Growing and Changing: The Used Sells Out The Venue

The air was hot and thick as the lights faded to black. All of a sudden an enormous burst of cheering and screaming erupted from all around The Venue. After a long wait The Used took the stage. Rewind two hours and the lesser known band Drive A, from Los Angeles, had just started playing.

Musically, Drive A has the talent to be on tour with Atreyu and The Used. Their songs are catchy, uptempo tunes that could fit on the soundtrack from the latest Tony Hawk video game. However, their stage presence was not as impressive as their music. The lead singer crowd-surfed during one of their songs but that was the most movement he made during the show.

Next to take the stage was Atreyu. This wasn’t the first time the band had played to a Fargo crowd. A few years back they played on the Taste of Chaos tour. As soon as the group took the stage, it was obvious that the energy level was amped up about 10 times more.

Unlike Drive A, Atreyu owned the stage. Everyone but the drummer used the stage to their advantage. In fact, at one point, the bassist and two guitarists stood in a row and performed a dance routine while they were playing a song.

The high energy levels that all of the members of Atreyu had reverberated back to the crowd. The mosh pit got crazier and the crowd got louder. In the middle of the floor a giant circle formed and people ran into the middle slamming and bumping into one another like bugs drawn to a light.

Based on the band’s performance alone, it’s safe to say that they gained a few more fans than they had before. Their musical talents and high energy give Atreyu a staying power that is so hard for some bands to achieve.

After what seemed like an hour, it was finally time for The Used to take the stage. The lights went dark and the crowd erupted with noise and movement. The band burst out on stage with more energy than the first two bands combined. Audience members were more than happy to reciprocate the feeling with their jumping, cheering and moshing.

The first song on the stellar set list was “Blood on My Hands” from their latest album “Artwork.” The fast-paced song set the mood for the show and showed a promising beginning from the Utah natives.

Bert McCracken, the lead singer of the band, was more than happy to interact with the crowd. Numerous articles of clothing were being thrown up on the stage and Bert took the liberty of adorning himself with things such as a beanie cap, a button-up shirt, and a girl’s bra and underwear. He paraded around the stage for about five minutes in this get-up and even started to sing an impromptu song about his clothes.

The charismatic front man controlled the crowd like he was a puppeteer controlling a marionette. At one point in the show he called for everyone that was on the floor to split down the middle and separate into two different sides. He then demanded that, when the band started playing again, everyone charge at each other and create an enormous mosh pit.

“Box of sharp objects” from their self titled album began to play and everyone charged at each other per the front man’s request. The sea of moving people never seemed to stop and everyone only got more excited and more energetic as the night went on. Space on the floor was severely limited.

The fans in the crowd didn’t come close to the bands craziest crowd, which according to Jepha Howard, the bassist for the band, was in Chile.

“When we went down there (South America) for the Chile show it was like 5,000 kids waiting outside of the venue like five or six hours before we played and it was just us playing. The kids were lined up everywhere. The whole show you couldn’t hear Bert because it was so loud. It was awesome,” said Jepha.

The concert contained a nice mix of new and old songs spanning the bands four albums. The songs from their first self-titled album seemed to get the crowd going more than any others that night.

A decent light show helped to highlight the energy of the songs. Red and white lights were used during the faster, heavier songs while blue and yellow lights were used to slow things down and showcase the bands versatility. The band had a nice way of blending slower songs with the faster songs while still maintaining their hardcore edge.

The lyrical content for the evening was just as versatile as their song speed. Topics included everything from love, being alone, and even heroine use which comes from the band’s earlier days. It is obvious that the band has matured when comparing their latest album, “Artwork,” to their earlier work.
“You have to mature or you’re not really a band. Nobody stays or does the same thing over and over again, you know? To me, its not real music if you aren’t growing or changing. It’s not from the heart,” said Jepha.

After the show, a select number of fans were able to purchase a special pass. The pass, which was an offer for special downloadable content available on the band’s website, also doubled as a meet and greet pass. Those who paid the extra fee would likely have been disappointed with the “meet and greet” since there was very little to be had. Fans were able to get an autograph but no pictures were allowed. Perhaps the band was tired from performing or perhaps they were less than excited to be holding a meet and greet in the first place. Either way, it was a huge contrast to see such great audience interaction onstage, but not in person.

What’s in store for the band? “We already started talking about a new record. I’m not sure when or how or who or what but it’s in talks. There’s still a lot of touring we have to do with this record. I’m proud of this record. I personally like all the songs the most,” said Jepha.

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