Last night, Umphrey’s McGee kicked off their latest round of tour dates with a performance at The Augusta Commons in Auguest, GA featuring support from The Marcus King Band. During the second set of Umph’s headlining performance, the Chicago natives welcomed Marcus King for a rendition of Rolling Stones classic “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” The young axe-slinger showered the rocking cover with fiery licks. King’s ferocious riffing–along with the already formidable two-guitar attack of Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger–gave the entire song a distinctly southern feel, sparks flying as King and Cinninger traded solos and built the song to a raucous peak. “Give it up for the Marcus King Band,” Bayliss proclaimed after their  guest left the stage. “Man, those guys are hot!”

The feelings of excitement and gratitude were mutual. In a comment to Live For Live Music, King raved about the experience: “Those cats are some of my favorite players! They’re so passionate and dedicated to their craft. It’s always been inspiring. I had shaky knees walking on the stage, no doubt about it.”

The King sit-in was far from the only highlight of the show, which included a memorable first set-closing “Sociable Jimmy” > “Tribute To The Spinal Shaft” > “Speak Up” > “Thin Air” run and and excellent early second set “Bridgeless” that returned to close the set after a well-executed “Resolution.”

The band had one more surprise in store for the encore, as they followed “The Triple Wide” with the eponymous refrain from the end of the Beatles classic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The debut cover was a nod to the iconic LP’s 50th anniversary last week.

You can listen to full audio of Umphrey’s McGee’s 6/1/17 Augusta performance below courtesy of taper NSL on archive.org

Umphrey’s McGee continues their current set of dates with a performance at The Music Farm in Columbia, South Carolina tonight. For a full list of upcoming tour dates, head to the band’s website.

SETLIST: Umphrey’s McGee | Augusta Common | Augusta, GA | 6/1/17

Set One: 2nd Self > Mad Love, Intentions Clear > No Diablo, Sociable Jimmy > Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Speak Up > Thin Air

Set Two: Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Women Wine and Song, Bridgeless > Booth Love, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking[1], Resolution > Bridgeless

Encore: The Triple Wide > Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)[2]

[1] with Marcus King on guitar
[2] debut, The Beatles

[Cover photo via Emily Butler (Marcus), Phierce Photo by Keith G (Umphrey’s)]