20 years ago The Get Up Kids chose a rather time-sensitive name for their band when they were, admittedly, still kids. No one can predict two decades of success for a band though, so these now late-thirties men surely have no problem seeing it on venue marquees as they tour the country.

How could they? “TGUK” are commonly cited by many now-famous bands as one of the most influential groups to ever have an impact on their sound. Members of Coheed and Cambria, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182 – all have said that they wouldn’t be where they were without early Kids records. Hell, Mark Hoppus proposed to his wife as “I’ll Catch You” played.

Tuesday night, a younger-than-expected crowd (it always is) piled into the cinder block walls of Walter’s Downtown. And without much promotion or publicity, I might add – I was unaware of the show until the day of. It almost had the feel of a secret show in the back of some bar that only a few handfuls of folks were alerted to.

Without a curtain or backstage from which to emerge, The Kids casually hopped on stage from a rear-access door, acknowledged the crowd and promptly blasted off into “Holiday”, the lead-off track from their legendary 1999 release, ‘Something to Write Home About’.

Nary a word went un-recited by the audience and frontman Matt Pryor realized, surely not for the first time, that his vocals were quickly rendered unnecessary. Delighted, all the same, he did his duty and hit the highs and the lows with his patented scratchy, high-pitch wail.

Pryor, in recognition and appreciation of the group’s 20th anniversary, was quick to assure the crowd that the night would consist of nothing but 90’s tunes (a few exceptions might have been made, shhhh!).

TGUK finish off a chunk of tour dates tonight in Austin, TX, before picking back up with a baker’s dozen in December in the Northeast US and Canada.