It’s no secret that The Used has made a name for themselves. I mean, the band is celebrating 25 years as a band — that’s an accomplishment. Due to popular demand, they made a second leg of this special three-nights-per-album-per-city tour, and thankfully, Milwaukee was on that list. I missed their two visits to Chicago, so I was thrilled when I found out that I’d get to witness these special shows. Similarly to the first leg, they featured a different opening artist each night from the surrounding areas. I think it’s great seeing support like this for local artists because every big band once started small, too.
If you’re not familiar, I am very vocal about supporting up-and-coming artists, especially those who are central to your area. You never know how or when you’ll find your next favorite band, and if you don’t go to a show to see artists you’re not as familiar with, you’ll miss out. I wrote an opinion piece about respecting the opening bands that you can read in September’s digital zine issue.
Night one: Self-titled album, The Used
The opener for night one was Archers, who I’ve actually seen a few times. I think they were a good fit for the first night and as a band to prepare the crowd for The Used’s energy. Lead vocalist Nathanael Pulley has such a commanding presence and voice that encouraged the crowd to move. They got them ready in such a short amount of time.
To prepare the stage, a kabuki curtain tumbled down from the truss above the front-row barricade crowd, and it came as a surprise to those standing there. To be fair, not every artist uses these, so if someone didn’t tell me that a sheet was going to drop from the ceiling, I would not expect it. I think they are a cool concept, and once the show started, it made perfect sense.
Surprisingly, there was no encore at any point. I think that makes sense because they wanted to make sure each album got the spotlight it deserved, and sometimes an encore deters from that because those final songs are usually reserved for what people might consider the “more popular hits,” which might not be from the album played. Understandable. So if you wanted to hear “Taste of Ink” on night two or three, you’re out of luck. I feel like that song got the loudest singalong on night one. I mean I can’t blame the crowd, definitely one of my favorites by them.
Night two: In Love and Death
Local band Gold Steps spun, jumped, and sang on the stage for the crowd on night two. Almost everyone in the room seemed unfamiliar by this group. Even though the room read a little quiet, the band clearly gave their all in the performance. If anything, perhaps the crowd was reserving their energy for the main event. The Used has been around for 25 years — no one’s as young as they once were. I’m getting older and more tired, I get it. I take like an hour nap almost every day if I’m being honest to you readers.
To a majority, I knew that this was the album for some of the fans — the one that they blasted on repeat from front to back. The energy was just as high as the night before, if not more. Each night also had one song picked out to be what I refer to as the obligatory cell phone light song, and basically it’s when the band says take out your phone flashlight for me. I personally think it’s gotten too cheesy, and not every show needs this moment. But you know, if the audience wants to oblige and play along for fun, who am I to stop the enjoyment? I’m not as familiar with this album, In Love and Death, but it sounded great. There was one fan who was off to the side just screaming and jumping to every note, I hope they had the best night ever.
Night three: Lies for the Liars
The last opener to round out for the final night in Milwaukee was Rematch. This has been a band I’ve heard of through the grapevine and, out of all of the featured openers, the one that I was the most excited to watch. I actually completely spaced, and their vocalist Matty LeGrand is in another band that I photographed earlier this year. Small world! Anyways, out of all three nights, it felt like the crowd was the most excited for them compared to the past two nights. The popped off the night to an amazing start.
According to a couple fans I met, this album is fully underloved and almost rarely gets played. Knowing this made it super cool to witness as a full playthrough. Each night featured the kabuki drop as it was used as a screen. Tonight I went to the balcony for a photo and to watch what it showed. It was a general introduction about how they were going to witness something amazing and they needed to find their spot, then a quick intro to the album was shown. I believe it was different each night to showcase the album that would be played. It was super cool to see. The band all took their place seconds before it dropped, and the crowd screamed back as the song started. Every single word was screamed back. This night, the crowd surfers started off early and before I had even left the pit, there were two fans who made it to the front. One of them even got to hold Bert McCracken’s hand for a moment.
About halfway through the set, Bert invited at least two dozen fans on stage to dance in the background. Every single person on stage appeared to be living their best life — one of them even got to sing with Bert. It’s such a fun thing to witness when the band brings audience members on stage. There is an indescribable amount of joy on their faces, and you know that this night is going to be remembered for years to come.
The Used might be wrapping up this leg of the tour, but you can bet they’re coming back soon. I don’t know when, which is why you need to follow them on social media to stay up to date! So here’s to 25 years of The Used — cheers!
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