The Used/Hell Or Highwater/Stars In Stereo – Ace Of Spades, Sacramento, CA 9/12
By Jeffrey Easton
Rock shows come and go but there are some that make you say “Fuck, that was great”. The Used tonight fell into that category, they gave a show to that sold out club that nobody will forget. Before we go there, props have to be given to the opening act Stars In Stereo. This band from Los Angeles has come from seemingly nowhere to fronting the stage with some notable bands and converting fans at every turn. Bec Hollcraft, the seductive lead singer/guitarist, has the stage presence of a seasoned pro, converting the attention to her as she belts out their disturbingly good music. Darkly penned tracks like The Broken, Red Eyed Romance and Violence are perfectly suited for her vocals and lead guitarist Jordan McGraw kept the crowd into it with his constant involvement with every fan. Some people were born to lead on stage and he owns that. Amongst their originals they threw in a poppish cover of NIN’s Closer which blew the crowd away as Bec gave her own flair to a fucked up Reznor original… Hell Or Highwater were next and I wish I could forget them. They, in essence, were terrible. They had no cohesion as the band were playing one way and the singer was seemingly on another planet doing something else. The songs were tired, riffs that were played a thousand times before and the lyrics were trite and clichéd. If you get a chance to see them, stay at home and watch a movie or a concert on TV.. The Used, what can you say that has not already been said about this amazing act from Utah. They have played arenas, killed the stages of WARPED, sold millions of records BUT, they do what they do best in a sweaty, packed club where they can destroy whatever the fuck they want to. They have a new record out on Hopeless entitled Vulnerable and to me it is their best yet, flat out a stunning piece of work. They took that work to heart and threw it out as the opening cut as the audience screamed their loud approval. Put Me Out got the night started and the crowd gave it right back to the band which any band in their right mind wants, the fans screaming the new shit as they plow through it. I Come Alive from the record also graced the set and again the diehards there made it a point to let the band know they already knew it. Remember Artwork, with its disturbing album art? The Best Of Me came from that, deadly track and live it was even heavier and the show was still going upward. The Taste Of Ink, Blood On my Hands, I Caught Fire, Kiss It Goodbye as well as the Blistering encore or On My Own and A Box Full Of Sharp Objects showed why this band still owns what they do and that their catalog of masterworks still creams anything else out there. One of the reasons that their fans stay with them besides the incredible tunes is that they engage their audience, make them part of the show and they did that in spades tonight as they brought fans on stage and made them part of their proceedings. Burt is the consummate front man and his references to stealing their record from Wal Mart is priceless. Attention wanna be front men, this is how you do it. You are the band but you are not untouchable. The stage is a pulpit but they share their ministry with the masses and they will continue master their world of full throttle rock. Don’t have Vulnerable yet? What in the hell is holding you back? The Used will stay on the road for Vulnerable for a long time, make it a point of witnessing this for yourself.
Official The Used Site
Official Stars In Stereo Site
By Jeffrey Easton
Rock shows come and go but there are some that make you say “Fuck, that was great”. The Used tonight fell into that category, they gave a show to that sold out club that nobody will forget. Before we go there, props have to be given to the opening act Stars In Stereo. This band from Los Angeles has come from seemingly nowhere to fronting the stage with some notable bands and converting fans at every turn. Bec Hollcraft, the seductive lead singer/guitarist, has the stage presence of a seasoned pro, converting the attention to her as she belts out their disturbingly good music. Darkly penned tracks like The Broken, Red Eyed Romance and Violence are perfectly suited for her vocals and lead guitarist Jordan McGraw kept the crowd into it with his constant involvement with every fan. Some people were born to lead on stage and he owns that. Amongst their originals they threw in a poppish cover of NIN’s Closer which blew the crowd away as Bec gave her own flair to a fucked up Reznor original… Hell Or Highwater were next and I wish I could forget them. They, in essence, were terrible. They had no cohesion as the band were playing one way and the singer was seemingly on another planet doing something else. The songs were tired, riffs that were played a thousand times before and the lyrics were trite and clichéd. If you get a chance to see them, stay at home and watch a movie or a concert on TV.. The Used, what can you say that has not already been said about this amazing act from Utah. They have played arenas, killed the stages of WARPED, sold millions of records BUT, they do what they do best in a sweaty, packed club where they can destroy whatever the fuck they want to. They have a new record out on Hopeless entitled Vulnerable and to me it is their best yet, flat out a stunning piece of work. They took that work to heart and threw it out as the opening cut as the audience screamed their loud approval. Put Me Out got the night started and the crowd gave it right back to the band which any band in their right mind wants, the fans screaming the new shit as they plow through it. I Come Alive from the record also graced the set and again the diehards there made it a point to let the band know they already knew it. Remember Artwork, with its disturbing album art? The Best Of Me came from that, deadly track and live it was even heavier and the show was still going upward. The Taste Of Ink, Blood On my Hands, I Caught Fire, Kiss It Goodbye as well as the Blistering encore or On My Own and A Box Full Of Sharp Objects showed why this band still owns what they do and that their catalog of masterworks still creams anything else out there. One of the reasons that their fans stay with them besides the incredible tunes is that they engage their audience, make them part of the show and they did that in spades tonight as they brought fans on stage and made them part of their proceedings. Burt is the consummate front man and his references to stealing their record from Wal Mart is priceless. Attention wanna be front men, this is how you do it. You are the band but you are not untouchable. The stage is a pulpit but they share their ministry with the masses and they will continue master their world of full throttle rock. Don’t have Vulnerable yet? What in the hell is holding you back? The Used will stay on the road for Vulnerable for a long time, make it a point of witnessing this for yourself.
Official The Used Site
Official Stars In Stereo Site
