The Egyptian Room at Old National Centre always feels so intimate given its relatively small space. It was a chilly night to venture out for a concert, but it was so worth it to experience night one of The Used’s 25th anniversary tour. I arrived about ten minutes before the opening band started, so the room was already pretty packed and overflowing with excited chatter and anticipation.
Best Noodles In Town is an alternative emo band from Indianapolis that I had no idea existed until tonight. I love experiencing new music, but this felt so familiar and took me back to high school. My very first thought was that they sound a hint like a mixture of Jimmy Eat World and Thursday. They are definitely early 2000s pop punk, emo, and alternative influenced. They put on an energetic and exciting show with catchy songs and I would love to see them again. It is refreshing to hear a familiarity in something new to me, making it feel like home.
The Used returned to Indianapolis on November 1st to begin their three night stay for their massive 25th anniversary tour, and I have been waiting to experience the show I experienced tonight for the last 22 years after a very disappointing missed opportunity in 2003. They filled my inner high school heart with pure joy with their performance of their self-titled debut album in its entirety.
With some technical difficulty and some cheers of encouragement from the audience, a white sheet was hung on the stage after the opening act for what ended up being the screen for a projection of snippets of live performances and interviews from early tours to lead into the start of the show. The sheet dropped as The Used emerged to perform this masterpiece of an album beginning with “Maybe Memories”, and the energy was very high all around. The crowd erupted and sang along from the very start, marking just how beloved this album is.
Vocalist Bert McCracken sounded just as good as he did early on, making this live performance feel very authentic to my original experience of the album. Drummer Dan Whitesides, bassist Jeph Howard, and guitarist Joey Bradford all sounded excellent as well, doing this album justice over two decades later. Bert stayed engaged with the crowd all night, even inviting a youngster up on stage and singing happy birthday to her. Happy birthday, Charlotte! She stayed on stage during the following song as well. It was very sweet and the entire room was there for it. His playful banter throughout the evening kept it lighthearted and fun, which for me is the total opposite of what I consider this album to be. On a personal level, this album was one of the defining albums of my formative years. It reeled me in with its emotional lyrics and edgy sound. I love that Bert is so upbeat and always smiling during shows, though. He brings a happy energy that feeds the crowd.
I could list every single song as my favorite of the night. The whole album is amazing. “The Taste of Ink” was pretty much a collaboration between the band and audience. I think EVERYONE sang it. And my little former emo heart was enthralled with “Poetic Tragedy” and “On My Own” with our cell phone flashlights shining on the stage at Bert’s request. The stage lights fittingly turned green during “Greener With The Scenery.” During a break in “Box Full of Sharp Objects” Bert introduced drummer Dan, who played an amazing solo before the whole band finished out the song with a snippet of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It was a fun little deviation from the studio album. They played the recording of Bert being sung to with “Happy Birthday” before ending the night with the hidden track. Again, it felt very authentic to the album. I loved it. I would attend it again and again.
The Used is amazing. I wish I could have attended all three nights. I recommend seeing them live. I saw them in Indianapolis in 2023, and it was also very good, but this album performance was epic.