Live in Chicago

AMG Review of Live in Chicago

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Two albums in is a little bit quick for a live album from Panic at the Disco, but in a strange way ...Live in Chicago comes at a good time for the quartet, as its 2008 album was such a studio-created salute to the Beatles that it raised the question as to whether the band could pull it off on-stage. Turns out, this live set -- available as almost any live album is in a CD/DVD package featuring the full set as a CD and a DVD for a home theater -- proves that they can, albeit not quite as beguilingly as they do in the confines of the studio. The absurd grandeur of Pretty. Odd is replaced with a nervy but clean energy more reminiscent of their debut, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, with those songs given more of a professional punch than they had on record. So, the young band is still feeling its way, but the surprising thing about ...Live in Chicago is that Panic at the Disco sound tight, melodic, and big, capable of filling a large stage. They still could rock just a bit harder, but Pretty. Odd suggests that they're becoming that rare thing in 2008: a pop-oriented rock band. They might not be doing this knowingly, but the results are entertaining all the same, even on this for-the-fans live set.