Umphrey’s McGee embarked on a new chapter in its nearly 30-year history this week with the band’s first run of shows featuring newly installed drummer Scotty Zwang. The longtime jam veteran of SunSquabi, Ghost Light, and Dopapod will fill in for the vast majority of 2025 Umphrey’s McGee tour dates, following drummer Kris Myers‘ sudden resignation earlier this month after 22 years with the band.

Scotty Zwang had previously performed with Umphrey’s McGee on September 7th, 2023 at Mishawaka Amphitheatre when Myers was out for shoulder surgery, splitting the bulk of the first set with former Goose drummer Ben Atkind. Zwang also made a guest appearance behind the kit on February 1st of this year at The Capitol Theatre, as well as joining Andy Farag on percussion the following night in Huntington, NY.

Umphrey’s McGee opened its first tour with Zwang with a two-night run at The Windjammer in Isle of Palms, SC on Thursday and Friday. The run started with “Hurt Bird Bath” which, perhaps coincidentally, was the first song Myers played with Umphrey’s at original drummer Mike Mirro‘s last show with the band on New Year’s Eve 2002. The band went deep on the opening 25-minute telling, evolving from type I-style peak jamming to multi-part, open-ended playing that was a sign of things to come.

Thursday’s five-song first set reflected the band’s renewed jam-heavy approach, possibly a result of Zwang still learning Umphrey’s McGee’s vast catalog. Other highlights from the first set included a blissful and dreamy 17-minute “Pure Saturation”, a funky “Anchor Drops” with prominent organ work from Joel Cummins that felt straight out of an MLB ballpark, and a precise “JaJunk” closer.

The jam-heavy approach continued into the second set with an opening one-two of “Plunger” into “Uncommon” that went unabated for 35 minutes, with the latter getting some uncommonly deep improv. Umphrey’s also took Talking Heads‘ “Making Flippy Floppy” for a deep dive and dusted off the first “Down Under” (Men at Work) since September 17th, 2023 in Bozeman, MT, which featured Lotus’ Mike Greenfield on drums, per All Things Umphreys.

After walking out to “Nipple Trix”, Umphrey’s dug in on Friday with a more song-heavy first set. An early “Wife Soup” may have been a nod to UM superfan @wife_soup_bass, who celebrated her 200th show on Friday, preceding a multi-textured “The Linear” paired with a smooth “Booth Love”. While “Educated Guess” was kept fairly succinct, the new guy proved his willingness to dive in head first by tackling the song’s complex drum outro with style and grace. A satisfying 13-minute “In the Kitchen” then summoned friend, frequent collaborator, and SC local Kanika Moore, who joined in on a debut of Neil Young‘s “Harvest Moon”.

Umphrey’s kicked off the second set with the undisputed highlight of the show and possibly the entire run, a multi-section, 26-minute “Bridgeless” that emphasized the band’s ongoing commitment to patience and exploration. The latter half of the following “Cemetery Walk” movement allowed for some fun synth-propelled jamming thanks to Joel, before “Women Wine and Song” got taken out for a noticeably extended, nearly 10-minute run, paired well with a dark and brooding “Escape Goat”. After a “40’s Theme” set closer, Umphrey’s returned to encore with Wang Chung‘s “Dance Hall Days” before bringing it all back around for another five-minute chew on “Bridgeless” to finish the run.

Umphrey’s McGee will continue its Cruising Altitude Tour with shows this weekend in North Carolina. Widespread Panic’s Duane Trucks will fill in behind the kit for a trio of Florida shows May 29th–31st before Zwang returns to finish out the rest of the band’s 2025 tour dates. Find tickets and tour dates on Umphrey’s McGee’s website. Stream full audio of both shows on nugs. Not a subscriber? Get started here. [Editor’s note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your subscription via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the live music world. Thanks for reading!]

Umphrey’s McGee — The Windjammer — Isle Of Palms, SC — 5/22/25 — Full Audio

Umphrey’s McGee — The Windjammer — Isle Of Palms, SC — 5/23/25 — Full Audio

Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | The Windjammer | Isle of Palms, SC | 5/22/25

Set One: Hurt Bird Bath, Walletsworth, Pure Saturation > Anchor Drops, JaJunk
Set Two: Plunger > Uncommon[1] > Making Flippy Floppy (Talking Heads), Hajimemashite, Down Under (Men At Work) > Andy’s Last Beer
Encore: The Silent Type

[1] “Jimmy Stewart” with lyrics

Show Notes: Entire show with Scotty Zwang on drums

Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | The Windjammer | Isle of Palms, SC | 5/23/25

Set One: Nipple Trix > Wife Soup, The Linear > Booth Love, Educated Guess, In the Kitchen, Harvest Moon (Neil Young) [1], Got You Milk (Right Here)
Set Two: Bridgeless, Cemetery Walk I > Cemetery Walk II, Women Wine and Song > Escape Goat, 40’s Theme
Encore: Dance Hall Days (Wang Chung) > Bridgeless

[1] w/ Kanika Moore, FTP

Show Notes: Entire show with Scotty Zwang on drums