Jun 1   

Milwaukee, WI  

The Rave  

The Used Tour  

Review

THE USED & DEAD SARA @ THE RAVE

Posted by Nick Semrad on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 

The Used’s March release Vulnerable was one of their most impressive to date. Sparking a North American tour which will eventually join up with the 2012 Vans Warped Tour, The Used not only put a lot of work into their new music, but also their on stage performances.

The four piece alt-rock group from Utah, formed back in 2001 headed by frontman Bert McCracken, gradually rose to fame with their first self titled release going on to be certified gold. Fast forward a couple years, persistent touring, and four more studio releases, The Used has had heavy influence on the alternative scene.

Unlike a lot of alt-rock bands that just throw up a banner or two for a stage backdrop with a pile of cluttered instruments and props sprawled across the stage, The Used featured a strikingly impressive setup of LED’s and rear illumination that created an awesome effect to their hyped performance.

Bert McCracken’s performance was very original and was reflective of the punchy vocals that brought The Used to international fame. The heavily upbeat show was made even better by the rest of the band being as into their own music as their rambunctious fans.

The Used’s alternative-emo-rock energy and unbearably exited crowd shook my expectations as they rocked the entire venue, the crowd chanting every word to their new hit “Put Me Out,” rivaling the noise level of Tech N9ne’s performance going on upstairs in the same venue. See photos and interview here.

Dead Sara is a notable opener to The Used on this tour. They’ve been climbing their way to the top with the single “Weatherman” and will also be featured on Warped Tour this summer.

Vocalist Emily Armstrong was welcomed to the stage with exuberant cheers from The Rave, returning with elegant vocals that at one point transformed to an impressive and gritty scream. The feeling that I got out of Dead Sara’s music was genuine and I really saw how this band could take off in the near future. After hearing Dead Sara’s performance I’m curious to see how they do on Warped tour and beyond.