The fellas of Umphrey’s McGee were back in action last night for a weekend-closing, Sunday night performance at Brooklyn Bowl. The performance successfully wrapped the rock band’s three-night return to New York City where they’d been at the Beacon Theatre the first two nights, and at the smaller, North Williamsburg concert venue/bowling alley for the finale.
Following the first two nights of the band’s “Big Apple” run on Friday and Saturday which saw Umphrey’s pay tribute to fallen prog-rock pioneer Neil Peart, UM kept the tributes going with a somewhat subtle nod to a Moving Pictures track, a cover of a popular Brooklyn band, and another appearance of their newest single.
Related: Umphrey’s McGee Adds Spring Dates To ‘Hindsight 20/20’ Tour
Umphrey’s took the stage in front of a packed house and wasted no time in diving into the fast, hard-hitting opener of “Looks”. The band then delivered a brief tease of Rush‘s “YYZ”, leading fans into believing the third full cover of the weekend in tribute to Peart was on the way, only to take a hard left into a hurricane of 16th notes from Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss as they began “The Fussy Dutchman”. “Maybe Someday” kept up the high energy of the first set with more ferocious playing from both guitarists before the music transitioned into “Got Your Milk (Right Here)”. The song’s thunderous intro paved way for some fun lyrics, and an intense jam, as the band charged forward into the core of their opening set.
“Walletsworth” came next and featured some wonderful piano play from Joel Cummins. Following “Domino Theory” and the futuristic, electronic sounds of “Miss Tinkle’s Overture”, the music kept rocking into the Kris Myers-led cover of LCD Soundsystem‘s “Tribulations” before a brief return to “Miss Tinkle” to close the thrilling first half of the show.
Watch the opening portion of the band’s performance at Brooklyn Bowl on Sunday via the video below.
Umphrey’s McGee – “Looks”, “The Fussy Dutchman” – 1/19/20
Following a chilly set break, Umphrey’s returned to the intimate stage to open the second half of the show with a high-energy sing-a-long to “Front Porch”, which carried right into “Resolution”. The progressive instrumental opened the door for some fantastic jamming, which included a great climax and technical showcase from Cinninger. The music moved back to “Front Porch” with more fun piano play with a real swing from Cummins. Cinninger then led the rowdy audience through “40’s Theme” with some power arpeggios from both himself and Bayliss on the party anthem. The song’s jam wasn’t too deep but did allow for another great peak from the guitarists.
The set continued with a three-song combination of “Miami Virtue”, “Out Of Order”, and “Gulf Stream”, before eventually coming to a close with “The Floor”. The band’s two-song encore brought the excellent weekend of high-powered rock music to a close with “Phil’s Farm” into new single, “Suxity” and back to the “Farm” to end things out.
As Umphrey’s charges into their 22nd birthday this week, the band has to be happy with the three fantastic performances (plus a pair of sublime after-parties) in New York City over the weekend.
Next up for the band is a scheduled stop at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA on Thursday, January 23rd. Head to the band’s website for tickets and tour info.
Scroll down for a pair of galleries from Sunday’s show, courtesy of photographers Andrew Blackstein and Barahm Foroughi.
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY | 1/19/20
Set One: Looks, The Fussy Dutchman*, Maybe Someday > Got Your Milk (Right Here) > Walletsworth, Domino Theory, Miss Tinkle’s Overture -> Tribulations (LCD Soundsystem cover) > Miss Tinkle’s Overture
Set Two: Front Porch > Resolution > Front Porch^, 40’s Theme, Miami Virtue > Out Of Order > Gulf Stream, The Floor
Encore: Phil’s Farm > Suxity > Phil’s Farm
Notes:
* Opened with “YYZ” by Rush tease
^ w/ Q*Bert teases