On January 24, 2023, the lead singer of Panic! At The Disco announced the disbandment of the group after almost 20 years together. A lot of Panic! fans are wondering why the band is disbanding after such a storied career.

            “Growing up in Vegas, I could’ve never imagined where this life would take me,” Urie said in a statement posted to Instagram. “A journey must sometimes come to an end for a new one to begin.” In 2004, while guitarist Ryan Ross and drummer Spencer Smith were still in high school in Las Vegas, Panic! at the Disco was born. The two played in a group called Pet Salamander and covered Blink-182 tunes. They started writing their original tracks, hired Brendon Urie as a vocalist and Brent Wilson for the bass, and put out their debut record, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.”

         Ross and bassist Jon Walker left the band within a year of the release of their second album, “Pretty. Odd.,” in 2008, leaving Urie, Smith, and Dallon Weekes in charge of the group’s further endeavors. “Death of a Bachelor,” Urie’s debut solo album for the group, was finally released in 2016, and his subsequent album, “Pray for the Wicked,” gave rise to Pete Buttigieg’s failed campaign song, “High Hopes.” Panic’s final studio album is “Viva Las Vengeance” which is the highlight album of this last tour.

       The band survived many adjustments throughout nearly two decades, such as expending the full spectrum of pop subgenres from gothic to power pop and losing nearly most of its main members — with the exception of lead vocalist Brendon Urie, of course. Since Panic! at the Disco’s older material was so dissimilar from the group’s later, post-schism, music. Many questioned why Urie would even attempt maintaining a solo career with the Panic! at the Disco name. But for some, the solution was obvious.

       After the announcement of the break up, many fans were actually quite pleased, but for some it was a bittersweet day.

 “I haven’t honestly listened to anything besides the ones on the radio from the new albums, just because I felt like it was so different,” Kayla Kellner, a junior human development and psychology major said.

“This is really a victory for 15-year-old me,” Von Wampler, a junior English major said, “But at what cost? We lost so many along the way.”

       Although the end of Panic! At The Disco was a long time coming for some and a sad ending for others, there is no doubt this band had a huge influence on so many people and the sound of alternative music today.