Some of you may already have heard about this but the band Panic At The Disco has split up. Some of you may not care while some might. I fall in the latter. I'm a huge Panic fan and was devestated upon hearing news of the split. This is my opinion on the matter and thoughts about how this is being handled in the public, as well as the fairness to the loyal fans.
Honestly, I'm blaming Ryan Ross [Guitarist/Lyricist] for this. He's the one who changed so suddenly and no, I can't fault the guy for not wanting to play music that he's unhappy with but it feels like he left with little to no remorse. Does he not even feel bad for the fans who paid a hefty price to see Panic [all of Panic and not two original members and two fill in's] during the Blink 182 tour? He might, I hope that he does but it really doesn't seem like it.
And sure, I know Jon Walker went with him and Jon had to have reasons too. Reasons that are harder for me to place beyond the fact that he had the same musical aspirations as Ryan or that he wanted something different.
Just seems to be that everyone is picking sides and Ryan and Jon are coming off looking like huge jerks who abandoned their bandmates and fans without much notice. I'm aware that I have no idea what could've happened between them. Or if they're truly still friends or not. All I'm writing is speculation about what I think might've happened or things that have passed through my mind since the annoucement.
It bothers me beyond the music because I always saw these guys as having an unshakable friendship, Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith [Drummer] especially. And even though there was talk and signs of a split coming I wanted to believe that they could work past it because of how much they cared about one another.
Now I'm left thinking that the split wasn't as friendly as it's made out to be. In fact it's pretty heartbreaking.
And I know people are saying "Oh hey, Panic isn't gone you know?" Well, I'm sorry but to me all four of them make up Panic and just Spencer Smith and Brendon Urie [singer] isn't the same. I'm not sure but I might like it more if they just went ahead and had gotten a new name for the new band since no, this is not Panic. Sorry, Pete Wentz [Bassist for Fall Out Boy/Signer of Panic!] but throwing up the ! and giving us cover songs doesn't make us fans forget that there used to be four members of this band.
Maybe I'm blowing it out of porportion because of how much I care about these boys. Honestly, I do want all four of them to succeed in their new paths and I hope they do. Even if I am a little miffed at the way Ryan and Jon are behaving. I'm not saying Spencer and Brendon are completely innocent here but they are coming off as the victims in this whole thing.
And I can't help but wonder; Would I be so supportive if it had just been Ryan who left? Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about Jon Walker [Bassist for Panic] So, if he had not split with Ryan would I still want to support Ryan?
In all honesty, I'd probably be a lot more angry and less willing to support his solo project. But the point is that Panic isn't the same anymore. I'm not really keen on seeing new people fill in for Ryan and Jon. It feels almost like a mockery or some sick kind of joke.
I'm hoping that in the future my anger will subside and I'll be able to be happy listening to the original Panic At The Disco as well as the new Panic! At The Disco and whatever new project Jon and Ryan come up with. As for right now, I'm not picking sides, of course not. That's idiotic when all I want is for all four members to be back and playing again. Sadly, that seems far from happening.
