THE USED
1. Bert McCraken had some fun with the audience.
“Who’s the most hardcore The Used fans?” he asked after being drowned in a behemoth scream of fan boys and girls.
2. Bert’s shirt was epic.
Despite popular request to take his shirt off, he stood his ground, pointed to his shirt and said, “This is for Gaza.” Rock with a conscience.
3. The performance level was INSANE!!!
Oh, God! All of those Youtube videos of them playing live finally became a reality and they did not disappoint! Bert’s still the same crazy vocalist that he was when they started out in the early 2000s. A decade later and he’s still pulling antics that are oh-so-The Used.
4. Bert commanded the audience…
…To create a gigantic mosh pit and even the WALL OF DEATH, which was crazy fun and painful yet oh-so-glorious. “No one will judge you here,” he said.
So I danced and moshed all throughout their set. (Take a sneak peek of the forming mosh in Lora’s video.
)
5. Bert sang Happy Birthday to a lucky fan.
She was the only fan holding up a handmade poster at the front row screaming her lungs out until Bert noticed what was written on the large paper. It was her birthday, it read. And Bert was generous enough to single her out, kneel on one knee and serenade her “Happy Birthday” The Used-style.
6. An encore set with elements from Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine brought the house down.
First, Bert told the audience to question authority at all times. Then the band started to play an excerpt of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the crowd went wild. If that wasn’t enough, their prelude to their final song (Box Full of Sharp Objects) was Rage’s “Killing In The Name”. The whole audience was involved with Bert in a unison rock chant, “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.”
Ultimately ultimate, I can tell you with full confidence that Bazooka Rocks 3 was clearly mind-blowing. And that was just the first day of all of the action.
All epic photographs by Mimai Cabugnason and Lora Cerdan. 😀
