Umphrey’s McGee opened their run of Summer Camp shows with a laid back set slowly building into scorching peaks and soaring heights.

From the opening “Gurgle” to “Plunger,” the boys sounded tight and ready to play from the start. An early drop into crowd favorite “Wife Soup” had everyone turned up and ready to rage. The new AC/DC style anthemic rock riffs of “Rocktopus” fit the large crowd vibe of Umphrey’s home team festival set. As “Syncopated Strangers” took off, the tasty guitar licks of Jake Cinninger were on full display. “Syncopated” led into a funky start stop jam that saw Cinninger slowly building to a fiery peak. The crowd was fully lit up, and ready for the emotional straight forward “Divisions” that followed to close the set.

As set two got underway, a strong rain took hold; the combination of Jefferson Waful’s masterful rig, with the sideways rain, had the crowd feeling extra excited. “Stinko’s Ascension” quickly built the crowd up into a frenzy, before launching into a soaring emotionally tinged repeated Stewart. This version was gorgeous and hit on all the right feels. Bayliss had the crowd in the palm of his hand as they seamlessly segued.

As the opening notes of “2×2” hit, the rain began to break and Umphrey’s locked into what would be a gorgeous segment as “2×2” flowed directly into the new funk number “Speak Up”. “Speak Up” slowly built into an out of typical structure funk groove as the crowd energy went through the roof and turned into a full dance party. The delicate Bayliss solo to end “2×2” served as a perfect landing for this beautiful segment.

A straight forward “In The Kitchen” kept everyone dancing as the band hit a truly notable segue into “Hurt Bird Bath.” The segue was patient and smooth as it slowly bled into the opening nets of the powerful jam vehicle. This Bird Bath didn’t disappoint as it went through several themes and paces. A powerful ending to a powerful set.

Umphrey’s was just getting started, and they look primed to bring down the house on Saturday night.

Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee at Summer Camp Music Festival, Chillicothe, IL – 5/27/16

Set One: Gurgle > Plunger > Wife Soup, Miami Virtue > Roctopus, Syncopated Strangers, Divisions

Set Two: Stinko’s Ascension, Ocean Billy, 2×2 > Speak Up > 2×2, In The Kitchen, Hurt Bird Bath