No joke – the middle show of the three night run saw Umphrey’s McGee absolutely crush Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater in emphatic fashion last night. The show had it all: fan favorites, new songs, some more rare tunes, and some massive jams. It summed up in being an ideal Friday night show. The party was rocking and the UM was bringing it.

“Padgett’s Profile” opened the show. A standard version of this uniquely placed tune started the night off proper. Resolution was massive and had two distinct jams, the second one teeming with energy. Newer song “Stinko’s Ascension” popped up in the middle of the set. It has only been played a couple times since debuting in 2015. Following the newer, rare song as the older, rare song “The Haunt.” This version was stretched out as well. Following the final refrain, the jam started with just drummer Kris Meyers and bassist Ryan Stasik. Joel Cummins then added to that mix, and before you knew it the whole band was raging it to a peak. What seemed like arguably the shortest version of “Cut the Cable” followed, and “Bad Friday” closed the set.

The second set opened with a fiery “40s Theme” that found a very murky groove for the breakdown. The choppy chords played by Cinninger had the whole place dancing. “Bridgeless,” a tune that is frequently played at UM shows, sounded exceptional in between “Puppet String” bookends. A penultimate placement for “Divisions” was a nice touch for the set. The song itself had multiple teases and jams of “Simple Gifts.” A beautiful segue back into the frantic finish of “Bridgeless” ended the set. The encore was a real treat. “Mail Package” was a fun way to end the night, and if you weren’t listening closely, you may have missed the “Space Funk Booty” riffs in the song.

Below is a gallery of photos taken by Daniel Ojeda.

Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | Riverside Theatre | Milwaukee | 3/31/17

Set 1: Lord Bail Ship > Padgett’s Profile, Resolution > Anchor Drops, Stinko’s Ascension, The Haunt > Cut the Cable, Bad Friday

Set 2: 40’s Theme, Puppet String > Bridgeless > Puppet String, Ringo[1], Divisions[2] > Bridgeless

Encore: Mail Package[3]

[1] unfinished
[2] with Simple Gifts (Joseph Brackett Jr.) teases
[3] with Space Funk Booty tease

[setlist via all things umphrey’s]