The Used are my most photographed band, and I never miss an opportunity to see them again. I typically catch them in Los Angeles, Anaheim, or in festival settings, so getting to see them at The Majestic Ventura Theater was an extremely pleasant surprise. Not only is The Majestic my favorite venue, but Ventura is my favorite city. Add a sold-out show to the mix, and I couldn’t have asked for a better excuse to spend the night with one of my all-time favorite bands.
Modern Color kicked things off, getting the crowd primed and ready for the night ahead. By the time The Used took the stage, the room was packed and ready to go.
The Used opened with “Pretty Handsome Awkward,” followed by “Take It Away” and “The Bird and the Worm,” before working through a run of longtime favorites like “Buried Myself Alive,” “All That I’ve Got,” and “I Caught Fire.” These are songs I’ve heard and photographed them play time and time again, but they never seem to lose their place in a live set. There’s something special about being in a room full of people who still know every word, singing along to music that’s clearly meant just as much to them as it does to me. Bert McCracken took a moment to acknowledge the crowd:
“I can tell there’s a lot of hardcore Used fans tonight. Thank you, we love you so much.”
He followed that up with a simple, “Are you hot and sweaty? Does it feel good?” Judging by the packed room and the crowd’s response throughout the night, I’d say nothing could be truer.
“On My Own” and “Sound Effects and Overdramatics” kept things going before “Paralyzed” brought out a familiar part of The Used’s live show: bringing members of the crowd up onstage to dance. It’s always a fun addition, and with the room sold out, there was no shortage of people ready to get involved.
One of my favorite things about this particular show, though, was the crowd itself. After seeing The Used so many times in LA, I’ve gotten pretty used to circle pits being weak or nonexistent. Ventura was a completely different story. The crowd opened things up, kept the pits moving, and got down for pretty much the entire night. It was a major breath of fresh air, and I had to jump in myself a bit here and there. It was also abundantly clear that the band was feeding off that energy, with Bert encouraging the crowd to open things up even wider before “Listening.”
“Let’s organize this circle pit, let’s open it up real wide. We’re gonna play some heavy shit now.”
This was exactly the kind of crowd participation I’ve been missing at the LA shows. Ventura came ready to move, and I was happy to join in. Before “Blood On My Hands,” Bert gave anyone who hadn’t experienced an oldschool style punkrock pit a quick introduction:
“If you’ve never been in a punk rock circle pit, now’s your chance. It just goes round and round. You ready? This song is called ‘Blood On My Hands.’”
From there, “Taste of Ink” brought another round of singalongs before the band wrapped up with a mashup of “Box Full of Sharp Objects” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The Used have notoriously claimed that “Box Full of Sharp Objects” is the best song ever written, and closing out the night with it mashed up against such an iconic track always feels like a fitting way to end the set.
The Used just finished up a successful major festival run and a small run of west coast shows to kill time before opening for My Chemical Romance at the Hollywood Bowl for their Devil’s Night show on October 30th. This upcoming show is highly anticipated by fans and will go down in history as the first time the bands have played together since 2005, when they performed David Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure.”
Everyone has been dying to know whether they’ll recreate that moment in real time at the upcoming show. In a recent interview, Bert mentioned that they’re trying, that they’ve asked My Chem, and that the ball is in their court.
With fans still holding out hope for a reunion of “Under Pressure” at the Hollywood Bowl, bassist Jepha certainly gave everyone something to talk about when he started playing the song’s unmistakable bassline between songs in Ventura. The crowd erupted, and suddenly, that upcoming set felt a little more intriguing.
Needless to say, it put us all on edge.
Was this the band foreshadowing what’s secretly set to come at the Hollywood Bowl, or was it just some playful banter? We can’t help but wonder. With this historic night right around the corner, the timing certainly wasn’t lost on anyone in the room, and the fact that fans are still left guessing only adds to the anticipation.
The Used have remained one of the most consistent bands on the scene, and it’s an absolute honor to document them each time they come around. No matter how many times I get to see them, I just can’t justify missing them when they come to town, and this Ventura show was another reminder of why. Between the sold-out room, a crowd that actually showed up for the pits, and that little “Under Pressure” moment that has everyone talking, the night gave us plenty to walk away with.
Now we wait to see what happens at the Hollywood Bowl. If Jepha’s little bass line tease was a hint of what’s to come, October 30th could be one for the history books.
On top of all that, the band has also shared that they’re working on new music, giving fans even more to look forward to. It’s exciting to know that after all these years, The Used still have more to say, and I can’t wait to hear what they’ve been working on and see what’s next for the band.
In the meantime, SoCal fans have one more chance to catch The Used before the Hollywood Bowl, with a show at Riverside Municipal Auditorium on October 29th, the night before. If you haven’t grabbed tickets yet, don’t sleep on it, this is one more opportunity to get your fix before all eyes turn to the Bowl.
We’d like to thank The Used for having us out yet again to share a perfect evening.
GALLERY: The Used at Majestic Ventura Theater in Ventura, California (October 8, 2026)
