Comparing The Rolling Stones and Umphrey’s McGee might be a tad disproportionate, but there is one thing that can be said about both: they were in Kansas City, MO this past Saturday, June 27th, on their respective summer tours. While the Stones hit Arrowhead Stadium, UM gave an exciting performance at the Crossroads venue just down the block.
To open the show, drummer Kris Myers laid down a loud, echoing four-to-the-floor beat as the band launched into “Conduit”. Fan favorite “Utopian Fir” came in later during the first set. The strange time signature at the beginning of the song was interrupted by a grooving beat, similar to the way they played the song at Summer Camp this past May. It is really fun to see them try new things with the introduction to “Utopian Fir”.
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The band broke into “40s Theme”, making way for an all-out dance party. “In the Black”, a song that had only been performed twice before, was next. A second, even-bigger, dance party ensued during “The Triple Wide”, closing out the set. The seven-song first set had people on their toes, eager to hear what UM would bring out for the next frame.
With the sun well below the horizon, UM returned with a smokin’ “Miss Tinkle’s Overture” out of the gate. A dancey “Comma Later” followed, which segued seamlessly into “JaJunk”. Again harkening back to Summer Camp, UM played the Ween tune “Even If You Don’t”. They performed with Gene Ween himself at the beloved music festival just one month prior.
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After the cover, Umphrey’s played a version of their song “Hajimemashite” that was mashed-up with The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”. Perhaps this was a nod to the Stones, because The Verve were sued over the song because of the similarities to music of the Rolling Stones, specifically an orchestral arrangement of “The Last Time”.
Regardless, UM’s Brendan Bayliss did a great job alternating between verses of each song, pulling it off in a very natural way. After these shenanigans, Umphrey’s went to work on what was clearly the jam of the night, “In The Kitchen”. Opening with a jazzy intro from Jake Cinninger and Kris Myers, the band dove in head-first and brought the song to another level. It was a phenomenal 15 minutes of Umphrey’s McGee.
They ended the night with “Bad Friday”, leaving everyone in the crowd utterly satisfied. Bayliss said earlier to the crowd, “We appreciate you choosing us over the Rolling Stones.” Considering the sheer energy of Umphrey’s McGee, this choice was a no brainer.
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee @ The Crossroads, Kansas City, MO – 6/27/15
Set I: Conduit > Make It Right, Utopian Fir > Turn & Run, 40s Theme, In the Black, The Triple Wide
Set II: Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Comma Later -> JaJunk, Even If You Don’t, Mail Package, Hajimemashite/Bittersweet Symphony, In the Kitchen
Encore: Bad Friday
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