The inimitable Umphrey’s McGee stopped in Columbus, Ohio last night for a night of high-octane rock and roll at EXPRESS Live!. The show featured a number of classic Umphrey’s tunes, a few standout jams, some of the band’s best new material, and a standout cover of the Beatles‘ “Tomorrow Never Knows” to close out the show.

Set one kicked off with the piano driven intro track “Jekyll & Hyde” before transitioning Similar Skin‘s progressive bonus track “Room To Breathe”. Newer tune “Speak Up” came next, and the song quickly launched into “Jazz Odyssey” territory, with the band taking an extended improvisational take on the funky track. Eventually, the jam moved into “Get In The Van”, with the beloved older song bringing the vibe back to heavy rock. “No Diablo” is a great, soaring ballad, and Umphrey’s used the track to perfection as a semi-breather. The breather was temporary, however, as the band then started up their electronic rager “Nothing Too Fancy”, which contained a glorious jam before moving into more progressive rock with “Cemetery Walk 1”. “Water” provided another moment of deep improv for the band before winding their way back into “Nothing Too Fancy” to conclude the dancey song and the improv-heavy first set.

Set Two kicked off with another new song, the AC/DC-esque “Rocktopus” that has been melting faces all over the country this summer. “Rocktopus” made way for a rare “Spires”, another excellent track from the band’s 2009 progressive rock breakthrough, Mantis. “2nd Self” provided a great moment for the old-school fans to let loose, and the set would focus on older material for the rest of the night. “Prowler” into “Syncopated Strangers” was an excellent pairing, that really pushed the band outside of the box, showing off the band’s jazz-fusion skills as they played the composed sections with perfection.

“Much Obliged” always pumps up the crowd, and it was no different last night, as the fan-favorite track brought a thunderous energy. “No Comment” eventually emerged out of “MO”, providing the set’s first down moment after six songs of pure, unadulterated rock and roll. “Cemetery Walk 2” would come next, and would act as one more opportunity to dance before the band finished set two.

For the encore, the band kicked things off with a rarity with the acoustic “The Weight Around”, played for the third time this year but only the eleventh time since its debut in 2010. The band then completed the encore with an extremely fun “Bad Friday” that eventually segued into “Tomorrow Never Knows”. John Lennon’s magnum opus was an early cover for the band, but fell out of favor after 2004, as the band has only performed the Revolver track live five times since then. This show marked a gap since October 21st, 2013, and the cover surely acted as a huge surprise for all in the audience.

Umphrey’s McGee returns to the stage tonight with a show in Pittsburgh, PA at Stage AE.

Umphrey’s McGee | 9/8/2016 | EXPRESS Live! | Columbus, Ohio 

Set One: Jekyll & Hyde > Room To Breathe, Speak Up > Get In The Van, No Diablo,  Nothing Too Fancy > Cemetery Walk 1, Water > Nothing Too Fancy

Set Two: Rocktopus, Spires, 2nd Self, Prowler > Syncopated Strangers, Much Obliged > No Comment, Cemetery Walk 2

E: The Weight Around, Bad Friday > Tomorrow Never Knows