Playlist Rewind: The Get Up Kids at the TLA

Rather appropriately, Prince's "Party Like It's 1999" served as ring entrance music to the main event at The Get Up Kids TLA show. The newly reunited band is currently touring to support their Something To Write Home About 10th Anniversary CD + DVD. After the New Year they're off to see our friends in Australia and Japan, but it sure was nice to have them visit us in Philly for two dates.

Hearing old favorites, such as old favorites like "I'm a Loner, Dotie, A Rebel," "Out of Reach," and "I'll Catch You" was awesome. New song "Your Petty Pretty Things" was enjoyable: poppy and catchy, and very much in line with the type of music we'd normally expect from The Get Up Kids. And the encore cover of The Cure's Close to Me was a hit with the crowd. But the highlight of the show was the other new song. A crazy amazing new song called "Keith Case."

It started off with bass. A lot of bass. Then a ton of synth. And several extra helpings of electric guitar. The performance had a heavy layered sound punctuated with no-frills vocals. Usually we'd reference other bands to describe how it sounded. But to say it's like The Get Up Kids and Depeche Mode sat in a room and figured this thing out would be inaccurate. The sounds keyboardist James Dewees was creating were so haunting and intricate it was almost like he was channeling John Paul Jones. If "Keith Case" is an example of a more mature Get Up Kids, then bring on the newness. We like it just fine.