by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

UPDATE AS OF 5:30 P.M.: This show has been CANCELLED “due to unforeseen bus issues.”

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“We still play all of our songs live, but there are only so many chords you can put into a three-chord song so many times. You can only sing about having a broken heart for so long.”

That was The Get Up Kids’ keyboardist James Dewees in 2002. Little did he know how wrong he could be, as the band heads to The Waiting Room tonight to play an album that came out 25 years ago. 

When I interviewed Dewees in 2002 (read the interview here), the band was headed for a gig at Sokol Auditorium (now called The Admiral) supporting the release of On a Wire and actively running away from the “emo” tag placed on them by MTV and various music journalists. 

“This is the best time in the world for emo music,” Dewees said back then. “It’s just that we don’t really want to write music like that anymore. We want to experiment with writing slower songs with acoustic guitars or organ or string parts or keyboards instead of the soft-then-loud-then-scream songs with the typical punk-rock-flourish ending.”

Dewees was a late comer to Get Up Kids, which formed in Kansas City back in mid-’90s. Also a member of the metalcore outfit Coalesce, he met the band when the two played together.

According to Wiki, when Get Up Kids broke up in 2004 Dewees played with New Found Glory, continued his work with his band, Reggie and the Full Effect, and eventually joined My Chemical Romance in 2006. He later rejoined Get Up Kids for the 10th anniversary of Something To Write Home About and stuck around for a few more albums before splitting for good in 2019. The band was never able to capture lightning in a bottle like they did with that ’99 album. Alas, Dewees will not be joining them when they play tonight at The Waiting Room.

Surprisingly, this show has yet to sell out. With the rise in popularity of “Emo Nights” at clubs around the country, you’d think second-generation emo pioneers like this band would be a red hot ticket. 

Opening for Get Up Kids is The Anniversary, the Lawrence, Kansas, indie band that enjoyed a heyday in the early aughts, and included singer Adrianne Verhoeven, a former member of Saddle Creek Records band Flowers Forever and Orenda Fink’s Art in Manila. Is Adrianne still in The Anniversary? Head to The Waiting Room tonight and find out. $36, 8 p.m. 

AGAIN, THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

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Tomorrow night (Saturday), newly minted post-punk band Cope Acidic headlines a free show at fabulous O’Leaver’s. I caught a few songs by these guys when they opened for Pile at Slowdown Feb. 29 and was intrigued. Very mathy; pretty good vocals that reminded me of Bob Mould. Joining them Saturday night are Jar and Softlines. Like I said, it’s free and starts at 9 p.m. (O’Leaver’s time, which means probably later than that).

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.