Twenty-five years into their career, The Used aren’t coasting on nostalgia, they’ve weaponized it. The second night of their three night residency at Irving Plaza on April 21st wasn’t a concert, it was a glorified emotional riot. A shrine built out of sweat, screams and the shared memory of an era that refuses to die.
In celebration of their silver anniversary, the band treated a sold-out New York City crowd to a front-to-back performance of In Love and Death, their blistering 2004 heart-punch of a record. What unfolded was nothing short of cathartic chaos.
Opening the night was The Funeral Portrait, a band that has been building a name through theatrics and high-energy performances. They delivered a perfect storm of heavy riffs, melodic hooks, and over-the-top showmanship.
Their sound was a melting pot of emo, metalcore and glam flair. The Funeral Portrait’s set, or “devotional,” as they call it, laid down the foundation for what was to come in the wake of their passing.
As we stood in the wings, the crowd was already in full voice, belting out pre-show pop bangers like Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and Huey Lewis’ classic, “Hip To Be Square,” while silhouetted shadow puppets danced across the white curtain that divided fans from the stage. It was weird, wild and oddly perfect. An off-kilter prelude to a night of curated mayhem.
Photographers like myself began prepping gear for the inevitable madness, but even we weren’t ready for what was waiting on the other side of that curtain. The venue was wall-to-wall with die-hard fans, packed tighter than a pressure cooker. There was no clear path to the photo pit, just bodies and the scent of anticipation.
It was so dense that we needed security escorts to weave through the sea of people in order to reach the photo pit. Even then, our access wasn’t immediate. The curtain that shrouded the stage from prying eyes kept us on the outskirts of our jobs.
Then, like a starter pistol to the soul, “Take It Away” hit, the curtain dropped and all bets were off. The Used ripped through In Love and Death from start to finish with a precision that somehow still felt reckless.
Bert McCracken was every bit the unhinged oracle, howling, taunting and bleeding every ounce of himself into the microphone. The guys behind him played with a ferocity that didn’t just nod to the past, they made it feel as urgent and vital as ever.
From the haunting “Cut Up Angels” to the thunder of “I’m a Fake,” every track landed like gospel. Every lyric a tattoo inked on the collective memory of an entire generation. Fans didn’t sing, they purged. There was joy. There were tears. There was every sweaty, shouty emotion in between.
By the end of their set, what began as a live celebration of a record became a reaffirmation: The Used are not a legacy act. They are a live wire.
If night two was any indication, they’re just getting warmed up with one more night to go.
I hope you Buckled up New York.
Setlist: Take it Away, I Caught Fire, Let it Bleed, All that I’ve Got, Cut up Angels, Listening, Yesterday’s Feelings, Light with a Sharpened Edge, Sound Effects and Over Dramatics, Hard to Say, Lunacy Fringe, I’m a Fake
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