Once again I pulled a Pittsburgh/Cleveland doubleheader. This time it was for The Get Up Kids at the Grog Shop on September 18th and again at Mr. Smalls on September 21st for the twenty-fifth anniversary of their album Four Minute Mile. Reaching out to a band over the internet for a photo pass doesn't always work but this time around it did and a massive “Thank you” to The Get Up Kids for passes to both shows.
I didn't think I was set for passes because I didn't hear back from anyone after the band said they sent my information to their tour manager. As I was walking into the Grog Shop, the guy working the door saw the name printed on my ticket and said “Wait a second, I've got something for you.” Then he handed me the little sticker pass.
The last time I saw The Get Up Kids was on June 30th, 2002 at the 9:30 Club, in Washington, DC. I remember the date because on the following day Fugazi was playing at Fort Reno Park as a part of the yearly concert series that was held at the park. This ended up being Fugazi's last show in the United States. It still sticks in my craw that I had to head back to Pittsburgh instead of crashing somewhere in DC to see Fugazi the next day.
If I remember correctly, I may have seen The Get Up Kids every time that they played at Club Laga. I certainly remember sitting in the balcony on the night the half-assed stage barrier gave way and someone in the band was telling clergy molestation jokes to pass the time while it was removed.
It took me all of a minute and a half to be reminded that Matthew Pryor is a goddamn national treasure. Whether it's his work in The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams or playing music under his own name he deserves to be part of the conversation when people are talking about great American songwriters.
I hadn't listened to my Get Up Kids records in years but I could still remember every word of those damned songs. I listened to those records endlessly, in my younger days. As I was watching them play at the Grog Shop, I couldn't remember why I shelved their records and it was starting to bother me that I couldn't figure it out.
Halfway through their set at Mr. Smalls, my brain became unstuck in time and I was suddenly transported back to a failed relationship that crashed and burned at the end of 2002. And that's when it dawned on me that that was why I put those records away. Good thing that I was done taking pictures when it hit me. My brain was having a twenty year old meltdown and the tears started streaming. It took me several minutes to shake myself out of it. At least those memories didn't hit me on the two hour drive home from Cleveland and I only had to manage driving across town to get back to my fortress of solitude.
They played Four Minute Mile from front to back followed by the Woodson EP before heading off for the fake encore and then came back out for a handful of their greatest hits to close out the night. Jim Ward, from opening band Sparta, came out to sing on “Mass Pike” and I think that was my favorite part of the night.
I missed that part of the show in Cleveland because I decided to get a head start on the long drive home knowing that I'd see them again in a few days at Mr. Smalls. That and the Grog Shop was packed beyond any possible comfort level for me so I hit the eject button and made my way to the turnpike.
The last time I saw Sparta was in 2003 when they opened for Pearl Jam at the Civic Arena and they were the only reason I went to the show. I will always remember the non-reaction they got from the Pearl Jam crowd even though they definitely had the better set of the night. Being the opening act for an arena band is always an uphill battle. Drunky McDrunkface doesn't care about hearing unfamiliar music and only wants to scream along, out of tune, to their favorite songs from the radio.
I remember there being more people in the band back then. There was another guitarist and maybe a synth/keyboard player but now Sparta is a stripped down three piece.
I could really hear the strength of their older songs come through played as a three piece and less “Big Rock.” Over production can hide a lot of the weaknesses in a song but once all of that is removed there is nowhere for those weaknesses to hide.
Before Jim Ward was in Sparta, he was in At The Drive-In and he was the guy in the band that I gravitated towards when they broke up. He always seemed like he just wanted to play music and not stand around enjoying the smell of his own farts like the Mars Volta guys did. I really can't fault him for bailing on that band. I couldn't imagine how big of a pain in the ass working with Cedric and Omar would be.
I picked up Jim Ward's solo record, Daggers, at the merch table before I left the show in Cleveland. When I got home, I threw it on while trying to write just to have some background noise. I was half expecting one of his country records that he puts out from time to time but that was not the case. When the first song kicked in I was completely blown away and distracted by it. So much for writing when there's new music to be heard. I will blindly buy anything with his name on it.
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