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Before 2005, the only memorable thing Las Vegas had to offer rock ‘n’ roll was a kick-ass Elvis movie with Ann-Margret in it. Then along came The Killers with their painted peepers and Duran Duran pinches, and now following close behind in public consciousness is Panic! at the Disco (these kids are veterans who’ve been aping Fall Out Boy since age 12), bringing a similar synthy swishiness to the world of teen unrest. Bypassing the tried and true “emo equals nerd minus girls” formula, these exclamation-pointing panickers go with “nerd minus girls plus hissy fits” for what amounts to punk rock that stamps its feet demonstratively for your attention: “Applause, applause, no wait wait, dear studio audience, I’ve an announcement to make . . .” (wait for it) “. . . It seems the artists these days are not who you think/So we’ll pick back up on that on another page.” And do they ever! If only Democrats could filibuster with this much stick-to-itiveness, Justice Samuel Alito would be at home watching Judge Judy today.
