Everyone knows the feeling–when the lights dim, a hush falls over a crowd, and there’s a moment of silence that feels like it lasts a lifetime; and then you hear the drumroll. That was the feeling that everyone felt on April 5th at the Scottrade Center, the night the Panic! At the Disco Death of a Bachelor tour came to St. Louis.

The concert, which started at 8 o’clock in the evening, featured an hour-long opening set by The Misterwives. They were quite good, in fact; their song “Our Own House” was their closing number, and if they were trying to get the crowd hyped up, that song certainly did the trick. Mandy Lee, lead singer of the Misterwives, got the whole crowd singing the chorus along with her, which made the gut-clenching excitement even more apparent to everyone in the audience. When they walked off stage, there was thunderous applause, and the feeling of excitement was furthered by the appearance of a countdown clock a few minutes later. A ‘boom’ sounded from the speakers for every minute that passed, and the audience was at the edge of their seats with anticipation. Until–finally–the last ten seconds began to count down on the timer. The moment the timer reached ‘zero’, everyone in the stadium leapt to their feet. The roar was deafening. And Panic! At The Disco walked out onto the stage.

They opened with “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time”, and continued with much-loved songs from both their new album and from old albums, such as “Golden Days”, “LA Devotee”, and “Nicotine”. And while all of these songs were utterly amazing, there were two moments in the concert that stood out above all the rest. The first was when Brendon Urie (lead singer of Panic!) walked into the middle of the stadium and a piano was revealed. He sat on the stool, dedicated the upcoming song to two ‘very special’ fans, and proceeded to play the acoustic piano version of “This is Gospel”. His raw vocals combined with the grand piano was more moving than anything else I’ve ever witnessed live. As he and his piano began to rise in the air and slowly turn, white confetti began to fall in slow motion. Everyone began to sing. I saw people crying and clutching each other, watching the piano slowly turn and listening to thousands of voices singing in unison. There is no way that every single person in that stadium didn’t feel the emotion that I felt during that song. It was utterly beautiful.

The second moment during this concert that especially stood out to me was during Panic!’s performance of “Girls/Girls/Boys”. Before the concert had begun, attendees had been passing out little hearts made of differently colored pieces of paper. The idea, it said on the paper, was to shine our phone lights through the hearts during “Girls/Girls/Boys” to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community. (The chorus of “Girls/Girls/Boys” most prominently features the line “love is not a choice”, which made this song the perfect choice for executing this idea). I knew that the moment would be memorable, but I had no idea that it would be as moving as it was. Once they began to sing, the whole stadium lit up like a rainbow. The knowledge that thousands of people were coming together in one place to just show their support for LGBTQ+ equality was overpowering. Once they finished the song, Brendon Urie asked the crowd to hold up their hearts for a picture, and said that just seeing the audience coming together with acceptance and love was one of the most amazing parts of tour.

This was the moment in which I fully realized the impact that live music can have on people. I knew before that music brings people together, but the magnitude of unity in the stadium that night was one of the most spectacular things I’ve ever been lucky enough to witness. And I know that everyone in the stadium that night felt the same way.

So–if you ever get the chance to go to a Panic! At The Disco Concert, don’t give it up. I guarantee that you will feel the love, unity, and excitement that I felt that night. If not, try and go to any live music event at all. Because, whether it’s in Scottrade Center or a local coffee shop, live music truly has the power to bring people together. It might just change you along the way.