Boxcar Racer / H2O / The Used

Skate-punk label whores came out in force in support of Boxcar Racer, the side project of Blink 182 members Tom Delonge and Travis Barker. But behind all the Atticus, LoserKids, or Billabong labels were some amazing performances, most of which were delivered by openers the Used. With a clever jaunt of post-hardcore and pop punk, they tore up the crowd by unleashing a short but heavy set of songs off their latest self-titled release. Lead vocalist and Kurt Cobain look-alike Bert McCracken taunted the crowd with his amazing set of pipes and gallant stage antics. With guilty-little-boy facial expressions to support his hysterical sing-along choruses, McCracken has the audience in the palm of his hand and he knows it. The Used was a nice break from the traditional four-chord-punk that plagued the remainder of the show. Basically, Delonge and Barker could have created a side project full of cheesy bossa nova hits and the kids would still have listened. It wasn't apparent how many people actually liked Boxcar Racer prior to their set; most seemed to be curious Blink 182 fans supporting a cause.