The Get Up Kids are a band that I often cite as my favourite of all time. I was introduced to The Get Up Kids through a friend. I can still recall sitting in 9th grade Math class and my friend turning around and handing me a mix tape. On one side Kid Dynamite the other The Woodson EP.
From that moment on I was hooked. And still am.
A lot has changed since the last time I saw The Get Up Kids. On that occasion I slept in a bus station waiting for the next bus home after the show. This time I stayed at The Fairmont, a bit of an upgrade. One aspect remained mostly unchanged, the set list.
Which was great.
It is hard for me to be critical of this band, let me just get that out there. I have so many great memories from them. Been to so many of their shows in different cities with so many great friends. That being said, I have left one of their shows feeling let down in the past, so it is possible.
I would not have that same feeling after this show. They knew the audience “a Sunday night, quiet and nostalgic group” stated Lead Signer/Guitarist Matt Pryor as a member of the audience “misjudged the room” in a failed attempt at crowd surfing. “This is more of a Netflix and Chill group here tonight”.
And they played to the crowd. The most recently recorded song on the set list was “Campfire Kansas” from 2002’s On a Wire Album. A track that Guitarist Jim Suptic as he put it “wrote all by himself, with no help from Matt”. The rest of the performance made up of tracks from their ground breaking 1999 album, Something to Write Home About, including ‘Action and Action’, which you may have heard during the Kansas City Royals World Series Celebration earlier in the Fall, the always popular ‘Holiday’ and ‘I’m a Loner Dottie, A Rebel’. Their debut full-length from 1997, Four Minute Mile, was also well represented. Opening the show with the opening track ‘Coming Clean’ and adding ‘Stay Gold, Ponyboy‘, ‘Lowercase West Thomas’ and ‘No Love’ Throw in a couple of covers, ‘Close to Me’ originally from The Cure and The Replacements anthem ‘Beer for Breakfast’ and you have a hell of a set.
As I’ve grown and my musical tastes have altered a little I’ve grown to appreciate a lot of The Get Up Kids more recent work a lot more than I did when I was younger. I would have been happy to have them work in a couple newer songs such as ‘Is There a Way Out’ from the 2005 album Guilt Show, but really I’m just nitpicking now.
Overall, if this is the last time I get to see The Get Up Kids I’m ok with that. Not really, but it was that good of a set.
The Get Up Kids have a way of making me feel like things are right in the world, so it’s fitting that I leave you with their final words from the closing track of ‘Ten Minutes’. If you’re ever unsure about where your path is taking you just remember, everything will work out!
