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.