The best band out of Kansas...

Time for another mini-concert review…

The Best Band Out of Kansas Since, Well, Kansas

The Get Up Kids (Opening Acts: Veda, Murder by Death) (Granada, Lawrence, KS)

Last week I complained about going to shows and being the oldest person there. That’s not entirely fair, the real make or break point for me is the type of crowd. If it is the “my first rock concert” crowd, I tend to be more cynical than I need to be. But, going to a college town to see a band like The Get Up Kids makes it easier to except the fact that I’m growing older.

It was a sold out Friday night show, which happens when a) ticket price is five dollars and b) you realize what else is there to do in Kansas on a Friday night. Made my way there after a long week at the office to take my mind off of things and watch some cool bands. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect but as always, there is something to remember from every show.

First band on the bill was Veda, which actually harkened back to the good days of alternative rock. They sounded like a rougher version of the Blake Babies, some good, old fashioned, early 90’s rock. (My god, did I just describe the music I listened to in college as old-fashioned? Excuse me while I bang my head against the wall for a few minutes). They were followed by Murder by Death. They gain a number of coolness points for their name and the fact that they had a girl playing an electric cello. I mean, on the list of things that I do not expect to see from a band called Murder by Death, the cello solo is one of them. Sadly, that was pretty much the highlight of the band because nothing else made any impression.

So that leaves The Get Up Kids, who the critics call one of the great emo bands. This will need some explanation and discussion. Emo is short for emotional punk. Or punk music by suburban kids with lyrics about feelings and relationships and music with actual melodies. Basically, split the difference between John Mayer and Limp Bizkit. Or to put it another way, this is what the kids who listened to Depeche Mode when I was growing up would listen to now.

The problem is, The Get Up Kids aren’t an emo band. They’re pretty much a straightforward rock band with a little punk attitude thrown in the mix. They’ve opened for Green Day and that is actually a good mix. They’re a bit more rock but they still have the DIY vibe and the same “we’re just a bunch of guys having fun” attitude. So, the labels people give these guys really don’t fit. (That said, they’ve also advertised in No Depression and even though that is a genre that by definition is undefinable it doesn’t work either). Anyway, on to the show.

It was their first show in months and you can tell. The band was really loose and I’m not sure if they ever hit their groove. They knew it and we’re joking about it during the set, including a great “Whose idea was it to record a live album at our first show in seven months, anyway?” It was still a really good show. They have a lot of high energy music, the type that does make you naturally jump up and down and cause the more adventurous to crowd surf. And it’s all in good fun, you listen to the song and even if it is about a relationship breaking up you end up smiling in the end. A lot of times, music is meant to be cathartic. Sometimes it’s for the artist, sometimes for the audience. When it is for both then everyone can have fun.

But there was something that was missing. The rumors of this being the band’s last run are running pretty strong. This isn’t the type of music where you can phone it in. (As opposed to R.E.M. who has been phoning it in for the past decade and disappointing me every step of the way but that is another entry). It just wasn’t the same show as I saw last year. Maybe it was because then they were playing new material from their latest album. Or they were a lot tighter from a much more constant touring schedule. Or maybe it was something else.

Like why couldn’t Superargo open again?



This week’s five random CDs (and if you know any of these five acts consider yourself a hardcore music fan)
1) Blue Mountain “Homegrown”
2) Keb’ Mo’ “Keb’ Mo’”
3) The Corn Sisters “The Other Women”
4) Sally Timms and Jon Langford “Songs of False Hope and High Values”
5) Jump, Little Children “Vertigo”