On Saturday night, Umphrey’s McGee returned to Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium for their New Year’s celebration and the final show of their three-night run. During the performance, the band collaborated with brass-badasses Mad Dog and his Filthy Little Secret Horns and busted out two debuts—one Umphrey’s original, “The Silent Type,” and a boisterous cover of The Police’s “Canary in a Coalmine.”

The two nights prior, Umphrey’s invited opening acts Aqueous and Eminence Ensemble to get the parties started, and appropriately announced their NYE performance as an evening with Umphrey’s McGee. The six-piece progressive rock powerhouse wasted no time in getting the New Year’s momentum rolling, starting their performance not long after 8 PM, and burning down the house until after 1 AM. The 5-hour rager Umphrey’s hosted was one hell of a way to ring in the New Year in the Rocky Mountains.

Umphrey’s got the night off to a raucous start, opening with the heavy-hitter fan favorite “Nothing Too Fancy.” The meaty jam served as a full first-set sandwich, as the band squeezed “1348,” “Got Your Milk (Right Here),” “Tribute to the Spinal Shaft,” and “Make It Right” in, before guitarists Jake Cinninger and Brenden Bayliss brought the group back into “Nothing Too Fancy,” trading off scorching guitar solos. The jam-heavy first set was just a taste of the savory NYE performance that Umphrey’s was about to throw down.

After a brief break, Umphrey’s kicked off the second set with “Turn & Dub” by inviting Mad Dog and his Filthy Little Secret Horns onstage. The horn section stayed onstage as “Smell The Mitten” followed, before the band brought it back to the six of them, and blazed through “Remind Me” and “Slacker.”

A horn-heavy “Utopian Fir” sandwich came next, as Umphrey’s perfectly executed a cover of Huey Lewis & The News’ “I Want a New Drug” in the middle of yet another tasty sandwich served up. The instrumental “Glory” served as the set two closer as Cinninger scorched through the beauteous beast, with Kris Meyers, Ryan Stasik, and Andy Farag holding down a mean rhythm section.

[Video: Andrew Tobin]

With Umphrey’s fully locked and loaded and 2018 just minutes around the corner, the band opened set three with “Wappy Sprayberry.” As the band slowly but confidently built the jam of the night up, “Wappy” peaked and the sextet started a ten-second countdown, with balloons and confetti raining down on the soldout Denver crowd. With champagne flutes abundant and the noise of balloons popping ringing throughout the famed auditorium, Umphrey’s led the crowd through an “Auld Lang Syne” accompanied by horns.

[Video: ryangeorges13 *]

With 2017 in the rearview mirror, and a prosperous new year on the horizon, Umphrey’s busted out a debut original “The Silent Type.” The crowd’s response was enormous, and the band fed off of the infectious Mile High City’s energy for the remainder of the evening. The band had a few more tricks up their sleeve, delivering a massive “Ringo” that included a “Much Obliged” jam and “Entrance of the Gladiator” teases towards the end of the jam.

Another debut followed as Umphrey’s threw down a cover of The Police’s  “Canary in a Coalmine,” before wrapping up the third and final set of the night with “Attachments.” Umphrey’s encored with the Prince classic “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” letting Bayliss belt out the vocals in a humorous fashion.  2017 marked a bright and prosperous year for Umphrey’s McGee, and the band rang in the New Year with an absolute home run show.

For a list of Umphrey’s McGee upcoming tour dates, you can find them here!

Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | The Fillmore Auditorium | Denver, CO | 12/31/2017

Set 1: Nothing Too Fancy > 1348, Got Your Milk (Right Here) > Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Make It Right > Nothing Too Fancy[1]

Set 2: Turn & Dub[2] > Smell the Mitten[3], Remind Me, Slacker, Utopian Fir[2] > I Want a New Drug[2] > Utopian Fir[2] > Glory

Set 3: Wappy Sprayberry[2] > Auld Lang Syne[2], The Silent Type[4] -> Den -> The Silent Type, Ringo[5], Conduit[2], Canary in a Coalmine[6] > Attachments[2]

Encore: I Wanna Be Your Lover[2]

[1] with (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult) tease
[2] with Mad Dog and his Filthy Little Secret horns
[3] with Mad Dog and his Filthy Little Secret horns; with The Jetsons theme (Curtin) tease
[4] debut, original
[5] with Much Obliged jam and Entrance of the Gladiators (Julius Fučík) tease
[6] debut, The Police; with Mad Dog and his Filthy Little Secret horns

[Photo: SliceCinematics via Umphrey’s Facebook page]