Photos & Review: The Used
Featuring: The Used, Every Time I Die, Marmozets & The Eeries
The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO. 4/12/15
Photos and review by: Shannon Shumaker
Full photo gallery HERE
The Fillmore Auditorium wasn’t packed by any means on Sunday night (by the time the headliners, The Used, hit the stage, it was only about half-full) but the fans who did show up for The Used’s headlining show were devoted and energetic nonetheless.
As relatively early show, starting just after seven, there were still fans trickling in the door when the opening act, The Eeries, took the stage, but thankfully, it seemed the small audience was willing to give the first band their full attention. Though it seemed that not many people in the crowd were familiar with the first band, that didn’t stop them from having a good time. It seemed that the type of crowd that The Used managed to bring to The Fillmore was a passionate one, cheering loudly for The Eeries, and dancing along to the songs they did know, like the band’s popular single, “Cool Kid,” which they played toward the end of their set.
Following The Eeries were UK rockers, Marmozets. Having heard great things about the band’s live presence, I was excited to see them take the stage, and when they finally did, kicking off their set with their energetic track, “Move, Shake, Hide,” they were not disappointing. Almost immediately, vocalist Becca Macintyre was impossible to take your eyes off of. On top of powerful vocal runs, they way she moved on stage was captivating and wild. The rest of the band backed up her wild energy, too, especially Macintyre’s brothers, drummer, Josh and guitarist, Sam. By the end of their set (and one of the other strongest songs, “Why Do You Hate Me?”) even the members of the audience who hadn’t heard of Marmozets before seemed to be captivated by their performance.
It seemed, however, that most of the audience came out of the woodwork for the following act, Every Time I Die. Though they were easily the hardest band on the bill, the transition seemed effortless for the band, who had the attention of nearly the whole crowd from the second that they stepped on stage. Right off the bat, Every Time I Die began pumping out fan-favorite tracks, kicking off their set with “No Son Of Mine.” Within moments, the energy in the room seemed to hit its peak as fans moshed, crowd surfed, and screamed the lyrics along with frontman, Keith Buckley. Despite the fact that they weren’t headline, Every Time I Die didn’t hold back, much to the appreciation of the crowd. Guitarist Jordan Buckley was all over the stage (per usual, if you’ve had the pleasure of seeing ETID before) leaping in the air, smashing beer cans into his head, and screaming along with the crowd.
By the time that Every Time I Die left the stage, the crowd seemed to buzz with anticipation for The Used. Thankfully, it seemed that even the fans who came for ETID stuck around for the headliners instead of trickling out the door before they went on. The wait between bands was a little torturous, but finally the lights dimmed and The Used took the stage with a mashup of their 2002 track “Maybe Memories” and Refused’s “New Noise.” A gorgeous setup of light-up television screens served as the backdrop for The Used’s performance, making their stage presence even more out of this world.
Following their opening track, The Used transitioned straight into their explosive song, “Take It Away,” and the crowd seemed to erupt. Track after track, The Used seemed to have the undevoted attention of everyone in the crowd, playing a wide range of songs from their first two albums all the way to their more recent material. Vocalist Bert McCracken didn’t seem to miss a beat as the songs transitioned, and the result was a phenomenal performance that was hard to take your eyes away from. Five songs into their set, and The Used made it easy to forget that the room wasn’t full – they played their hearts out regardless, and the crowd only fed off of their energy.
The Used’s set wasn’t without a few choice words from McCracken in between songs either, but his speeches were welcomed openly by his fans who cheered loudly during lighter moments, like when he shed his hoodie to reveal a pink “Mother Of Dragons” shirt, in honor of Game Of Thrones, or during heavier speeches, when he spoke out against homophobia, racism and police violence. McCracken seemed to have complete control over the crowd, demanding circle pits, multiple wall of deaths, and crowd participation throughout the night. By the time that The Used left The Fillmore Auditorium in ruins, it felt as if they were playing to a sold out room, proving that it didn’t matter how many people they were playing to – they still played their hearts out.