Panic! At the Disco

(Credit: Jennifer Tzar / submitted photo)

In 2009, Panic! At the Disco all but imploded: half of the band left to form retro-rock act The Young Veins. But singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith kept moving as a duo. By the sound of “Vices and Virtues,” Panic's third album and first as a duo, released in March, fans won't be missing the band's lost half — the record is full of huge, catchy and crisp hooks, theatric string sections and Urie's usual wit. Urie called Metromix to talk about his recovering ankle and why bowties are so important.

We heard you had an accident onstage last week! What happened?
Oh yeah! In the middle of the set, I usually run out to the middle of the crowd to do an acoustic number face to face with the audience. The song went great, but on my way back, I jumped off the riser and as I started down the stairs, lost balance in my loose-ass boots and rolled my ankle completely. I felt something tear, but the adrenaline was pumping and we finished the set. We went to a hospital after the show… luckily it was just a bad sprain. No break at all.

At this point, the band is officially a duo. Would you ever think about adding new full time members?
That's something we've wanted to do, but it's hard to find people you work well with and can live with on the road. It's tougher than you might think. We've been very fortunate to find Ian (Crawford, of The Cab) and Dallon (Weekes, of The Brobecks),
who we've been playing with for a few years. They're amazing musicians and we all get along well.

There's a definite theatricality to Panic songs. What influences that side of your writing?
A lot of different things, not just music. We pull from films — Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers, Kubrick. Beautiful cinematography is a big inspiration for us, from the costumes to stage props to the stage set up. It's nice to steal from that stuff.

You and Spencer always appear really well dressed, in bowties and suits. How important is it to look good?
It's always important. I tend to act the way I'm dressed. If I'm in gym shorts and a T-shirt, I'll just want to play basketball and pass out after I eat a bunch of turkey, all lethargic. If I'm in a suit, I've got to get business done; something's got to happen. We want it to be a special occasion when we get onstage. We play off of that.

Going?
Panic! At The Disco, with fun. and Foxy Shazam, 7:30 p.m. June 10, $25, Egyptian Room at Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., (317) 231-0000.