have gotten over the paranoia and angst and dared to be confidently, even outwardly, happy. And seriously, who besides the Jonas Brothers (and maybe Sean Kingston) does that these days?

And speaking of happiness minus extreme cheesiness (cautious optimism, if you will), what could be happier — or more classic rock — than a good, old-fashioned American road trip in a VW van? Watch Panic embark on the most surreal journey of their lives (which is saying a lot considering they’re from Las Vegas) in their Artist of the Week video spots all this week on MTV.

Plus, watch Panic videos and live performances (including their brand-new mtvU Spring Break ‘08 performances), watch our exclusive Buzzworthy blog interviews, video footage from their “Nine In the Afternoon” video shoot, check out behind-the-scenes photos from their Artist of the Week shoot, and, of course, share your passion for Panic At the Disco — Version 2.0.

UPDATE: Just in: watch Panic’s exclusive mini-movie, Panic At the Disco In American Valley.

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Filed Under: Artist Of The Week, Celebrity, Interviews, Music, Panic At The Disco, Photos, Videos

133 Comments to “Artist of the Week: Panic At the Disco”

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  1. I realized that after seeing one commercial. That's great!
  2. the firts pic reminds me scooby doo
  3. omfg i LOVE these guyssss! cant wait to hear their next songs! definetly my FAV band! who doesnt love them???!
  4. Wow these are great pictures lol the last one Spencer and Brendon have the same hoddies
  5. I KNEW IT!!!!!!!! HAHA!!! I saw pics on their Friends Or Enemies page along time ago way before this and I knew that they were gonna do this!!!! LOL!!!! YAY!!!! Can't wait to see them!!!! I bet they are gonna be hilarious!!!!!! I SOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D
  6. OMG!!!!
    I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM!
    I bet they're gonna be funny
    I just got tickets to their show (It's my best b-day present ever!)
    PATD is and always will be my favorite band!
    I love them all to death!
    I CAN'T WAIT TIL MAY 21ST!!!!!!
    I Love the new album
    I bought it they day it came out
    I was so excited
    Sorry I'm just blabbering on && on but...
    IT'S ONLY BECAUSE I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PATD!!!
    I'm so happy they're back
    :]
  7. I'M GOING TO SEE PANIC AT THE DISCO ON APRIL 30TH IN CONCERT FOR THE HONDA CIVIC TOUR!!!!!!

    PATD IS THE GREATEST BAND EVER AND THEIR SONGS AND SOUND INSPIRE PEOPLE WITH THEIR MEANINGFUL LYRICS AND AWESOME INSTRUMENTAL SOUND!!!!!!
  8. EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  9. I love this band and all their songs alll really great i wish i could go see them but i live in Uruguay . most of the people that sign here won't even know where it is bt it doesn't matter!
    if someday i go to the states i wiill definetlygo see them!!! they're great!!
  10. i loooovee panic! at the disco they're great!!
    all of their songs are awesome
    can't wait to hear the next one!!
  11. i loooovee panic! at the disco they're great!!
    all of their songs are awesome
    can't wait to hear the next one!!
    KISSES!!
  12. OH MY GOD. i'm so happy, i saw them so many times on TV this morning. i was freaking out. i was like "this is great!!"
  13. Yay~ I love Panic At The Disco, they're sooo awesome~~ Love their songs~

  14. I F*CKIN HATE THEIR NEW CD!!! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED... I LIKED THE ANGST TEEN SH*T THAT THEY PUT OUT - AT LEAST IT DID NOT WANT ME TO SLIT MY WRISTS OR BURN THE CD AS A WHOLE... VERY DISSAPPOINTED AND SADDENED - I WAS READY FOR A RIP-ROARING IN YOUR FACE CD AND ALL I GOT WAS MUSH
  15. omg! are they playing the skits on mtv?!
  16. They're never coming to south america right ? u.u i love them from distance u,u
  17. omg i looove panic mtv: play their videos more often pleeeaase! everytime i turn on mtv its always the jonas brothers or leona lewis :( over played much? play nine in the afternoon more pleeze!
  18. i luv panic im like there #1 fan
    pretty odd is so good
    ryan sounds so good in behined the sea
    but i have friends in holy spaces is not that good
  19. im panics #1 fan
    they rox
    pretty odd is a great album i got it wen it first came out
    im so happy there the band of the week
    they should be the band of the month
  20. wow. it bugs me how someppl are giving them a bunch of crap for there new cd. it might be different, but its just them growing up and maturing, along with there music. you can't be mad at them for doing what they wanna do. yes i agree its way different from there first, but both the cds are amazing. don't waste your time commenting things you hate.
    personally i love there new cd. its amazing and so are they. i'm so happy for these boys that they can get so like noticed for there music. i love them sooo much.
  21. They're beautiful. Pretty. Odd. is definately the best CD I've heard this year with wonderful lyrics.
  22. wooohh !!
    que chevere que aca panic sea artista del mes !!
    tambien lo fue en latinoamerica en marzo !! su entrevista es lo maximo !!
    simplemente me encanta PANIC son lo mejor en la musica y todos estan lindos !!!*
    pretty odd es lo maximo y nine in the afternoon tambien jejej
    espero que las demas canciones sean tan buenas como las anteriores !! de hecho que siii
    i♥panic!!
    i♥brendon!!
    byee
  23. wooohh !!
    que chevere que aca panic sea artista del mes !!
    tambien lo fue en latinoamerica en marzo !! su entrevista es lo maximo !!
    simplemente me encanta PANIC son lo mejor en la musica y todos estan lindos !!!*
    pretty odd es lo maximo y nine in the afternoon tambien jejej
    espero que las demas canciones sean tan buenas como las anteriores !! de hecho que siii
    i♥panic!!
    i♥brendon!!
    byee
    Saludos..
  24. I'm SOOO excited that PATD is this week's artist of the week. They're absolutely amazing.

    Can't wait to watch the random clips of them during commercial breaks!
  25. I felt like I was watching MTV to see them on there!!! Absolutely amazing!! They totally deserve being the artist's of the week!!

    I will love you Panic no matter what you do!!!

    We are all MAD AS RABBITS!!!!
  26. i'm pretty freaking pleased with this week's band of the week. not only are they the best yet to look at, they're new album has completely revived my love for panic!
  27. I love these boys.
    Brendon and Ryan look so much cuter now, too.
    Pretty. Odd. is one of th best CDs I have heard. I bought it the day it came out and was trying to get some of the music early.
    I love the sounds on both of their albums. It just shows how different they can be and actually pull it off, WELL at that, too.
    I hope they keep making music and I hope they come out here to my town. =]

    (Why'd they lose the "!"?)

    Love ya Panic At The Disco.
  28. Panic! at the disco is a really good band I love that song, Nine in the after noon!
  29. growing up is ##$$?$@*! okay i used to do musical theater. But then i started doing guitar, and listening to rock. u could "say" i grew up, but guess what i still do musical theater. and growing up must be boring, they prooved that with pretty.odd.! The WHOLE thing is like on acoustic guitar. Ryan where's ur gibson firebird! and poor spencer, such a sweet guy, and i'm not one for drums but, he barley plays them, and when he does it's the simplist little beats! c'mon at least give him one solo or something. i think the band got gready, started partying and got high.(i've seen the pics and videos) Even lyricaly ryna ross has changed them. They used to be pretty straight forward now they're abstract, talking about the moon and the sun. AND they stole from the beatles! northern downpour = hey jude. they took the same photos as them, stole from sgt. peppers, and took the whole white theme. they used to be soo unique now they're not! who could they possible write that lame excuse of a song "we're so starving" saying they're the same. UM no ur not! u changed ur name making u a WHOLE NEW band. and they don't even have the same musical genre. that pisses me off.. sry this is so long this is just my thoughts..
  30. trebrendous!
  31. Panic! At The Disco has always been one of my favorite bands ever and their new album is AMAZING!!!I normally do not buy albums, but after hearing their new commercials on MTV, I knew I had to get it!! Totally worth it man!! Love you guys!! I loved how they seemed like they were talking to the fans in the first song!!! Bomb!!!
    Love,
    Hailey_Havok
  32. I LOVE PANIC AT THE DISCO!!! I'm glad they are the artist of the week. Their 1st album was amazing and so is the new one! =]
  33. Panic at the Disco has changed alot, but I love it. They are all awsome musicians! Pretty. Odd. is the best CD ever!!!
  34. I liked when Brendon tried to kick the beach ball! Nice try Brendon, but your guitar got in the way! HeHe!
  35. AHHHH!!! panic is the best thing tht has eva happen to me!!! cant wait til mayyyyy 9 CONCERTT!!

    katee=]
  36. I think that brendon urie is the most sexiest guy in the world even thought he is GAY!!!!!LUV YA BRENDON!!!!!
  37. It's about time PANIC got artist of the week!! I love them soooooooooooo much!!! PANIC AT THE DISCO is the BEST BAND EVER!!!! they're my no.1 favorite! i love their music, it's sooooooooo amazingly AWESOME!!! and i love PRETTY.ODD it's frickin' awesome!!!! (panic, i wish i could meet you guys in person!♥) anyway, mtv made an awesome choice in making PANIC AT THE DISCO artist of the week!! p.s brendon's birthday is coming up!(April 12)happy (early) B-Day Brendon!!!! love ya!♥♥♥♥
  38. I'm shocked that MTV is not "bleeping" out the "God d*mn" in Panic's lyrics. They choose to censor other words that are so common in our genre's vernacular but allow something so offensive as this to slip through the cracks?
  39. i love how happy these guys r when they made this album!!
    PANIC ULTIMATELY ROX MY SOX OFF!!!
    Im glad that they r MTV's band of the week(its about time! haha!)
    Panic has grown a lot in just a few years and I admire them for that.
    They inspire me in sooo many ways!
    I love them and i always will
    And I can't wait to see them on either may 27 or may 28!!!
  40. OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can't whight!!!! eekkkkkkkkk to see tham live again thave changed soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much i love them!!!!!!
  41. OH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH
    They are handsome and ... I can't say how much I love them
  42. Yay Im soo happy I won a meet and greet with the guys. the concert is in 15 days!! i cant sleep or eat!
  43. lol in the last pic Jon looks like a cheerleader
  44. i heard u all are awesome u used my friends vw van in your video's he told me how down to earth u are.i'm a grandma these days but u know i find my self downloading panic at the disco u all rock.hang in there got my grandbabies listening to u to.GO VEGAS lol
  45. omg that was funny their great guys and seriously fun ^^
  46. they are great their songs are never heard of before so it makes u think about the words and like them!!
  47. Wow. How can you not like "I Have Friends in Holy Spaces"? I love the sound of it. But that's just my opinion.

    And for everybody that's upset about how much they changed..think about this.

    It's been three years. They were just teenagers, or very young adults. They've grown up, they've matured. Of course we knew that they were going to change. In their first video, they said that they had grown up, and they hoped that their fans would grow up and mature with them.

    I was upset about the exclamation point too. And yes, it did make them stand out and way more orginal then most other band names. However, it was never intended to be there, and there was never a long discussion about it. It just happened. Calm down. They're still Brendon, Ryan, Jon, and Spencer.

    Have they changed? Most definitely. Their sound is different. They did not "rip off" the Beatles. They were inspired by the Beatles, and never had intentions to rip them off. A lot of bands sound like the Beatles. Ever listened to Jet before? Same thing. Nobody flipped out on them when they did it. The Beatles inspire more bands then you think.

    Ah...rants make me feel good. XD
  48. i luved the last album and i luv this one definately a fan for life
  49. i love panic more than err'body else
    in the world
    EVER
  50. OHHHHH YESS!!!
    APRIL 29th BABY!!!
    THEY WILL BE IN SC!!
    AN GUESS WHOS GOING??!?!
    MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
    im sooo happy,
    these guys make me happy!

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