If you were anywhere near downtown Detroit last weekend, chances are you heard the screams echoing out of the Fillmore. The Used came to town for a three-night run celebrating 25 years of emo chaos, and fans showed up big—singing, moshing, and losing their voices night after night.
Each evening focused on one of the band’s first three albums, and by Sunday, they were closing things out with 2007’s Lies for the Liars from front to back.
“I can tell there are a lot of hardcore Used fans out there tonight,” said frontman Bert McCracken early in the set. “We met a lot of you over the last couple of days. It’s so good to be here in Detroit with all you beautiful people.”
McCracken wasted no time hyping the crowd: “My goal is to let this crowd get louder than fuckin’ last night, alright? I want everybody in here to leave with no voice tonight.” He got what he asked for. From the front row to the back balcony, fans were all in—singing, screaming, even making up lyrics when needed.
Alongside bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford, the band kept the energy high all night, with McCracken leading the charge like a man who never left Warped Tour.
One of the best moments of the night came early when he invited a group of kids onstage to dance and hang out. Among them was Arlo, a young fan who’d already joined the band on Night One—and was back for round two.
“It was good seeing you again, buddy,” McCracken said with a grin. “Anybody see Arlo on the first night? What an animal.”
Another fan caught his attention too—someone in the crowd wearing a box-headed “Chadam” mask, just like the character on the Lies for the Liars cover. “That was so awesome, thank-you so much. Thank-you, Chadam. You were the best out of all of them,” McCracken said, high-fiving the whole crew onstage. Later, Chadam was spotted crowd surfing back toward the front, because of course he was.
The show followed the tone of the album—going from loud and heavy to emotional and back again. Before playing “Find a Way,” McCracken asked the crowd to take a breath and soak it all in. But it didn’t stay mellow for long.
“Open up a big fat circle pit right there for me in the middle. Open that shit up,” he said, and the floor exploded during “Liar Liar (Burn in Hell).”
As a bonus, the band tossed in a rarity near the end. “This next song is not on the official release, it’s a b-side. Some of you might know it, some of you might not. This song is called ‘Pain,’” McCracken announced, and fans took it as a personal challenge to shout every word.
Opening the night were Atlanta’s The Funeral Portrait, bringing their own emo flair and big hooks. Their latest album Greetings from Suffocate City dropped last fall and features McCracken himself, along with Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria), and Amanda Lyberg (Eva Under Fire).
Three nights, three albums, and one loud, sweaty celebration. Detroit showed up for The Used, and the band gave it all right back.
See SWOMP’s photos of The Used and The Funeral Portrait below:
Follow The Used: theused.net
Follow The Funeral Portrait: thefuneralportrait.com