The Used (w/ Glassjaw) @ House of Blues (Boston, MA) on November 7, 2017 [Photos & Show Review]

One of this fall’s highly-anticipated tours landed at the House of Blues in Boston this past week. The Used are currently working their way through the US in support of the release of their recent album, The Canyon, with support from Glassjaw.

Sporting a short bill gave both bands ample opportunity to play lengthy sets. The floor of the House of Blues was packed tight early on in the evening, which was an impressive feat for a Tuesday. The Used’s vocalist, Bert McCracken, took center stage as a wave of cheering erupted from the crowd. The silhouettes of the other members rose up as dark figures against a light-colored backdrop as the beginning notes of the first song came over the speakers. When the chorus came in, the curtain dropped, and the stage became a sea of colorful lighting. Assisted by large strips of LED lights that lined the back of the stage, the tour had a phenomenal production. (Quick shout out to the Lighting Designer for a job well done!) Kicking off their set with “Take It Away,” a throwback to 2004, The Used aptly set the crowd up for the evening’s setlist that would take them on an emotional roller coaster.

McCracken stopped frequently in between songs to address the crowd – from expressing how thankful he was for the support from fans over the years, to meaning behind some of the tracks on the new album, to reminding fans to take the phones that they had in their hands and “shove them up their @$s.” Whether it’s that people are finally starting to get the hang of leaving their phones in their pockets during shows or if McCracken’s comment was what made the difference, I’m not sure – but I was impressed not to see a sea of phones out for the show and see people absorbing the music in the moment.

Other highlights on the setlist included “Over and Over Again” (off the new album!), “All That I’ve Got,” and “Pretty Handsome Awkward.” And of course, there was also a full audience sing along to “The Taste of Ink.”

The tour kicked off in San Francisco on October 27th and will continue through November until it wraps up in Seattle on the 29th.

Catch The Used and Glassjaw on one of the remaining tour dates:

11/14 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
11/15 – Nashville, TN @ War Memorial Auditorium
11/17 – San Antonio, TX @ The Vibes Event Center
11/18 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
11/19 – Dallas, TX @ Southside Ballroom
11/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
11/24 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
11/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
11/28 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
11/29 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo