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Panic! At The Disco To Disband Following European Tour
Brendon Urie broke the news to fans Tuesday that Panic! At The Disco will disband after 19 years following the European leg of its “Viva Las Vengeance Tour” in support of its seventh studio album. Urie, who was the sole original member left in the lineup, explained in a statement posted to Instagram that the band “will be no more” so he could put his focus and energy into being a new father.
The band formed in 2004 with Brendon Urie (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards and percussion); Brent Wilson (bass); Ryan Ross (guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals) and Spencer Smith (drums, percussion).
The Las Vegas Review Journal summarized Panic! At The Disco’s rapid rise to fame in a 2005 feature: “A year ago, the four Las Vegas high schoolers who would become Panic! At the Disco recorded a couple of electro-rock tunes, posted them online and sent a link to a rock star. Within months, and with his help, the band was signed to a record deal, recording its debut album in Maryland and preparing to embark as the opening act on two national tours. All this before they had ever played before an audience in Las Vegas or anywhere else.”
The Journal notes that after becoming the first band signed to Decaydance (now known as DCD2 Records) – which was founded by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump as an imprint of Fueled by Ramen – Panic! At The Disco hit the opening act on tours by Acceptance and Fall Out Boy.
By July 2009, the only original members left in the band were Urie and Smith. The drummer officially departed the lineup in 2015, followed by bassist Dallon Weekes, with Urie carrying on the band as a solo project, joined by touring members on the road.
Panic! released its debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, in 2005 followed by three full-length projects before Smith’s departure: Pretty. Odd. in 2008, Vices & Virtues in 2011 and Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! in 2013.
Urie went on to release Death of a Bachelor in 2016, Pray for the Wicked in 2018 and Viva Las Vengeance in 2022.
The North American leg of the “Viva Las Vengeance Tour” kicked off Sept. 8 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and ran through Oct. 25 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
The European leg begins Feb. 20 at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. Dates are booked through March 10 at AO Arena in Manchester, U.K.
Panic! At The Disco has submitted 293 headline reports to Pollstar over the past 18 years, along with 172 support reports, with a total of 2,327,760 tickets sold and $108,744,188 grossed with an average of 7,945 tickets sold per show and an average gross of $371,141.
The most recent box office reports submitted to Pollstar for the band include an Oct. 16, 2022, show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle that sold 11,281 tickets and grossed $872,387.
Urie’s full statement via Instagram is below:
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.
But sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin. We’ve been trying to keep it to ourselves, though some of you may have heard.. Sarah and I are expecting a baby very soon! 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.
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. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Europe and the UK for one last run together.
I love you. I appreciate you. Thank you for existing.
Brendon