Last night, Umphrey’s McGee threw an excellent party for their tour-closing show at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wisconsin, with SunSquabi again providing support and warming up the crowd with their patented Colorado electro-funk. Umphrey’s headlining performance was filled with all sorts of curiosities, nuances, and unique UM minutia that really showed that the band’s sum is greater than all parts, making for a show that will be talked about for many years by the Umphreaks in attendance.

Umphrey’s McGee Fits Double Pink Floyd Cover Into “1348” Sandwich In Wisconsin [Photos]

Umphrey’s wasted no time in starting the show, opening with a straight-away “Educated Guess”—no “Jazz Odyssey”, no jamming, just conventional power chords. “Spires” had some good jams, and it gave way to a tasty segment of “Out of Order” and a rare “Space Funk Booty”. The elegiac and underplayed “Weight Around” provided a powerful breather before the set closed with a heavy “Puppet String”, with the crowd bobbing their head in unison during the choruses of the tune. Umphrey’s McGee’s first set was standard good.

Watch Umphrey’s McGee’s first-set opener, “Educated Guess” here.

However, Umphrey’s McGee’s second set was absolute fire, with the band deciding to cut loose and not to hold back. The looseness and camaraderie of the band were on full display, which translated to a great vibe for the rest of the show. The set itself didn’t go as planned, as there were multiple changes to the setlist. Normally, when the band ends up cutting “Nopener”, “Nothing Too Fancy”, and “Pay the Snucka”, fans are going to be disappointed. However, what UM ended up playing couldn’t have been any better, and all songs in the second set got a proper treatment.

“Dump City” started the second set off on a rather psychedelic path. “Nopener” was cut in favor of “Resolution,” and it’s replacement offered a true improvisational journey with a couple distinct jams, including one based around Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” before the majority of the band cut out to allow guitarist Jake Cinninger a chance to take the jam in a harder and darker direction with a metal-inspired vibe. Eventually, the other guitarist Brendan Bayliss brought “Resolution” back to a more melodic ending, which was easily his best solo of the weekend.

Watch Umphrey’s McGee’s second-set opener, “Dump City” here.

The instrumental “Professor Wormbog” followed and clocked in at over ten minutes. For this version, after what would normally be the last chorus of the song, Umphrey’s McGee ran through the whole song again at quadruple the speed, adding a one-minute version of the song after the original rendition. “I Ran” was a great cover that began with a “Celtic Alleluia” intro. Cinninger was blabbering lovingly about keyboardist Joel Cummins, and the bromance displayed during this intro was highly entertaining. A solid version of “August” closed out the set, complete with a keys jam that featured Cinninger alongside Cummins. It was great and, in retrospect, an obvious foreshadowing of the encore.

Umphrey’s McGee played an amazing show, but they definitely saved the best for last. Joel was the first to walk out on the stage for the encore, but he immediately walked to Bayliss’ spot and donned a guitar. The rest of the band followed, all heading to different instruments—Andy Farag took over the drumset, Cinninger manned the keys, Ryan Stasik and Cummins rocked guitars, Bayliss wielded the bass, and Kris Myers took the spotlight with the microphone.

Despite being stationed at different instruments, the members of Umphrey’s McGee proceeded to flawlessly execute a raging rendition of The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” and the grins on all their faces proved that they were possibly having the most fun out of anybody in the venue. It’s hard to pick one, but I would have to say the MVP of the encore was Joel. He was having way too much fun rocking the guitar, and despite not playing the keys, he was not of his element at all and looked like a regular rock guitarist up there.

“Sabotage”

 

[Video: Marian Moon]

With a full instrument switch in gear, the band thanked the crowd and ended the tour. The show, especially the encore, will undoubtedly go down in Umphrey’s McGee lore. The band will next be playing in Colorado for their New Year’s run. Last night, the band showed they’re ready to close out 2017 with a bang.

SETLIST: Umphrey’s McGee | Orpheum Theater | Madison, WI | 11/4/2017

Set One: Educated Guess, Spires, Out of Order, Space Funk Booty, Hangover, Mullet (Over), The Weight Around, Puppet String

Set Two: Dump City, Resolution, Stinko’s Ascension, Professor Wormbog, I Ran, August

Encore: Sabotage