The Used: Fall US Tour ~ Tampa 02/10/2024 & Fort Lauderdale 04/10/2024

Rating: ★★★★★

Hard Rock Event Center Rating: ★★★★

Revolution Live At The Backyard Rating: ★★★★★

Where I stayed: Motel 6 Tampa & Days Inn by Wyndham Fort Lauderdale Airport Cruise Port (I survived but would recommend paying extra for somewhere nicer)

SETLIST:

Pretty Handsome Awkward
Say Days Ago
Buried Myself Alive
Let It Bleed
Take It Away
The Bird And The Worm
Fuck You
Listening
Blood On My Hands
Blow Me
Sound Effects And Overdramatics
Light With A Sharpened Edge
Giving Up
I Caught Fire
Blue And Yellow
The Taste Of Ink
On My Own (Encore)
I’m A Fake (Encore)
A Box Full Of Sharp Objects (Encore with Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ outro)

Work gave me a week off before the shop got redecorated, so I decided to go and see The Used in concert. They were touring the US, so I ended up planning a holiday to Florida! The fact Plain White T’s were opening for them helped influence my decision, since I have been a huge fan of theirs since my teens. I can’t believe I saw both of them on the same night. They don’t make an obvious pairing, since The Used are a lot heavier. I purchased a VIP upgrade to meet The Used in Tampa, as $150 was a good price for everything included in the package. I also got a goodie bag full of high quality items and early access to the merch stall and venue. I travelled around the State and saw them again in Fort Lauderdale. The first concert took place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, which was fun to walk around before the show. I was nervous to meet the band, since I had only become a big fan of theirs recently. I’ve been exploring new music and they took a while to grow on me, though I knew they were special and kept circling back to them. Eventually something just clicked and I have listened to their songs every day since. I thought about saying I had come from the UK but that felt weird to blurt out. I was also afraid to admit it was my first time seeing them, since they have been a band for 24 years. I smiled like an idiot while they signed my things and complimented my toucan tattoo. I made a joke about not being able to come up with anything interesting to say before the photo was taken, which was the best I could do. I felt stupid for the rest of the night but the experience was extremely worthwhile, as the band members were lovely. Although meeting them was incredible, I thought the sound was better in Fort Lauderdale and I preferred Revolution as a venue. Both nights were memorable for different reasons. Tom Higgenson (lead singer of PWT’s) handed out stickers but not many people recognised him. I got one each night but couldn’t decipher what they meant. He said they were to do with a side project of his, so I’ll need to remember to look it up later. I also bought their VIP package for FL but it got cancelled. I doubt there’s a lot of crossover between The Used and PWT’s fans.

Raue couldn’t have done a better job setting the mood for the rest of the night. They are teenage grunge duo, Paige Kalenian and Jax Huckle. I was impressed in Tampa but I enjoyed them more in FL, after I had grown familiar with their sound. They came onstage an hour after doors opened and it was easy to tell the crowd loved what they were hearing. People were headbanging and shouting words of encouragement all throughout their set. They realised most people hadn’t heard of them and did everything they could to stick in our minds long after they left the stage. They showed a lot of confidence and their crowd interaction was great. In FL, they borrowed Burger King crowns from a rowdy group in the middle of the crowd, which was funny and showed character. I could hear the 90s influences in their music and loved their high energy performances. Plain White T’s were up next and didn’t disappoint. As well as TH (guitar/vocals), the other band members include Tim Lopez (guitar), Mike Retondo (bass) and De’Mar Hamilton (drums). Their first song was ‘Feeling (More Like) Myself’ from their self-titled album, released at the end of last year. They fitted a few new songs into their set, which made me happy as I had the album on repeat for months after it came out. They asked how many of us knew about the new album before promoting the white vinyl on sale at the merch stall. It’s a shame I couldn’t take one home, as I was travelling with only a backpack. I felt overjoyed when they did ‘Would You Even’, which quickly became my top listened to song on Spotify and will be difficult to dethrone. They split the crowd down the middle for a singalong during ‘All That I Needed’, so each side could try and out-sing one another. It was fitting as the melody is easy to grasp and sing along to. They added an extra chorus of ‘Hey There Delilah’, since it is their biggest crowd pleasing song and everyone knew the words. I predicted the gorgeous ‘Rhythm Of Love’ would be last, which is primarily sung by TL. I paid to watch a live-stream from their summer tour, thinking I wouldn’t get to see them as they weren’t coming over to the UK. It was amazing but nothing compares to hearing one of your favourite bands in person.

I had to wait to access the events hall in Tampa, as I had a general admission ticket and not VIP. For this specific venue, there was a corded off VIP section closer to the stage. It was more relaxed in FL and I managed to get right up to the stage there. I liked having contrasting perspectives, especially since Tampa had banners with the names of the bands on them and they looked stunning from further back. Just before The Used came on, a joke announcement blasted over the speakers saying the show had been cancelled. I found out about it before I went, which is good because I’m gullible and might have had a panic attack. The band is made up of Bert McCracken (vocals), Joey Bradford (guitar), Jeph aka Jepha Howard (bass) and Dan Whitesides (drums). They didn’t allow us to stress for long, as they bounded on stage afterwards and opened with the anthemic ‘Pretty Handsome Awkward’. It was mesmerising hearing the songs I’ve fallen in love with over the past few months, though I felt guilty for not being a fan from the beginning. BM talked about their album ‘In Love And Death’ turning 20 years old and adding songs from it to the setlist, in honour of the anniversary. He asked us to boo them extra hard once they’d finished one of them, just for fun. BM also promised whoever could show him the best cartwheel a free t-shirt, which was entertaining but I don’t know if they actually got one. The two barriers impacted the atmosphere in Tampa so I enjoyed FL more, even though the crowd was so chaotic I feared for my safety. The Used know how to put on an incredible show and feed off the energy of the crowd, so I should have expected insanity. In FL, fans were constantly throwing things on stage. BM ended up wearing an assortment of jewellery, including a bat necklace. ‘Blue And Yellow’ was another treat, as I know they don’t perform it often. ‘On My Own’ was emotional and powerful. It’s too hard to pick a favourite, as all of their songs pack a punch and are so unalike. The setlist was the same both nights, though I saw they added an extra song for the third Florida date in St. Augustine. I expected to hear more songs from ‘MEDZ’, their 2024 B-Sides album, but it’s impossible to complain about the gems we got.

My Florida trip is one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’m so glad I went ahead with it, after some deliberating. I’ll remember these shows for the rest of my life. My only complaint is the Hard Rock Event Center separating the crowd in two. It is a majestic building though, which made being VIP (for the meet and greet) feel all the more special. There were also complaints about Revolution in FL being an outdoor venue and fans were praying for rain, so it would be moved inside. Personally, I liked the outdoor aspect even though it was hot, as it reminded me I was somewhere exotic. The two venues I visited were polar opposites, so going to both was very interesting. I was determined not to miss PWT’s opening for The Used, which still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I wonder what they talked about backstage and how long they have been friends. I overheard perplexed fans discussing PWT’s before they came on, saying they didn’t know many of their songs. Some moaned about not being a fan of their ‘pop’ music. I hope TH and the rest of the band could see there were some genuine fans of theirs in the crowd who welcomed them with open arms. I’m sure sceptics would have been satisfied as the songs are all incredibly catchy and upbeat. Their enthusiasm is contagious and they won over most of the crowd by the end of their set. I intend to see The Used at Slam Dunk Festival next year in the UK. The band missed the last couple they were booked to appear at, so I’m crossing my fingers all goes well next time. They have just performed at the highly-anticipated When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas and are discussing big plans for 2025, which I’m very excited to hear more about. I have some dollars leftover from this trip, so I have a good excuse to return to the US. I highly recommend seeing all three of these bands, even though they are stylistically different, as they are extremely talented.

GALLERY

TAMPA