Alive at Last: The Used Shows How Music Saves Lives at Wind Creek Event Center
“I’m here to tell you that music really does save lives.”
These words from The Used’s frontman Bert McCracken were at the heart of an evening at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. An evening that can only be described as a night of pure emo joy. Fans of every generation crowded the venue, from those who grew up with the band’s early records to the next wave of emo youth perched on their shoulders.
Throughout their set, it was clear that the connection The Used has with their fans is built on shared feelings, experiences, healing, and a genuine sense of community that has transcended nearly two decades and kept listeners coming back to the albums that began it all.
THE COLOR FRED
The Color Fred, the solo project of Fred Mascherino — known for his time with Taking Back Sunday and Say Anything — opened the evening. A Pennsylvania local, Mascherino is continually carving out his own creative identity and now has turned to support smaller bands through creating a collective label where bands can be fans of each other’s music: Heading East Records. The Color Fred played a mix of older and new songs, but through it all they had a powerful and strikingly classic sound.
THE USED
When the lights dimmed for The Used, flashes of strobe cut through the darkness before the band launched into “Pretty Handsome Awkward.” Energetic and instantly recognizable, it was the perfect beginning for their set.
McCracken commanded the stage with his usual drama and charm, but what stood out to me the most was the look of intense joy on his face. You could tell that he was genuinely grateful to be there, smiling between songs and beginning a feedback loop of enthusiasm with the crowd. He prompted so much audience interaction throughout the night, conducting the crowd to both cheer and silence with waves of his arms and flipping the bird enough times to make a flock.
Midway through the show, McCracken noticed a woman standing on barricade clutching a sign that read: “Here I am! It’s my birthday!” He then stopped the show momentarily to take the time to ask for her name. After learning her name was Sierra, he led the entire venue in singing “Happy Birthday” to her, bringing her to tears. It was a gesture that only really took a moment of his time but clearly meant the world to her. To me, this is a perfect representation of the relationship that The Used has built with fans over the years and it shows that the band understands the positive impact they can have on others.
Later, during “Paralyzed,” the celebration grew as McCracken asked for fans to join him onstage to dance along. I thought he’d pick two or three people but it quickly evolved into a game of “how many people can Bert McCracken fit onto a single stage?” The answer? A lot.
The scene was beautifully chaotic, with a wide array of fans pouring onto the stage and dancing their hearts out. One young boy stole the spotlight with an improvised breakdance routine. Further showing the care he has for the people at his shows, McCracken crouched down to eye level with a little girl who seemed a bit shy to be onstage and sung directly to her until she broke out of her shell and felt comfortable enough to join in on the fun.
As the song ended, he playfully yelled at everyone to “get the eff off his stage,” but there was no harshness behind it. Instead of rushing people off, he took the time to shake hands, take selfies, and interact with those who hung back on the stage. In an era where concerts are so tightly scheduled and strictly choreographed, it was really refreshing to see an artist so willing to pause and create memories for their fans in the middle of a performance.
These moments elevated an already wonderful show into something more meaningful. The Used musically delivered everything I had hoped and more, with their classic sound and intensity, but it was the humanity woven between the songs that stuck with me after the last note.
The band closed with an encore featuring two fan favorites, “The Taste of Ink” and “A Box Full of Sharp Objects.” If McCracken’s opening declaration was meant as a reminder, that show served as all the proof you need. For countless fans at Wind Creek Event Center, The Used are not simply a band that they like.
They’re a band that has grown alongside them with a frontman who has been open and honest about his own personal struggles and come out the other side. The Used is a band that listeners can find themselves relating to in any stage of their lives and judging by the smiles, tears, and voices singing along in the arena on Wednesday night, their music is still saving lives.