On the opening night of the When We Were Young Festival, Panic! at the Disco lead singer Brendon Urie surprised longtime fans in an unexpected way.
The shock happened on Saturday, October 18, while the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. After taking the stage as one of the festival’s headliners, Urie was joined by the band’s original drummer, Spencer Smith, marking their first time playing together in 12 years.
Despite having officially disbanded in 2023, Panic! at the Disco reunited in Las Vegas over the weekend and delivered a full-album performance. As the show came to a close, Urie said to the crowd, “I want to bring my oldest friend out on stage,” before Spencer — and a full live band — joined Urie for their breakout hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
In videos circulating on social media, fans could hardly contain their excitement about the reunion.
“There’s hope Spence returned maybe the rest of the band made amends,” one X user said.
Another noted, “he looks so happy.”
Other festival attendees weren’t too happy about night one’s set list, with one hoping, “i think panic! at the disco should play the entirety of vices & virtues tonight to make up for last night’s setlist blunder.”
“Panic at the disco choosing to play their entire 2018 tour setlist at wwwy is so… interesting… the fact that they had to say ‘f**k how do we win the crowd back again at the end. i know! let’s play sins AGAIN’ is too funny,” another posted.
The band’s history has been anything but simple. Formed in Vegas in 2004 by Urie, Smith, Ryan Ross, and Brent Wilson, the band quickly became a defining voice of the mid-2000s emo-pop scene. Their debut album catapulted them to stardom with the runaway success, but sadly, with fame came friction.
Within a few years, the original lineup began to unravel—first with Wilson’s departure, then Ross and Wilson’s replacement Jon Walker’s exit a few years later after creative disagreements. Urie and Smith pressed on, crafting albums Pretty. Odd. and Vices & Virtues, before Smith’s personal struggles with addiction forced him to step back from touring in 2013 and officially leave the group in 2015. His absence marked a turning point for Panic!, leaving Urie as the sole creative force behind later albums.
Despite the turbulence, the band’s mix of theatrical pop and emo energy made them a staple in the scene among other bands like Fall Out Boyand My Chemical Romance. And while Urie announced their official break up in January 2023, it seems the band might have a few more tricks up their sleeve.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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