Progressive rock n roll guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger of Umphrey’s McGee fame held their 13th Annual Holiday Acoustic Show at the Park West in Chicago, IL on Saturday, December 12th.

A large departure from their typical stage performances, either electrically charged, well-lit, and loud arrangements that accompany the six pieces of UM or solo performances in small bars, the annual holiday show has become a highlight for many die-hard veterans year after year.

An intimate set with UM keyboardist Joel Cummins opened the show and beginning with “Orfeo,” a technically and beautifully moving ballad. Aside from a bit of scripted improvisation, the rest of the performance was less a showcase of originals than it was a spread of moods.

Classical composers Debussy and Beethoven were featured strongly and early on, while contemporary artist Sujan Stevens’ tunes “Concerning The UFO Over Highland” and “Chicago” got the solo Cummins treatment. “Blue in Green”, a collaboration of legends Miles Davis and Bill Evans was also interpreted, as well as Phil Collins’ “Easy Lover” as an encore.

After Cummins’ recital, the crowd began to grow restless amid the unusual warmth of the evening’s excitement and the murmuring grew into cheer as Bayliss and Cinninger strolled out onto the stage, picked up their weapons of choice and wasted no time kicking the evening off with a holiday show debut, the title track from 2014’s Similar Skin.

“Gulf Stream” featured altered holiday themed lyrics and was a perfect way to welcome stragglers into the Park West’s tiny stage area with it’s modified verses of sharing special moments with new and old friends. Following the song, Bayliss picked up a mandolin for the first of many instrument changes throughout the night.

“This mandolin is going to be out of tune,” Bayliss warned the crowd. “It took me like an hour and a half to re-string it last night. We have a lot to talk about, but we’re gonna play another song instead.”

Diving into yet another rendition of one of the most diverse songs in the UM catalogue, “Cut The Cable”. Having received treatment as the lyrical stew that resulted in other lyrical stews’ identification as “cables”, an acoustic ballad and an electric rendition with a tempo that flirts between slow and spacey, hard and heavy, adding the out-of-tune mandolin added yet another qualification to the song’s resumé.

At the cable’s end, the acoustic duo welcomed “a few friends” on stage: Cummins returned to his grand piano, fellow Umphrey’s McGee percussionist Andy Farag took the throne at a full drum kit, and Mike Racky appeared onstage with a lap steel guitar.

Still holding the mandolin, Bayliss introduced the next song as the song that was cut from last year’s set list. Racky left the 2/3 of UM on stage following the Holiday Show staple, “Susanna” and they laid down an incredibly haunting “Syncopated Strangers”. Among the highlights: Cinninger’s commentary during Cummins’ minute and a half single note piano solo in the improv section.

Racky returned for the anything but traditional take on “Carol of The Bells”. Cinninger’s blazing leads fit the fierce intensity of the melody, but the delicate gallop of Bayliss’ rhythm worked like a glue keeping the music together.

“The rehearsal of this next song was interrupted by my downstairs neighbor,” Bayliss laughed. “I told him we were rehearsing for a charity event, and he called me cheap for not renting a rehearsal space, and ended the message with only two words, ‘inconsiderate’ period, ‘self-centered’ period.”

Bayliss struggled to get the whole story out at once as fits of laughter erupted from the stage as well as the crowd as he explained how the group crammed into a guest bedroom. With everyone sitting on the edge of the bed, Cummins set his keyboard on top of a treadmill. “I got like a quarter mile in steps that night,” claimed Cummins.

Needless to say, after such a lengthy introduction and a hell of a rehearsal gag, the group of musicians broke the Led out, beginning with “Dancing Days” off of 1973’s Houses Of The Holy. “Bron Yr Aur” from Led Zeppelin III and “Down By The Seaside” from Physical Graffiti rounded off a three-song dedication to Led Zeppelin.

Following the medley, Bayliss took a swig of some courage and made his way to the grand piano as the stage cleared. Tenatively titled “Push and Pull”, the song is a 5-6 year old result of a long phone conversation with a good friend. The rare appearance of a personal piece of Bayliss’ poetry had a few fans leave their seats and crowd the stage.

Bayliss stayed at the piano for Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Cinninger slid into the drum kit. The steady climb of a familiar chorus had the entire room singing along and even more people began to flock towards the rare piano appearance from Bayliss.

As they were readying to intro the next song, Farag, Cummins and Racky returned to the stage and the decision of making the show an all ages event began to run into reality as Bayliss encouraged “ear-muffs” to the front row of children in attendance. Eventually, rather than cut the song from the setlist, Wade “DJ Wyllys” Wilby was invited on stage to celebrate his 28th birthday providing vocals on a song he and Bayliss co-wrote and has only been played twice before on a stage.

Keeping in tune with the holiday theme, following the snow-flake inspired “Two Dips” was Cinninger’s holiday parody of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”. From there, the group moved into Squeeze’s “Tempted”. UM originals “Comma Later” and the white whale “The Weight Around” had Bayliss emotionally drained and collapsing back into the comfy couch.

Another holiday themed parody saw Bayliss pick up a bass guitar, “Snow-down”, a take on “Showdown” by Electric Light Orchestra. The bass was dropped then for “Baby Bitch” by Ween to end the set with thunderous applause.

All five musicians returned to the stage for the encore, beginning with “Last Train Home” by Pat Methany. Another UM original, “Upward”, made its way into the set before a show stopping rendition of The Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” broke the levees behind audience members’ eyes. Everyone that had a seat stood up to dance and sing along to the most vibrant and energetic performance of the evening.

A solid performance capped off a lucky number 13th holiday show in a row, and through sales of admission, raffle tickets and commemorative ornaments, the event was able to bring in over $17,000 for The People’s Music school in Chicago.

Brendan, Jake and the rest of Umphrey’s McGee will return to the stage next in Denver, CO for their New Year’s run. Featured alongside this upcoming run is a new concept event called “Reel To Real” which you can read about here.

All photos by Kristine Condon Photography, with a full gallery and the setlist at the bottom.

Setlist: Joel Cummins Opening Solo Piano Set at Park West, Chicago, IL – 12/12/15

Set: Orfeo, Debussy’s Pour Le Piano (Prelude), Blue In Green (Miles Davis and Bill Evans), Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique (1st Movement), Improv > Concerning The UFO Over Highland& > Chicago& w/ Mike on Pedal Steel, Linus & Lucy w/ Jake on Drums

Setlist: Brendan & Jake’s Holiday Party at Park West, Chicago, IL – 12/12/15

Set: Similar Skin > Gulf Stream, Cut The Cable, Susanah*, Syncopated Strangers**, Carol of the Bells (traditional), Dancing Days*, Bron-Yr-Aur*, Down by the Seaside*, Push and Pull***, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road****, Two Dips*****, Paranoid******, Tempted*, Comma Later**, Weight Around*, Showdown (Christmas lyrics)*, Baby Bitch*

Encore: Last Train Home*, Upward*, Black Water*

* – with Andy Farag, Joel Cummins and Mike Racky
** – with Andy Farag and Joel Cummins
*** – Bayliss Solo
**** – Brendan on keys with Jake on drums
***** – with Andy Farag, Joel Cummins, Mike Racky and Wade Wilby
****** – same as above with Mike Racky on bass and Christmas lyrics

Full Gallery: