THE USED AT PNC BANK ARTS CENTER IN HOLMDEL
As everyone is getting back into the swing of things, there are some massive tours happening. This co-headliner featuring The Used and Coheed and Cambria was another example of a line up you see that makes you go, “No way”. With support from Meet Me @ The Altar this was bound to be one hell of a show. To top it all off, this show was being live streamed for viewers at home who were unable to make it out - making this a very special night.
Hitting the stage first were pop punk band Meet Me @ The Altar. They’ve been on my “go see them when you can” radar and they absolutely did not disappoint. It was so refreshing to see a stage of all female musicians killing it. As a woman in the scene, seeing that kind of representation on a stage warms my heart. They came out swinging, opening their set up with “Hit Like a Girl” and played other songs such as “Brighter Days (Are Before Us)”, “Now or Never”, and “Feel a Thing”. About halfway through their set they did a medley of “The Sweetness” (Jimmy Eat World), “My Friends Over You” (New Found Glory), “Break Stuff” (Limp Bizkit), and “My Own Worst Enemy” (Lit). Edith, vocals for the band, mesmerized the crowd with her gorgeous voice and spunky personality. Tea, guitars for the band, kept everyone on their toes with her energy; moving across the stage and jumping around. Ada, the band’s drummer, held it all down, smashing away on her kit. Unfortunately, MMATA are not on the remaining tour dates as they have now joined All Time Low over in the UK for their tour, but in the future if you are able to make it out to see them, I can’t recommend it enough.
We’re going to skip around a little here - ending the night was Coheed and Cambria. The band took the stage amidst moody lighting and tons of fog. I’ve seen Coheed play before and knew the crowd would be in for a great night. Coheed not only plays an incredibly tight set live, but visually they are stunning to watch. You never know where to look first! Claudio Sanchez with his signature locks of hair sit behind the microphone for vocals and guitar until it’s time for him to jam out, and then he’s off and running around the stage. Watching Zach Cooper on bass giving it his all literally gave me chills. As I looked out into the crowd I saw their very dedicated fanbase screaming out every single world. Coheed played a great set with songs such as “Shoulders” (their latest single), “Devil in Jersey City”, and “Unheavenly Creatures”. They ended their set with their smash hit “Welcome Home”. Claudio wielded a double necked guitar and let the audience take over the first set of vocals. He played part of the solo at the end with the guitar resting on top of his head, and of course the audience boomed with “Woahs” at the end of the gang vocal part. It was a fantastic performance.
Skipping backwards in time a little bit now, The Used took the stage second for the night, but they certainly weren’t second in my heart. Their set started with the iconic heart from their album cover for In Love and Death lit up red and rising up above the stage. Their backdrop behind it was fairly plain with just the name of the band across it, for the time being. The band came out on stage and opened with “Take It Away”. Heavy fog covered the stage with bright lights making beautiful silhouettes of the members for the audience. As always during the set, vocalist Bert McCracken never let up - jumping and running around the stage like a mad man, but giving the audience a performance to remember. You could really see during The Used’s set that the band and audience were playing off of each other’s energies the whole time. During their set they played a variety of songs spanning their career including “The Bird and the Worm”, “The Taste of Ink”, and “Blow Me”. At one point in the set the backdrop changed to match the art from their latest album release Heartwork (2020) - a tarot card looking design with side panels of the symbols on the cover of the album. When you see The Used perform you are truly being entertained and seeing a full show. All the members give it their all; whether you’re watching bassist, Jeph Howard, fling himself and his bass around, guitarist Joey Bradford, headbanging and jamming out, or drummer, Dan Whitesides, smashing away on his kit, you’re bound to get that rush of energy. Of course, I can’t forget to mention Bert’s snarky attitude and banter with the crowd. He asked the audience to raise their hands if they were dedicated fans of The Used, and then to keep them raised if they were anti-vaxxers. He proceeded to laugh and tell the audience after, that he wanted them to come on stage so he could spank them. You’re never in for a dull moment watching a set from these guys. They ended their set intro-ing “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” with a bit of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana), leaving the audience wanting more.
Nicole DiBenedetto is a photographer based out of New Jersey. She likes making new friends and meeting new people so catch her out in the pit and say hi!