The Used at the Gramercy Theatre

Bert McCracken

In 2001 in Orem, Utah, bassist Jeph Howard, along with a guitarist and drummer, wrote some music but had no lyrics or vocalist. The auditions for a lyricist and vocalist, held at Howard's residence, did not produce the desired results. Bert McCracken was impressed with the music the band had created and wrote accompanying lyrics to what would become "Maybe Memories." The musicians invited him to be the band's vocalist. The Used released its debut album in 2002, and several subsequent albums received gold and platinum status. The Used will release its eighth studio album, Heartwork, on April 24, 2020. The band presently consists of McCracken, Howard, guitarist Joey Bradford, and drummer Dan Whitesides.

For its 2020 tour, the Used is playing some of the smallest venues the band has played in a decade, including the Gramercy Theatre tonight. The setlist introduced the Used's new song, "Blow Me," and centered prominently on the band's first three albums. The band's alternative hard rock was bombastic, sometimes approaching heavy metal but more often hovering in post-hardcore. McCracken's hearty angst-filled vocals shouted, screamed and pleaded powerfully and melodically, backed by a hammering wall of sound. Bradford, Howard and Whitesides had few extended musical spotlights; the charismatic McCracken ceaselessly commanded the spotlight to the point where the other members became almost invisible. He frequently spoke between songs, showering the fans with appreciation and encouraging fans to defeat negativity with positivity. As the Used approaches its 20th anniversary, the songs and the band's performance have stood the merciless test of time; the Used concert was rock solid.

Setlist:

1. I'm a Fake
2. Take It Away
3. The Bird and the Worm
4. Listening
5. Just a Little
6. I Caught Fire
7. The Taste of Ink
8. All That I've Got
9. Blue and Yellow
10. Blow Me
11. Buried Myself Alive
12. Paralyzed
13. Tunnel
14. Pretty Handsome Awkward

Encore:

1. A Box Full of Sharp Objects (with riffs from Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit")