Wrapping their spring tour in Southern California once again at the North Park Observatory in San Diego, Umphrey’s McGee let on that their already-sparse exposure on the West Coast will have to hold fans over longer than normal. “We gotta make this one count,” said guitarist/vocalist Brendan Bayliss at the beginning of the show. “This is going to be our last show on the West Coast for a long time.”

As the jam band creed implores, never miss a Sunday show. Bayliss and Co. were firing on all cylinders on Sunday, March 25th, 2018, and were met with an equally enthused audience in San Diego. The show started early–the venue opened the doors at 7:00 p.m., and by 7:15 p.m., the opening act was on stage. A three-piece organ trio that specializes in break-neck tempos and clever puns, Organ Freeman had their own exclamation point to add. Consisting of drummer Rob Humphreys, guitarist Erik Carlson, and organist/key bassist Trevor Steer, Sunday’s show was the fourth and final day in a row of the Los Angeles-based trio’s stint as the opening act. While Organ Freeman never had a full floor to play to, they certainly left the early birds impressed and happy to learn that the band was local to the area.

Organ Freeman

[Video: Must Have Media]

Umphrey’s McGee hit the stage at 8:30 p.m., opening with a standalone “Attachments” before Bayliss broke the news about the incoming West Coast Umphrey’s drought. “Tribute to the Spinal Shaft” followed, seguing into “Domino Theory”. “Domino” caught several fans off guard with a slower than average intro and the repeated jam from “Remind Me” in Aspen, CO, at the beginning of the West Coast run.

Next, Umphrey’s followed up with “Forks” as the first selection off of their 20th-anniversary album, it’s not us. “Professor Wormbog” made an appearance as well. Although the song has been dusted off the shelf a little more regularly, it doesn’t have the same feel that it used to since the band dropped the vocal harmony section for a turbo-charged reprise.

“Forks”

[Video: Must Have Media]

“The Haunt” was busted out next, after only being played eight times in the last three years and only once in all of 2017. Adding to the fervor was the segue into Pearl Jam’s “Release”. The first of three covers, “Release” not only speaks to the amount of fun the band was having on tour, but it hasn’t made a setlist appearance since 2014’s Halloween run in Boston. Bayliss dedicated the song to a dear friend, Dave, in his postscript banter, and the band closed the first set with the second and final selection from the new album, the industrial grind “Looks”.

The second set was full of the band’s biggest staples and was loaded with danceable grooves from start to finish, beginning with the home-town anthem “In The Kitchen”. A standalone “Stinko’s Ascension” followed next. A Raw Stewage selection from UMBowl VI in 2015, the song has been in heavy rotation this year–a welcome trend.

Before starting the next song, Bayliss addressed what apparently was a growing problem from the audience. “We try and make a conscious effort to not be political or get too serious because we feel like when you go to concerts, you go to forget about all the bullshit in the world because it’s always going to be there tomorrow. We try and avoid it, but someone in the front row is kind of pushing it tonight, and I don’t want to go there. Emily,” he said addressing the offender, “You’re wearing a ‘Toto Sucks’ T-shirt. There’s too much hate in the world, and they’re not here to defend themselves, so I’m going to do it for them. Think about what you’re doing. This one’s for you, all the Toto haters.” Then, the silky smooth tandem drum rhythm of “Africa” came from the percussion section of Kris Meyers and Andy Farag, quickly followed by the rest of the band.

“Africa”

[Video: Must Have Media]

“All In Time”, one of the oldest and definitely the most-played song in Umphrey’s catalog, followed. Trevor Steer from Organ Freeman also joined keyboardist Joel Cummins for a jam in the first half. All in all, this particular “All In Time” was just shy of twenty minutes. After the first ten, the band slid into “Much Obliged”. They closed the set with an enormous take on “Utopian Fir”. In the early breakdown, a convincing tease of “YYZ” by Rush had me almost expecting a full cover but a 30-second tease was more than enough. A completely unexpected move, however, was a heavy jam on The New Deal track “Home” ahead of the closing section of the song.

When they returned for an encore, the audience was treated to Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains The Same” and the end of “All In Time”. Unfortunately for West Coast fans, it may be a cryptic musing on patience and the pending return of Umphrey’s McGee in the future.

Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | The Observatory North Park | San Diego, CA | 3/25/18

Set 1: Attachments, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Domino Theory, Forks, Professor Wormbog, The Haunt > Release, Looks

Set 2: In The Kitchen, Stinko’s Ascension, Africa, All In Time [1] > Much Obliged, Utopian Fir [2]

Encore: The Song Remains the Same > All In Time

[1] with Trevor Steer on keys
[2] with Spirit of The Radio (Rush) tease and Home (The New Deal) jam