Bands Seen

  The Used

  Atreyu

  Drive A

Date:

Friday, January 29, 2010

Venue:

House of Blues Anaheim

Location:

Anaheim, California, United States

Notes:

The Used kicked off their US headliner last week with two sold-out performances on Thursday and Friday at the House Of Blues Anaheim. The Orem, UT four-piece made their first Orange County appearance since their April 5th performance at The Bamboozle at nearby Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.

Since signing with Warner Music Group record label Reprise Records in late 2001, The Used have gone on to record four studio records – two which reached Gold record status. Following a split with founding and current Rancid drummer Branden Steineckert, The Used hired Dan Whitesides as his replacement. With a new drummer in place, the band went on to record their latest 2009 effort, “Artwork.”

Once the house lights dimmed and the stage curtains were pulled back, Dan Whitesides appeared behind his drum kit followed by each band member as the opening notes of “Blood On My Hands” echoed throughout the venue. “The Taste Of Ink,” “Blue and Yellow” and the closer “A Box Full Of Sharp Objects” from their first record along with “Take Away,” “Listening” and “Hard To Say,” from 2004’s “In Love and Death,” and recent hit “Pretty Handsome Awkward” rounded out the set before the band exited the stage. In a rather fitting tribute, lead singer Bert McCracken took a moment to pay tribute to fallen Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan who passed away late last year before turning out an acoustic version of “On My Own.”

Though their commercial success that made them a widely regarded act with appearances on the Taste Of Chaos Tour and Warped Tour, The Used have redefined their music and nearly reinvented it following a brief stall in the career of pop driven songs that strayed away from the musical creativity seen in “Artwork.”

OC’s home grown Atreyu warmed up the crowd with a near solidified performance comprised of songs from their entire catalogue. “Stop! Before It’s Too Late and We’ve Destroyed It All” off their 2009 release, “Congregation Of The Damned” opened up the set in a hurry before going directly into their recent hit “Becoming The Bull.” As a surprise to all, Atreyu briefly took a step back to their beginnings as a band with “Someone’s Standing On My Chest” – a cut from their Victory Records debut “Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses.” Guitarists “Big” Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel stole the show with their polished guitar work that was backed up by drummer/vocalist Branden Saller. Highlights from the show includedthe songs, “Bleeding Mascara,” “Falling Down,” and the closer “Lip Gloss and Black.”

Photos

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  Uploaded by Szheanyi

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  Uploaded by Szheanyi

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  Uploaded by Szheanyi

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  Uploaded by Szheanyi

Seen By:

Szheanyi
Tim Plante
Thomas Moran
Michelle Rizzo