Umphrey’s McGee closed out it’s three show run in the New York area with a rock solid show at The Paramount in Huntington. The full house gave it’s rapt attention to the two sets offered, each being so delightfully long that one could mistake it for the New York City (musical) Marathon. The festivities opened with “Bathing Digits” blending effortlessly into “Go To Hell.” The crowd that had been congregating at the outer bar rushed in to get as close to the stage area as possible. A class trip to “Phil’s Farm” was followed by “Mad Love.”Â
The mood was set, as the dancers began to find a groove that they would remain in until the final notes of the evening were played. The set continued as the band brought special guest saxophonist Joshua Redman for “Believe the Lie,” “The Linear,” moving in to “Glory,” and “Anchor Drops.”Â
The opening set concluded with “Wife Soup,” the crowd having been intoxicated by the fine saxophone servings of UM along with Redman; the inclusion of the tenor sax player to the three New York area shows brought out a jazzy side of Umphrey’s not always seen, at least not at this level.
After the break, the band offered “Preamble,” which melded into “Mantis>Booth Love> 1348.” Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger mesmerized with their guitar work, and fine vocals when required. A Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” was sprinkled in during “Booth Love” like a fine spice added to the perfect main course. Andy Farag and Kris Meyers excelled on drums and percussion in this segment, as Ryan Stasik laid a bass foundation you can safely build your house on. The band continued with “Higgins” and “Mail Package,” but the crowd was not yet ready to depart.
For an encore, the show continued with the Jeff Beck number “Led Boots,” before ending the show properly with the final segment of “1348.”
Keyboardist Joel Cummins had no mishaps tonight, as on Saturday night at the Beacon Theater, a beer thrown from the crowd drenched his instrument providing some minor issues. The crowd was boisterous on this evening, with no such instances hampering the performance.Â
The light show by Jefferson Waful was (as always) the 7th band member, which at times was nearly worth the price of admission by itself. The tour carries on, and will end up in Seattle, Washington, on March 21st. L4LM will offer an exclusive webcast of one of the performances to be determined, so fans should be on the lookout.
– Bob Wilson
[all photos courtesy of Wayne Herrschaft]
Setlist (via All Things Umphreys)
Set One: Bathing Digits > Go to Hell, Phil’s Farm, Mad Love, Believe the Lie[1], The Linear[1] > Glory[1] > Anchor Drops[1], Wife Soup[1]
Set Two: Preamble > Mantis[2] > Booth Love[3] > 1348[1], Higgins[1], Mail Package[1]
Encore: Led Boots > 1348
[1] with Joshua Redman on saxophone
[2] unfinished
[3] with Another Brick In the Wall (Pink Floyd) jam; unfinished
[videos courtesy of Paul Giza]