Concert Review: The Used

I have been a huge fan of The Used for a really long time.  I believe they are a unique band that carved a new niche in the many genres of music back in the early 2000’s when they first started.  Since then, many have tried to follow them into that genre, and some have even been successful, but finding a band that can continually grow and progress for well over a decade, all while creating an extremely passionate fan base is a rare thing.  The Used stormed onto the musical landscape with the song Buried Myself Alive in 2002, and they stayed relevant with the 2007 release of Lies for the Liars, which is a brilliant album that houses the likes of The Bird and the Worm and Paralyzed. 


However, I’d argue that with their most recent album, Vulnerable, that dropped earlier in 2012, The Used showed that they are as strong as ever.  I was very excited at the potential of seeing them headline their own tour to support this album, and then figured it was unlikely when I heard that they were headlining Warped Tour.  However, they proved me wrong and booked a small string of shows that included a stop at one of my favorite venues, Bogarts.  (I know, I’m as surprised as you are that they haven’t given me a membership of some kind).  As is often the case, a big group of us piled into a car and took the 2 hour trip down to Cincinnati to catch the show.   We were not disappointed!

The Show

One of the great things about The Used, and the major variable that sets them apart in my mind, is how much variety they are able to write into their songs.  Their songs use differences in riffing techniques, drastic pace changes, different vocal styles, tons of instrumentation, and just about every other thing you can do to make songs interesting and avoid songs that all sound the same.  The creativity required to interweave all of these different elements have allowed The Used to stay fresh and progressive for over a decade now.  Case in point:  on this latest album, they were able to incorporate some dub-step into their proven formula to get a totally new sound that even further expanded their diversity.  While I’m not a fan of dub-step, The Used was able to implement it in a really cool way to supplement their songs but not let it take over.  (Imagine that – tasteful use of dub-step.  I didn’t know that was even possible…).

So, what they are left with is just a tremendous library of songs to play live.  They take this library, and add in a ton of energy, a quite impressive light show, and a set of killer amps designed to look like original Nintendo controllers, and mix it all together to create an amazing live experience.  From the moment it started, with the huge guitar riff intro to Put Me Out battling the ear-piercing screams of the audience as the , the curtain dropped to expose The Used on stage, this show was an absolute blast.  They used their extensive library of songs to their advantage, taking slow ballads that made fans raise their lighters and mixing them with screaming songs that ignited mosh pits and made teenagers fly everywhere.  The result was a show that continuously changed gears and really created a masterpiece.  They also did a great job of playing older and newer music, which satisfied every fan of the band, regardless of age, and gave listeners a taste of the overall body of work for this band.  Bottom line – great band, great songs, absolutely excellent execution.  This show was just awesome.    

The MVP of the show was obviously Bert McCracken, sporting his growingly famous guyliner, and hitting crazy high screams that made the audience repeatedly scream at the top of their lungs.  The emotion that he performed with could only come from someone who poured their heart and soul into writing those songs and working their ass off to make them great.  He certainly wasn’t without help, as the whole band felt totally natural on stage and fed off of each other very well.  


There were so many highlights of the show, but here are a few that I will always remember, other than the opener:  

• Pretty Handsome Awkward is just a brilliant song.  They split the crowd and did a wall of death during this song, which is always annoying, but then ends up being cool.  Props to the Cincinnati kids for losing their minds during a song that came out when I was in high school.  
• I Caught Fire, and The Taste of Ink, both of which I completely forgot about, were also really really well done.  As they were some of the slower songs played, they allowed for a break in the action where I could focus on the how tight the guitarist and drummer were.  In addition, the slower songs show just how good Bert really is.  
• The Best of Me, which is off of a grossly overlooked album from 2009, was another completely forgotten song that was really cool.  One of the hardest songs they played, it was cool to see some of the killer riffs make the crowd move a bit.  I’m far too old for moshing, but it was a bit difficult even for me to hold back during this song.  
• I Come Alive, which is a song that I was a bit tired of because it was the first single off of their new album, was great live, for the sole reason that Bert loved playing it.  You could tell that he was just having a great time, smiling ear to ear as he held the mic over the crowd to encourage them to sing.  It almost felt like he was saying to himself “This is awesome”.  It was awesome Bert.  Heres a quick clip of that song (with less-than-stellar sound…)

• Last but not least, I can’t get out without mentioning The Bird from the Worm, which is a really cool concept song that shows every one of The Used talents, right down to the violin.  This is my favorite song of theirs, and is the one that just got me absolutely hooked on the band about 6 years ago.  I had hoped they’d play the violin, like they did at Rock on the Range in 2009, but even without it, it was such a fun song to hear.  

 
They closed the show with Box Full of Sharp Objects, which I thought was a bit of a strange choice, but it really worked.  Towards the end of the song, when it turns into mostly screaming, the crowd gave one last final push and screamed their heads off while jumping in unison.  

All in all, this show was great because the band has the history and talent to string 17 songs together without having a single dead spot or weak point.  I am so glad this band is still around, still writing great music, still leading the pack in their scene.  This live show was every bit as good as I expected it to be, and I can’t wait to see them again.  Thanks to The Used for putting on a great performance.  


Cheers!! 

“I’m melting in your eyes, Like my first time, that I caught fire, Just stay with me, lay with me, now.”