This year, emo stalwarts The Used are celebrating the band’s 25th anniversary, so the band unveiled a special tour where they are playing three nights in a city, dedicating one of their first three albums (self-titled, In Love and Death, and Lies for the Liars) to each evening. After kicking off in Detroit with their self-titled performance on April 3, The Used returned to the Fillmore on April 5th for a live rendition of fan favorite In Love and Death. Here are five moments that stood out from the show:
Setting the Scene
Before The Used took the stage, a white curtain concealed the stage. The start of the set cranked up the nostalgic vibes from the get-go, with a projected video featuring some archival footage, as well as a clip of someone opening a jewel CD case of In Love and Death and paging through the cover insert (remember those?). Just like on the record, the spoken word intro heralded the arrival of ripping opener “Take It Away.” When the lead song started in earnest, the curtain dropped, revealing the stage set-up, dramatically centered around a huge hanged heart that brought In Love and Death’s iconic cover art to life.
A note on structure: The band played In Love and Death front to back – no encore, nothing more, nothing less. In a way this was refreshing – The Used proved a tight set could land a potent punch and masterfully hold the crowd’s attention through the album’s sonic journey.
A Blistering Start
With the band’s approach to play in order of the track listing, the set featured a bunch of smash hits right from the jump. The fist-pumping energy of opener “Take It Away” got the crowd moving early. “I Caught Fire” featured a dramatic open with the stage shrouded in darkness, with only the hanged heart glowing red as guitarist Joey Bradford delivered the skittering opening riff. And “Let It Bleed” gave an early glimpse into lead singer Bert McCracken’s vocal versatility, from delivering the song’s anthemic chorus to the fierce screams at the track’s coda.
Crowd Control
From start to finish, the crowd was highly engaged, whether it was participating in a huge singalong for “All That I’ve Got,” opening up a raucous circle pit for “Listening,” or sending waves and waves of crowd surfers toward the stage on “I’m a Fake.” Midway through the set, McCracken said, “At a Used concert, we want everybody to make a memory that lasts for the rest of their lives.” Mission accomplished, especially on “Yesterday’s Feelings,” which saw McCracken bring a fan onstage from the front row barricade to help sing the cut.
Loud to Quiet
Speaking of “Listening” and “Yesterday’s Feelings,” the album’s natural order delivered strong contrasts between its heaviest and quietest moments. (This was also true for the “Sound Effects and Overdramatics” / “Hard to Say” sequence.) These tracks showcased the sonic range of In Love and Death, with varying shades of emo, pop-punk, screamo, and metalcore in play. “Listening” featured some of the most ferocious crowd energy of the night, keyed by Bradford’s sludgy guitar riff and McCracken’s guttural growl.
Finishing Strong
The final two songs kept the energy high till the end. “Lunacy Fringe” featured perhaps the best collective showcase of the band’s talent, led by bassist Jeph Howard’s standout bassline. The set closer “I’m a Fake” gave McCracken one more chance to put his stamp on the band’s place in music history: “We have been an emo band for 25 f–ing years! … We never broke up, we never took a f–ing break, we’ve been here the whole time.”
As McCracken led the closing track off with its snarling spoken word intro, the crowd eagerly echoed his words before the full band joined in with the combined force of the pummeling drum beat / guitar riff / bassline. The audience stayed headbanging till the end through the track’s intense closing breakdown.
Over two decades later, it’s clear In Love and Death still holds a special place in many fans’ hearts. As McCracken put it earlier in the set: “This record saved my life over and over and over again.”
