Writer: Erick Lattrell
Photographer: Anne Lattrell
On Wednesday, April 24th, Umphrey’s McGee (UM), the masters of “Improginizational” musical exploration, returned to Higher Ground to begin a two-night run. These shows mark the first time UM has played at Higher Ground since August 11th, 2016. The venue has hosted UM 23 times to date, and Wednesday’s show encapsulated just how much love the band consistently shows to their fans in VT. Despite a cold, blustery evening and some late-season snow flurries, the love was equally reciprocated by the fans. In true UM fashion, they proceeded from their first notes to metaphorically burn down the house. On night one, just after the second set opener of ‘Small Strides,’ Brendan Bayliss (Guitar/Vocals) captured the band and audience exchange, exclaiming, “I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you for making it not feel like the middle of the week. It feels like Saturday night right now. Thank you!”
The two-night Higher Ground run, along with its companion shows at House of Blues Boston this Friday and Saturday, are part of an October 2023 reschedule coming off the heels of Kris Myers’ (Drums/Vocals) recuperation after rotator cuff surgery in the latter half of 2023. While the remaining shows of 2023 saw numerous guest drummers from other bands, including Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic), Mike Greenfield (Lotus), Ben Atkind (formerly Goose), Jason Bonham, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), and others, these rescheduled shows were special. The upcoming Boston shows are UM Bowl, a yearly unique concert experience featuring six sets of music over two nights. These special sets include the band’s choice, fan-submitted ideas & themes in real-time improvisation, setlist determined by fan votes in real-time, all covers voted by fans, and improvised scores to fan-voted classical film scenes. This type of show simply would not be possible with guest drummers, despite the incredible skill and experience of all those who helped through the latter part of 2023.
Wednesday’s three-hour show featured the usual two sets of exciting, dynamic, expressive, and exploratory music. However, there was an electricity in the air as UM’s exploration took on a new twist of flavor. Bassist Ryan Stasik stated on social media Thursday afternoon, “Appreciating the guys’ patience lately and ability to really venture into different styles and genres during one song.” The style evolution throughout songs has been noticeable even in the last five shows, as UM just culminated their Carolinas tour on Sunday evening in Wilmington, NC.
Much of UM’s Wednesday barn burner show featured fan favorites such as ‘Der Bluten Kat,’ ‘Mantis,’ ‘In the Kitchen,’ and ‘Wife Soup.’ While much of the show was UM’s unique brand of intensity and dynamics, many moments were punctuated with humor and sudden and adept changes. Leading into set two’s ‘Crucial Taunt,’ Joel Cummins (Keyboards/Vocals) created an ethereal atmosphere accompanied by Brendal Bayliss ad-libbing a SNL-style ‘Deep Thoughts with Joel Cummins,’ a lighthearted joke that would continue through the second set leading to friendly banter, wonderful crowd engagement, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. UM’s daring exploration was evidenced by a five-song second set with ample changes punctuating a show that had already seen a metal shred fest, lightning-fast chicken pickin’, a trance dance party, funk grooves, and a bra or two being thrown on stage.
Night two was a whole different ball game. While the prior night’s explorations often led to intense metal-inspired crescendos, Thursday’s show, while starting intense with seminal favorite ‘Miss Tinkle’s Overture,’ was a different flavor of UM show entirely. There was no lack of explorative jamming; however, the setlist comprised 18 songs versus Wednesday’s 12, and the band seemed to allow themselves to settle into more groove-oriented jams and songs with even more subtlety. Set one’s sandwich of ‘Puppet String’ highlighted Ryan Stasik’s (bass, no vocals) exceptional command of his instrument and gave the band a vehicle to explore incredible dynamics throughout the whole set.
Set two of night two kept fans guessing while weaving in and out of songs from the band’s 26-year-deep catalog. Jake Cinninger (Guitar/Vocals), while always wowing audiences with his guitar wizardry, accentuated his vast stylistic repertoire with a drum and guitar breakdown that teased Van Halen, Rage Against the Machine, and other classic metal interspersed with his own flavor of guitar. Concurrently, the ever stoic and icing to the UM cake was Andy Farag (Percussion), whose presence is so beautifully nuanced and locked in with the drum kit that it is often hard to know where the drum kit and the auxiliary percussion begin and end.
UM’s dedication to the mastery of their instruments and years of experience lend themselves to a truly unique and expansive concert experience. It is easy to hear and see why so many of their dedicated fans travel far and wide to see them time and time again. Check out Umphrey’s McGee at House of Blues Boston Friday and Saturday this week or on their upcoming summer tour. Rage. Rest. Repeat.
Night 1 Gallery:
Night 2 Gallery:
