The Used is New Again: A Night of Raw Energy and Nostalgia in Charlotte

Emo is not dead. In fact, it’s alive and thriving.

Over twenty years ago I was standing in a sea of fellow emo kids wearing studded belts and skate shoes, clutching a disposable camera and having the time of my life as I waited on The Used to take the stage at a Vans Warped Tour here in Charlotte. Formed in 2001, the four piece from Orem, Utah had just risen to fame after the release of their self-titled debut album in June of 2002 – one of the most played albums of my early teen years.

This past Saturday night, I had the pleasure of seeing them again as they returned to the Queen City for a fall tour in support of their freshly released B-sides album MEDZ. Following last year’s release of their album Toxic Positivity, MEDZ is a 10-track album of songs that didn’t make the original cut.

Concert goers began lining up outside The Fillmore early in anticipation of getting a good spot on the floor. By 5pm the end of the line was nowhere in sight. I brought a longtime friend along with me, who also happened to be at that same performance by The Used many moons ago. We watched the line outside grow longer as we had our usual pre-show ritual of a couple beers and a big a** pretzel at VBGB’s next door before making our way to The Fillmore. It was nice to see such a large turnout for a band that has held a special place in my heart for so many years. Doors opened at 7pm and the venue began to fill. Fans quickly formed lines to buy merch and grab a beer or two before the show began.

Raue (pronounced Roo-ay) kicked off the night – a teen-powered duo from Santa Cruz, California consisting of Paige Kalenian and Jax Huckle.

Don’t let their ages or minimal lineup fool you, these two pack an enormous punch. Wearing a Davey Allison button up0, Kalenian took the stage on vocals and shredded her guitar while Huckle played the absolute hell out of his drums.

Together their sound was equivalent to that of a full band. The punk rock/90’s grunge vibes were strong and they even busted out their rendition of Radiohead’s Creep during their set.

The high energy performance these two brought to the stage perfectly set the tone for a fun-filled night to come.

Next up were the Plain White T’s. If you’re not familiar with them, odds are you are certainly familiar with their 2007 platinum hit “Hey There Delilah” that permeated the airwaves.

The Grammy nominated pop-rock group have been around since 1997, and they are still going strong as they continue to draw a huge crowd and impress with their catchy, indie-like sound. Opening with “Feeling More Like Myself”, a track from their self-titled studio album released last November, founder and frontman Tom Higgenson had a huge smile on his face as he looked out over the buzzing audience.

I don’t think that smile left his face the entire time he performed. You can tell he genuinely enjoys being on stage.

Higgenson’s positive energy matched that of the crowd’s as the band played a tight set of songs from their latest release such as “Young Tonight” (a fitting title for how this show made me feel) and “A Little Less Alone” with a few nostalgic fan favorites peppered into the mix like the also widely known hit “1,2,3,4”.

As their time on stage was coming to an end, Higgenson announced that they had two more songs left. Clutching his guitar while engaging with the audience he proceeded to say “Let’s all sing Hey There Delilah together as loud as we can.”

The room then erupted into a loud cheer as he began playing the acoustic ballad and the crowd joyfully sang along to every word. Energy felt during moments like this is unmatched. One of my favorite things about going to a live show.

As the Plain White T’s closed out their set with “Rhythm Of Love” and exited the stage, the crowd began to thicken as those who had gone to grab one more beer were returning to their spots before the headliner took the stage.

During the down time between sets the crowd continued to sing and dance along to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” playing over the venue’s speakers as they waited. Shortly after that, the entire room was chanting along to Taylor Swift. It’s always amusing to watch a group of heavily pierced and tatted-up rockers sing along to “You Belong With Me.” As I took my place in the photo pit waiting on The Used to take the stage, I thought back to teenage me with my disposable camera and how if someone had told me back then I would actually be shooting this band one day I never would have believed them. A full circle moment.

Soon the lights dimmed and a loud, suspenseful recording began blasting through the monitors. This was cut short by an announcement that “due to unforeseen circumstances the performance had been canceled and that refunds may be requested…” After briefly faking us out, chants from the crowd grew louder and The Used finally emerged from backstage.

The entire room erupted as they promptly broke into “Pretty Handsome Awkward” off of their third album Lies For The Liars. Vocalist Bert McCracken asked the crowd midsong to put their middle fingers in the air, something he himself did quite often throughout the night, and at one point prompting the audience to chant “F*ck You!” over and over.

With middle fingers flying the audience was as hyped as it gets. The amount of crowd surfers seemed endless.

There was zero pause after the energetic opener, as the band swiftly transitioned into “Say Days Ago” followed by “Buried Myself Alive.” Both of which are tracks from their debut album that set the course for who they are today, and for many of us like myself – the soundtrack of our transformative teen years.

Looking around the room with his signature smile, McCracken took a moment to catch his breath and asked the audience “Who came here to party???” From there the band jumped back into it with “Take It Away” from their 2004 release In Love And Death.

The setlist was mostly composed of tracks from their earlier albums, making it clear that it was crafted with long-time fans in mind while still bringing a few newer tracks like “Giving Up” into the mix. Leaving the audience fully immersed in every note.

The back-to-back flood of emo anthems such as “I Caught Fire” and “The Taste Of Ink” brought back all of the nostalgic moments of my youth.

While the average age of the crowd was noticeably older this time around, the energy levels were not. Neither was the band’s incredibly energetic stage presence.

McCracken’s guttural screams and emotional melodies filled the hearts of every fan as they thrashed about like it was the early 2000’s all over again. Before ending the night with “A Box Full Of Sharp Objects” – the “greatest song ever written” as McCracken put it, he turned to the audience and said “When you walk out that door tonight make sure you leave with those beautiful smiles on your faces.” and that is exactly what we did.

See full gallery of the night here!

If you captured any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.