Back in April, The Used embarked on the first run of their fifteen-year anniversary tour, which sold out in 31 cities across the United States, including Seattle, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and more. Due to the high demand and success of the initial tour, The Used will once again be playing two shows per city, performing their albums “Self-Titled” and “In Love and Death” in their entirety, plus more each evening.
This past spring, The Used released “Live and Acoustic at The Palace”, a live CD/DVD, which hit #11 on Billboard’s Current Albums chart with over 14,500 copies sold. The album was recorded at the band’s intimate “unplugged storyteller” performance, which took place at The Palace Theater in Los Angeles last March. Fans who were unable to attend the once in a lifetime performance will now have a chance to see the band perform in a way they have never performed before – with a 4-piece string quartet and a harpist (arranged by Hiro Goto), a piano player, percussion and a 3-piece gospel choir. Fans can purchase “Live and Acoustic at The Palace” now here at their website: www.TheUsed.net.
About “Live and Acoustic at The Palace”, lead singer Bert McCracken shared, “I think we really captured the night perfectly and listening back to the mixes it reminded me how music can allow us to be children once again and once you open yourself up to that emotion it’s like a virus, it’s contagious.” He continued, “Nearly every eye in the venue was weepy the night we played with the orchestra because these songs are so emotional and this recording is a truly special thing that I can’t wait for everyone to hear. It still gives me goose bumps.”
In order to fully recontextualize these songs, the group worked with Hiro Goto on the strings and harp. Together, they arranged the various musical elements and helped the band bring out dimensions in these songs that they didn’t even know existed. “The whole time we were making this I couldn’t believe it was happening,” McCracken explains, adding that 3 gospel singers and instruments like the harp helped these songs take on an entirely different emotional resonance than the post-hardcore, guitar-driven dynamics that initially propelled the band. “I’m so proud of this band for working hard to pull this off and at same time I feel like this is what we deserve because we worked so hard to get here that it felt like a victory lap in a lot of ways.”
Fifteen years ago, four teenagers from Utah created a band and released a collection of albums that shaped the space of the alternative rock scene. High energy live shows, gut-wrenching relatable lyrics, and melodies that blended pop sensibility and hard rock turned out to be a perfect combination to make an everlasting impression on fans globally.
Since forming in Orem, Utah in 2001, The Used have released 6 albums and 2 EPs – “The Used” (2002), “In Love and Death” (2004), “Lies for the Liars” (2007), “Shallow Believer” EP (2008), “Artwork” (2009), “Vulnerable” (2012), “The Ocean of the Sky” EP (2013), and “Imaginary Enemy” (2013).
The Used’s latest LP “Imaginary Enemy” put the band’s political frustrations and commitment to social change at its forefront and has opened up the platform for conversation among fans and critics alike. The album climbed high on the Independent, Tastemaker Albums, Hard Rock, Alternative, Digital Albums and Top Rock charts. Fans can purchase “Imaginary Enemy” on iTunes here.
Going into year 15, The Used are stronger than ever and are looking forward to a string of incredible evenings of making memories.
The Used is Bert McCracken (vocals), Jeph Howard (bass), Dan Whitesides (drums), and Justin Shekoski (guitar).
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Aug 16 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
Aug 17 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
Aug 19 – The Observatory – San Diego
Aug 20 – The Observatory – San Diego
Aug 23 – House of Blues – Houston, TX
Aug 24 – House of Blues – Houston, TX
Aug 26 – Emo’s – Austin, TX
Aug 27 – Emo’s – Austin, TX
Aug 30 – Midland Theatre – Kansas City, MO
Aug 31 – Midland Theatre – Kansas City, MO
Sept 2 – Pageant – St. Louis, MO
Sept 3 – Pageant – St. Louis, MO
Sept 6 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
Sept 7 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
Sept 9 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
Sept 10 -Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
Sept 13 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
Sept 14 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
Sept 16 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH
Sept 17 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH
Sept 20 – The Norva – Norfolk, VA
Sept 21 – The Norva – Norfolk, VA
Sept 23 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC
Sept 24 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC
Sept 27 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
Sept 28 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
For more information on The Used, please visit: