It is night two of The Used 15 year anniversary tour and tonight at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney we will be treated to a live music performance from The Used most commercially successful album to date In Love And Death. This album Burt would confess to us was written during one of the hardest points in his life and the struggles he faced when writing it all are reflected in the music.

Things open up just as it does on the album straight after the click of a gun came the pounding of drums poring out of the speakers accompanied with the fury of guitars and all of us brothers and sister who were right there with the band right in that moment would scream ‘Take Take Take It Away’. That was one of the most full on set openings i have ever witnessed things would only be out done by the next track their biggest hit the lovers anthem I Caught Fire this song provided the biggest response of the night as a completely sold out no room to move Enmore would jump in unison from the floor to the back balcony every one and i mean every one was up hands raised singing all in one voice ‘I’m melting in your eyes’.

For an album written during such a troubling time for front man Bert McCracken and with songs whose lyrics are filled with themes of self abuse and suicide the performance tonight would be filled with messages of love and hope spread right through out the night it was so wonderful experiencing live music in this way, as we would all hold arms around each other sing and sway not just to hits like All That I Got which received the most thunderous applause at the songs end but they even gave us an awesome cover of Stand By Me, this would not be the only cover played tonight as at the end of Lunacy Fringe the band transition into I Shot The Sheriff during which one crowd member passes over a spliff for the band.

I have stood up and said a lot of things at concerts in the past but never have i been asked to repeat the Serenity prayer  was another unique experience and had a slight change at the end as Bert would add a verse from the Satanic Bible and then with the flicker of light and then heavy beat of the drums,  we would scream out I’m A Fake. This is the last song on the album and here at it’s end and as we all stood there cheering and applauding a magnificent performance, i was left wondering what would they do for an encore ? I wouldn’t be left wondering long as they make their way back to the stage and pull onto it a life long fan and sit them right in front of the drum kit and finish things off with Pretty Handsome Awkward from the third studio album Lies For The Liars it was one of the best ways to finish off the night.

In Love And Death is album filled musically with wailing guitar riffs and super slick solos all of which sounded so so very good in the Enmore, The album also provides so many sing along opportunities with it’s big choruses on practically every track. Being in the room tonight reminded me just how phenomenal this album is and how incredibly fucking fantastic it sounds live, another awesome night of live music from The Used one i would gladly live ‘over and over again‘.

Review – Chad

Photo Gallery – Christian Ross