Sadly, seeing The Get Up Kids did not completely validate my desire to still wear skinny-jeans when I turn thirty. But the show did confirm that Matt Pryor still has the vocals of a heartbroken, angsty 18-year-old. I mean that in the best way possible, of course. Had an audience member closed their eyes during the performance, they could have imagined the band in their old, basement show environment, but with polish.
Following their reunion tour in honor of the tenth anniversary of their anthemic Songs to Write Home About, The Get Up Kids released a new album, There Are Rules. Sadly, the crowd reaction to songs from the different albums was hot-and-cold. The older songs were met with movement, in addition to the always desirable singalong. The new material, however, was met with stoic, uninterested faces. Ironically, the new songs are arguably better. There Are Rules offers more variety in structure, notably with more complex instrumentation. I could not find one person singing along to newer songs, such as "Automatic," which I thought was a standout live track. It seems that the new songs showcased the band members' chops, while the old ones showcased their soul and essence.
There was a reason the girl in front of me incessantly yelled, "Holiday! Holiday! Holiday!" even after the bassist assured her they'd play it. "Holiday" is meant to be heard live. The bleeding heart chorus inspired the crowd to revert to their teenaged selves for four minutes, and it was great. Unless, of course, they were a teenager like me. In my case, I just reverted to four years ago.
With songs sung by both Matt and Jim, the setlist was long and extremely satisfying. "10 Minutes" was just as "10 Minutes" always was--no live fluff, just as the audience wanted. "I'll Catch You" was as, well, emo as you wanted it to be. Maybe what I saw as new-song-lulls in the set were just recovery time for everyone else. The band kept a cheery, request-taking demeanor throughout the show, and they gave us what we wanted to hear. So why complain?
In the end, The Get Up Kids are now adults. The music will always be The Get Up Kids, though. They once apologized for being part of pioneering modern day emo, but as far as I'm concerned, every other band should just apologize for not matching up.
Check out photos from opener Miniature Tigers here!
