Panic! At The Disco has been no stranger to band-related drama, with drummer, Spencer Smith out of the picture the only founding member left of Panic! is lead singer Brendon Urie.
In 2013 on July 30th, Spencer wrote a letter to the fans on the official Panic! website coming clean about his addiction struggles. In the letter, Spencer talked about how after coming off the Vices and Virtues tour, he slipped deeper into his addition. “I was taking a dangerous amount of pills while drinking to chase that high, and just like with any other substance, the higher the high is, the lower the low is.”Spencer says in his letter, “What started out as a way for me to numb anxiety and depression had become the major cause of it.” Spencer goes on to say that that last fall of 2012 he had finally checked into rehab with the support of his friends and family and that “releasing this is to try and relate to anyone who has experienced addiction personally or with a loved one, and to be honest with everyone else. To let people know that anxiety, depression, and addiction are not picky. They plague people of all ages from all walks of life. But, you can recover!! So, please seek help if you’re suffering personally, and urge anyone you know to get help if they are suffering. It gets better one day at a time.” [X]
Now two years later, Spencer Smith has made it official that he is leaving the band. In another statement on the band’s Tumblr page on April 2, 2015, Spencer’s opening lines to the fans were “After 10 years of being a part of this unbelievable journey it saddens me to say that I will be leaving Panic.” He goes on to talk about his favorite memories and what he’ll miss most about the band itself, “Looking back over the past decade I still have to pinch myself to believe it was all real.” Spencer says. He ends his letter with a heartfelt thank you to the fans saying “…none of it was possible without you. Whether it was in front of 15 people at Brendon’s church social or 15,000 people in a field somewhere in England. What we created, the four of us onstage, and you in the audience, that was something special. It was on those nights I’d say to myself “If I could be anywhere in the world tonight, with anyone I wanted, it would be right here with you”. It’s what I’ll miss the most. So, thank you. I truly cannot wait to see what’s next for Panic, whatever it is, it’s going to be great. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving me the life I only dreamed of 10 short years ago.” [X]
A lot of fans have been left wondering if Spencer’s exit will put Panic!’s future in jeopardy, but in a recent interview with Billboard, interviewer Joe Lynch, he asks leads singer Brendon Urie what’s it’s like to be the “last man standing”. Brendon goes on to say “Thinking about where I started — I joined as the last member of the band before we started touring and got signed. Now I’m last man standing. But to me I love it so much. I love this band. I love everything about it — touring, songwriting. So for me it’s never been a question of stopping or letting go of it all because I love it too much.” [X]
It’s safe to say that while it’s sad that Spencer Smith has left Panic! At The Disco, he is in the place he needs to be, and fans of the band will continue to hear “last man standing” Brendon Urie and co-writer and bassist, Dallon Weekes, churn out new music for the time to come.
Niana Gutierrez
Listen to Spencer Smith’s last album with Panic!, Vices and Virtues Below:
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