In April, I finally
got the chance to see one of my favorite bands during their 15 year anniversary
tour. The Used decided to hit the road and play two-nights in every city to
celebrate the release of their Self-Titled album and their second album, In
Love and Death. I was fortunate enough to see them during Night 2 (In Love and
Death) in Baltimore, MD.
The Used have been
one of the most important bands in my life for years, and In Love and Death is
my favorite album so it only made sense that I saw them during this tour. It
was my first time seeing them live and it everything I could have asked for and
more. It was worth the traffic, the sweat, the tears, the bruises- everything,
to stand in that audience and scream the lyrics that have meant so much to me
for so long. Making eye contact with Bert McCracken and having him smile at me;
I swear my soul left my body.
During the show, Bert
recalls the times that fans have come up to them and confessed that In Love and
Death is the album that helped keep them alive and went on to say how the album
kept him alive as well while he was dealing with one of the most difficult
times in his life. Someone in the crowd yelled “you saved my life,” to which he
replied, “You saved mine.”
It was so surreal to
experience. My first tattoo is a design inspired by the hanging heart from the
cover of In Love and Death, featuring my favorite lyrics from my favorite song
from their Self-Titled (my way of killing two birds with one stone). I got that
tattoo in honor of making it through my own difficult time and the album that
helped keep me alive throughout that time in my life. The album itself is one of
the most influential albums in my life, each song more meaningful than the
last. I have such strong memories assigned to each song, so many moments that
each song have helped me through. It’s one of those albums that you listen to
and everything just makes sense, you feel alive for the first time. You can
literally feel every word, every emotion that the band is trying to convey.
When this album came into my life, it was right when I needed it. To make a
long story short, I was one of those people that this album helped keep alive.
So to stand in the audience and hear them discuss this was like this surreal
bonding experience. We were all sharing this moment, we were all brought
together because this band and this album meant something to us and that’s one
of the best things about music.
The Used delivered a
hell of a show, as always, and I can’t thank them enough. They recently
announced a second leg of their anniversary tour. I’ll be attending Night 1
(Self-Titled) night in Virginia.
Now for some of my
favorite shots of the night:
