The Used and Sleeping With Sirens Give a Memorable Performance in Birmingham, AL

The Used performing at Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham

The Used opened their Fall headlining tour with Sleeping With Sirens and Dead American on September 5 at the Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham, AL. This was the first stop on the 24-city tour which concludes on October 11 in Paso Robles, CA. The coast-to-coast trek includes stops in Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, and San Francisco.

Dead American opened the night to a relatively small crowd. This was probably driven by venue restrictions. Due to its location in Birmingham, concerts at the Avondale Brewing Company must finish by 10:00 PM due to noise concerns which necessitate earlier show start times. As such the band hit the stage at 6:00 PM. Regardless of the small crowd, the five-piece post-hardcore group out of Southern California, put on a spirited performance playing songs from their 2022 debut album, New Nostalgia.

Dead American performing at Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham — Dead American

One of the great things about covering concerts and music releases is getting exposed to many different artists and musical styles. However, it wasn’t this that turned me on to the next band. It was my son that got me hooked on Sleeping With Sirens. I have paid him back for this by attending two of their shows in the last four months, while he has yet to see them once. Haha…sorry Travis.

Sleeping With Sirens performing at Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham — Sleeping With Sirens

What attracts me to Sleeping With Sirens and The Used is the ability of both frontmen to connect with the crowd. This was evident as all eyes were drawn to Kellin Quinn when SWS hit the stage as the band opened with “Break Me Down”. By this time the outdoor venue had started to fill up. Quinn was high energy right from the start, bouncing around the stage before stepping up and placing his foot on the platform, glaring at the crowd like he likes to do.

Sleeping With Sirens included a mixture of newer and older material in their set. Complete Collapse, released in October 2022, featured several collaborations including “Be Happy” with Royal & The Serpent and “Crosses” with Spencer Chamberlain from Underoath. The band performed both songs sans guests to give fans a taste of their newer music.

After “Crosses”, SWS went old school for the rest of their set. Before “Better Off Dead”, Quinn asked the crowd “Who came with your best friend…I want you to put your arm around them right now, your sister, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your mom, your dad”. I watched as everyone around me had their arm around someone leaving me feeling left out because I came alone :(. Next time I will come prepared. He encouraged everyone who knew the song to sing along which turned out to be almost the entire crowd.

The band closed out strong with “Do It Now Remember It Later”, “If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn”, and “If You Can’t Hang”. It is performances like this that are quickly making Sleeping With Sirens one of my favorite bands.

This was my third time seeing The Used perform. Everything I love about the band was embodied in three words displayed on Bert McCraken’s t-shirt, “Fuck The Used”, as he walked out on stage to perform the opening song “Pretty Handsome Awkward”. This is emblematic of what makes the band great, attitude and humour. A Used show is as much about these two things as it is about the music. It’s what sets them apart from many other bands.

Just like Kellin Quinn McCraken has a way of engaging and connecting with the audience. Many performers walk out on stage, perform a bunch of songs, occasionally splurt out a few sentences, and leave. McCraken is like the Garrison Keillor of emo. Between virtually every song McCraken interacts with the crowd whether it be through a story, cursing at them, or poking fun at himself and fans love it.

One thing he is not shy about is sharing his personal struggles. Many people struggle with depression and anxiety including myself but being the private person I am I manage to keep it hidden from most people. McCraken however is transparent about these struggles in both his music and performances. His way of coping is his unfiltered sarcasm, wit, and humour. The band’s latest album, Toxic Positivity, is all about his struggles. McCraken previously shared “This record is quite tough for me to listen to….because it’s a reflection of times in my life that have been some of my lowest ever.” This was the band’s first show since the album’s release so it was the first time fans got to hear “Worst I’ve Ever Been” and “Giving Up” which are the bookend songs for the album. The former opens the album in a dark way while the latter closes it out with a sense of hope.

The show was filled with classic songs from The Used’s first three albums, The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004), and Lies For The Liars (2007), including “Take It Away”, “The Bird and the Worm”, “Hospital”, “I Caught Fire”, and “All That I’ve Got”. Besides the songs from Toxic Positivity a couple of newer songs “Fuck You” and “Blow Me” were performed. The set ended with “A Taste of Ink” in true Used fashion. McCraken exhorted the audience to sing the chorus lines “So here I am, it’s in my hand, And I’ll savor every moment of this” over and over as the band proceeded to set down their instruments and walk off the stage without a word. The singing continued for over a minute to an empty stage before the band returned.

The night concluded with a 3-song encore comprised of “I’m A Fake”, “Bulimic”, and “A Box Full of Sharp Objects”. McCraken pointed out that this was the first live performance of “Bulmic” in over five years. As the band likes to do the end of “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” transitioned into “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

This was a great night enjoyed by everyone in attendance. At one point Bert McCraken told the crowd “I strongly suggest everyone put your phone up your fucking ass and make some real memories”. It certainly was a night filled with many memorable moments that everyone will remember for a long time.

The tour runs through mid-October so there are still plenty of opportunities to catch a show. Tickets are available here.

Upcoming Tour Dates
September 12 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Riverworks#
September 13 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner#
September 15 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre @ Freedom Hill#
September 16 – Indianapolis, IN – White River State Park#
September 17 – Chicago, IL – Riot Fest*
September 19 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore#
September 20 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater#
September 22 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park#
September 23 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha#
September 25 – Tulsa, OK – The Criterion#
September 27 – Flagstaff, AZ – Fort Tuthill Park – Pepsi Amphitheater#
September 28 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues#
September 30 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium!
October 1 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento – Hard Rock Live#
October 3 – Grand Junction, CO – Las Colonias Park Amphitheater#
October 4 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom#October 7 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo#
October 8 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House#
October 10 – San Francisco, CA – Fox Theatre#
October 11 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre#

* Festival Appearance
^ w/ Don Broco + girlfriends
# w/ Sleeping With Sirens + Dead American
! w/ Dead American only

The Used Setlist

Pretty Handsome Awkward
I Come Alive
Worst I’ve Ever Been (Live debut)
Take It Away
The Bird and the Worm
Fuck You
Hospital
Blow Me
Giving Up
I Caught Fire
All That I’ve Got
The Taste of Ink

Encore:

I’m a Fake
Bulimic
A Box Full of Sharp Objects

Sleeping With Sirens Setlist

Break Me Down
Kick Me
Leave It All Behind
Never Enough
Talking to Myself
Be Happy
Crosses
Better Off Dead
Do It Now Remember It Later
If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn
If You Can’t Hang

Dead American Setlist

Wandering
Choke
Vertigo
Not Buying In
Anything Different
Ants and Pawns
ADD

Follow The Used
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Follow Sleeping With Sirens
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Follow Dead American
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Post by Scott Raymer (Website | Instagram | Facebook)

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