Umphrey’s McGee returned to Red Rocks Amphitheatre last night, for what’s becoming a yearly July 4th weekend tradition. Expanding to two nights this year, the progressive jam masters hit the stage in Morrison, CO last night for a show filled with old favorites, new songs, rare covers, and an awesome guest appearance by opening act Dweezil Zappa.
Set one opened with a classic pairing of “Glory” into “In The Kitchen.” These two songs have been hallmarks of Umphrey’s catalog for years, and it’s great to see them trot out two of their best live tunes to open such a huge weekend at Red Rocks. Next up was “Roctopus”, which only just debuted at UMBowl this year in Las Vegas during its Raw Stewage segment. After that was “Speak Up”, a relatively new song that only debuted this past New Year’s Eve.
Glory/In The Kitchen
Following “Speak Up”, the band transitioned from new to old with a performance of the beloved ballad “Water,” played for only the second time this year. The song led directly into “Utopian Fir,” which is where things really got interesting, as Dweezil Zappa came out and ripped it up with Umphrey’s on the jam launchpad. Umphrey’s McGee, and specifically guitarist Jake Cinninger, are hugely influenced by Frank Zappa, so a guest spot by his virtuoso son is a dream come true. The band and their guest worked their way through the jam, and landed on a wild set-closing debut cover of Dweezil’s Dad’s classic “Muffin Man.”
Following the guitar fireworks that closed set one, Umphrey’s had no choice but to turn it up even more, and that’s what they did. Perhaps their best and truest progressive rock song, “Bridgeless” opened the second set in a huge way, as the song’s first section ended and bled into another progressive masterpiece in “2×2”. After this dream pairing of songs, the band started the funky “Bright Lights, Big City”. The song was was a great change of pace and gave fans a chance to dance after raging so hard to begin the set.
Another multi-sectional classic was next, as the familiar percussive intro of “Der Bluten Kat” launched the band into outer space. The song was split into two parts, with an impressive cover of Bruce Springsteen‘s “I’m On Fire” in the middle of the song. After finishing the final section of “DBK”, the band gave fans another chance to dance with the synth-laden “Day Nurse”, which led right into the final section of “Bridgeless” to close out the second set.
After a short break, Umphrey’s McGee returned to the stage for a great disco-funk version of “Booth Love,” which took a left turn and transformed into “Miss Tinkles Overture” for a raging conclusion to an excellent night one at Red Rocks. Umphrey’s McGee return to Red Rocks tonight to conclude their run at the famous venue, this time with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead filling the opening slot.
Check out the full setlist from Umphrey’s at Red Rocks, as well as photos from Phierce Photo, below.
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee at Red Rocks, Morrison, COÂ – 7/2/16
Set One: Glory > In The Kitchen, Roctopus, Speak Up > Water > Utopian Fir[1] > Muffin Man [2]Â
Set Two:Â Bridgeless -> 2×2, Bright Lights, Big City, Der Bluten Kat > I’m On Fire > Der Bluten Kat, Day Nurse, Bridgeless
Encore: Booth Love > Miss Tinkle’s Overture
[1] With Dweezil Zappa
[2] debut, Frank Zappa cover; with Dweezil Zappa
