On Wednesday, November 5th, The Used began their 3-night stint of shows at The Rave in Milwaukee for their 25th anniversary tour. Each night would see a complete playthrough of a different album, and this show kicked off with their self-titled album from 2002. Emos of all generations filtered through the doors, and as always, it was awesome to see an iconic band bring together people for not one, but three incredible nights of music.
Each night had a different opening band, and Wednesdayβs show began with Archers. They are a metalcore band from Wisconsin, and were excited to return to their home state to support this iconic quintessential emo band. Their set began by playing a part of Lips of an Angel by Hinder, which was a fun sing-along for the audience. Upon taking the stage, Archers commanded the stage and audience with their high-energy performance and heavier sound. I feel that Archerβs sound contrasted with that of The Used, making them an intriguing opener that fired up the crowd for the main event. Back in the spring, they announced that they would be supporting Nothing More on their Carnal Nature World Tour on the North American dates. Tickets are on sale now for shows in the winter of 2026.
After Archers left the stage, a curtain fell in front of the stage, not only preparing for an epic start of the set, but also to build audience anticipation. Their set began with a video projection on the curtain that talked about the origins of the band and how they formed all those years ago. When the curtain fell, the uproar from the crowd was deafening, and the energy in the room was beyond electric as The Used commenced the play-through of their self-titled album with hits like βThe Taste of Inkβ, βBuried Myself Aliveβ, βBlue and Yellowβ, as well a cover of Nirvanaβs βSmells Like Teen Spiritβ that they blended into βA Box Full of Sharp Objectsβ. Unfortunately, one of the songs at the top of their set had to be stopped and restarted because an audience member became violent with others in the crowd and had to be ejected from the show. A woman in the crowd did get hit, but the aggressor was thankfully thrown out of the venue, and the show went on without incident for the rest of the night.
The Usedβs frontman, Bert McCracken, made a point to say how awesome and energetic the crowd was, especially for a Wednesday night show. I wish I couldβve been there to witness the playthroughs of their other albums, In Love and Death and Lies for the Liars, but even getting to see this iconic band that helped to shape my adolescence once was such a cool experience. Seeing The Used live will show you how important their music is in emotion, energy, and nostalgia. They really do uphold their reputation as ββ¦the best band in the worldβ.
Archers
