The Used 25th Anniversary Tour in San Diego: Night One

On May 13th, 2025, The Used returned to San Diego’s House of Blues to kick off the venue’s 20th year celebration. As part of The Used’s 25th Anniversary Tour, the guys performed their 2002 self-titled debut album in its entirety for Night One of three, transporting longtime fans back to the raw, emotional energy of the early 2000s emo scene that started it all for us.

But before the headliners tore the roof off, the night kicked off with a fittingly emotional and high-powered set from Ikana, a San Diego-based group who proudly reps their sound as “Southwest emo.” With gritty guitar tones, heartfelt lyricism, and a stage presence that punches above their size, Ikana proved they weren’t just a local opener, but a perfect match. Their set dripped with sincerity, mixing mathy riffs and melodic breakdowns with lyrics that felt ripped straight from a dusty tour van notebook. For fans already tuned into the city’s growing emo revival scene, Ikana’s performance felt like a hometown victory lap. For newcomers, it was a crash course in why San Diego remains a breeding ground for heartfelt, gut-punch guitar music.

From the opening notes of “Maybe Memories”, it was clear this was going to be a night to remember.

The Used plowed through their debut record like it was still their battle cry, with the crowd singing every word of “The Taste of Ink” so loudly that frontman Bert McCracken could’ve easily taken a step back and let the audience take over. “Buried Myself Alive” sent chills across the floor, while “Poetic Tragedy” offered a rare, vulnerable pause in the chaos — its haunting piano and lyrical weight a reminder of just how ahead of its time the band was. The set reached its climax with a blistering performance of “A Box Full of Sharp Objects”, during which McCracken mashed chaos and catharsis into one final blowout, even weaving in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that sent the crowd into an all-out frenzy. It wasn’t a band going through the motions of a throwback; it was a celebration of survival, growth, and the staying power of art that hits you in the chest.

As the night wrapped with a few post-album deep cuts and heartfelt thank yous, there was no mistaking the power of what had just happened. The Used reminded San Diego — and everyone packed into the walls of the House of Blues — why they mattered then… and why they still do now. For diehards, this was only the beginning of the nostalgia, with two more action-packed concerts to go.

Photography by Franny Kovacs

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