The Get Up Kids played Music Hall of Williamsburg

There was certainly some buzz in the air leading up to last night's performance by emo pioneers the Get Up Kids. Would they still play old songs? What kind of crowd still cares about these guys? Will the energy be just like I remember? After entering the stage to Kraftwerk's epic "Autobahn" it definitely seemed like things would at least be interesting. However when the band jumped right into material from their newest release There Are Rules people seemed a little underwhelmed. However that all changed the second the band made the immediate transition into "I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel". The kids were back with the same intensity as ever. The show started with an interesting mix of both old classics and new material. "Coming Clean" really started to get people moving as the fourth track of the night, yet it was "Action and Action" that got the night rocking. From there on out the band used their new songs as buffers between timeless tunes such as "Close to Home" "Mass Pike" "Red Letter Day" and "No Love". While the band may like to put the past behind them and focus on their more recent accomplishments, clearly the audience had other things in mind. After announcing that some changes were going to be made to the set list, the band gave in to what the fans wanted to hear. Throwback "Woodson" and other highlights from Four Minute Mile and Something to Write Home About launched the crowd into a pure frenzy. Ballads "Campfire Kansas" and main set closer "I'll Catch You" made for some excellent sing along moments, but "Shorty" and "Don't Hate Me" were the energy packed anthems that got the pit flowing. For the encore, the band did anything but disappoint. Launching into "Holiday" and ending the show with "Ten Minutes" established that even though this is clearly a band remembered for their pop-punk tendencies rather then the mature sound they wanted to bring out on their latest release, these songs still mean the world to a specific group of people. People that wouldn't have survived middle school or high school without these guys providing a very emotional and influential soundtrack will never shy away from their heroes and as long as the Get Up Kids don't mind catering to their fans desires, there will always be place for them in our hearts.

The Get Up Kids played the Gramercy Theater

After the Get Up Kids called it quits in 2005 I was devastated that I would never get to hear "Mass Pike" played live in my home state; I can only imagine what it must have been like when they played it for the last time at the Palladium in Worcester. Well now only part of that is true. When I heard that these guys were reforming and playing some shows I knew I had to attend. Luckily I was able to find a ticket off of craigslist since it sold out so fast. When I arrived at the show I immediately headed downstairs to check out the merch table and as I anticipated there was a show poster, which I instantly purchased. The poster listed the show as the Get Up Kids and a band called Motzahs Ballzes, someone I had never heard. As the lights dimmed and I was hoping this band would play a short set so we could get to the good stuff. Yet as soon as they walked onstage I was beyong shocked to realize that infact this was Brand New, mearly listed under a false name, that was opening the show. After my utter shock rapidly turned into rampant excitement I was treated to a short set y another one of my favorite bands from high school. These guys haven't performed in a while and their sound was a little off, but I was so stoked to see these guys. While the set consisted heavily of material from their third record they threw in so classics from Deja and finally ended with "Seventy Times Seven" which proved to be a crowd pleaser even to people not expecting, or probably wanting, to see this band. After a quick set change it was on to the main event. The Get Up Kids took the stage and began to plow through hit after hit of their classic work. While four years is not a long time to be apart these guys were still as tight and solid as I would have believed them to be in their prime. The crowd was so enthused during the whole show and sang along to every song. That is what I miss the most about these emo/pop-punk shows that shaped my high school life. These are the bands that are just fucking fun to see and everyone gets so excited. There were numerous times when the crowd took over and just sang in place of the band; althought Matt Pryor's voice was still killer and has not aged at all. He still nailed every note and never once seemed to be trying to over do himself. After powering through perfections such as "Holiday" "Red Letter Day" "Campfire Kansas" "Mass Pike" "Action + Action" "Up on the Roof" "I'm A Loner Dottie A Rebel" and ending with the classic "I'll Catch You" the band came back to rock a stunning encore. They statred things off with their excellent cover of the Cure's "Close to Me" off Eudora before launching into "Don't Hate Me" "Ten Minutes" and finally bringing the night to a close with "Walking On a Wire". These guys were the pioneers of the early emo/pop-punk that unfortunately turned into that MySpacey emo garbage. In fact Fall Out Boy has stated that without the Get Up Kids they wouldn't exist. These guys were the realy deal and brought back so much nostalgia. Brand New and the Get Up Kids, doesn't get much better then that.


Brand New Set List:
You Won't Know
Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't
New Song
Archers
Jesus Christ
Deguaser
The Quiet Things That Know One Ever Knows
Seventy Times Seven -> Smells Like Teen Spirit Intro