Upon entering The Record Bar on Monday night, one may believe it was the late ‘90s. Event posters of punk and indie bands during that time period plastered the walls. The band members wore dirty white Converse, jeans, simple t-shirts or button-ups, and even a Royals’ hat was in the mix. Matt Pryor’s voice echoed throughout the venue. Indeed, Kansas City’s beloved rockers had returned home on The Get Up Kids’ 20th Anniversary Tour.
TGUK last played in Kansas City at Middle of the Map Fest just 18 months prior. Keyboardist James DeWees’ other band, Reggie and the Full Effect, played The Record Bar then as well as in February 2014. Pryor performed a solo show in May 2014, too. These several appearances did not keep the show from selling out rather quickly.
The sold-out crowd primarily consisted of those in their 30s and early 40s—the ones who literally grew up with Pryor and company—which unfortunately means an entire generation has been missing out on this group which helped shape and define the emo genre.
The night began with the greatest surprise of the evening: a four-song set from 13-year-old Lily Pryor, daughter of TGUK front-man Matt. Just two years ago, the younger Pryor reluctantly joined her father and siblings on stage at her dad’s Nine Forty Live Show in Lawrence, Kansas. Now she is opening for her father’s legendary band. Matt stood by the stage and watched intently as Lily Pryor performed covers of two songs by Daughter, “Gray or Blue” by JayMay, and a tune from Elliott Smith before smiling, waving, and saying “thank you” to the awe-struck crowd.
Josh Berwanger and crew took the stage soon after as the recently-rebranded Berwanger (formerly the Josh Berwanger Band). The band’s unique sound is a blend of ‘80s rock and ‘90s punk. It is difficult to beat the stage presence of the Kansas City-based group. Their upcoming EP, Demonios, is set for release soon, and most of their songs were unreleased tracks.
A brief intermission later, and the boys were back in town. A familiar riff from guitarist Jim Suptic and energetic drumming from Ryan Pope made the crowd lose their minds. Something to Write Home About’s first track “Holiday” appropriately began the evening. TGUK predominately played tunes from their first album Four Minute Mile as well as Something to Write Home About. And this is exactly what the nostalgia-focused crowd wanted.
The set was a perfect blend of high-energy songs and slow ballads. “Valentine” and “I’ll Catch You” continue to be crowd-favorites 16 years later. After many requests for “Campfire Kansas,” Suptic remained on the stage to play the song acoustically. Seventeen songs into the set, Pryor joked about the next songs being the “encore” part of the night. After all, there would be nowhere for the guys to go—the venue was probably violating fire code it was so packed.
The crowd was not uncontrollable. There was not any crowd-surfing. One could head to the bathroom, stop by the bar to grab a drink, and easily return to where they were standing despite the multitude of people. This was a crowd who were mesmerized by the men on stage who were allowing the listeners to return to youth once more, if only for an hour or two. Twenty years later, The Get Up Kids are still a show to see.
