This past weekend saw Umphrey’s McGee‘s first performances of 2021 as the band went live for the Wrapped Around Nashville streaming series. Recorded live at drummer Kris Myers‘ home studio in Music City, the band delivered a three-night run on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Over the weekend, Umphrey’s McGee shared an acoustic rendition of “Final Word”, recorded on Friday, February 5th.
Prior to the start of the song, guitarist/singer Brendan Bayliss took a question from a viewer who asked, “do your farts still smell like roses?” To which Bayliss confidently confirmed, “yes, they do.” Though that is only one man’s opinion.
With that, the ensemble tackled “Final Word”, a track that has been in their live rotation since 4/26/13 and played a total of 34 times, Friday night included. With Bayliss and fellow guitarist Jake Cinninger on acoustic guitars, the song took on a lighter tone and—in the best possible way—sounded like the track you’d hear at an eighth-grade graduation ceremony. The five-minute telling allowed for some small windows of improvisation from Cinninger, who used the clean tone of the acoustic guitar to his advantage. Following the performance of “Final Word”, audiences got a brief snippet of a preview of the “Great American” which followed.
Watch Umphrey’s McGee perform “Final Word” on 2/5/21 during night two of Wrapped Around Nashville, directed by Keith Griner. Those who purchased the streams will have access to them for a seven-day “on-demand” replay period following the original airing.
Umphrey’s McGee – “Final Word” – Nashville, TN – 2/5/21
[Video: Umphrey’s McGee]