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Umphrey’s McGee, Revolution Hall, Troy, NY, 4/10/08 |
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Written by Lauren Modisette
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
Photo: Sam Freidman
Umphrey’s McGee unleashed a funky but low-key performance full of teases on Thursday, April 10th in Troy, NY. While proceeding nights’ setlists looked significantly more exciting, the Revolution Hall performance was not the predictable small-venue show. To the delight of the 16+ crowd, the band played the cherished “Miss Tinkle’s Overture” and “Nemo,” and lucky for those fans that don’t get to many shows, about half the songs played were pulled from studio albums.
On the other hand, it was also disappointing that so much of the setlist came from prerecorded material, as Umphrey’s has a relatively large collection of songs that have not, and may never make it to the studio (“Bridgeless” and “All in Time,” among others). When I previously interviewed Stasik in October 2007, he noted that the band likes to fill its studio albums with new and fresh material (with the exception of The Bottom Half, a studio album featuring tunes that didn’t make it on Safety In Numbers); because of this, many of their songs simply float. Regardless, they teased Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh” during “Wappy Sprayberry” and jammed out to “Billie Jean” during “Bright Lights,” and while this infusion of instrumental homage kept the kids on their toes, the words of Michael Jackson and Roger Waters’ failed to reach the lips of Umphrey’s frontman, Brendan Bayliss. The band kicked off the second set, however, with a full-on, timeless cover of The Police’s “When the World is Running Down You Make the Best of What’s Still Around,” in a nod to a group that has significantly influenced the Umphrey’s sound.
Improvisational highlights reigned between The Police cover and “Nemo,” and the jam during “Alex’s House” brought the song to its peak before keyboardist Joel Cummins slowed things down a bit with his own eerie melody. The quintet has a unique and invisible means of communication onstage that allows them to nail every sharp finale and smooth segue. At one point during “Soul Food 1,” it was as if bassist Stasik and headman Bayliss were challenging the digital genius of guitarist Jake Cinninger with short but methodic improvs. But, as any Umphreak will vouch, Cinninger is a force to be reckoned with, and he never fails to retaliate with similar, if not more complex, jams.
The band is currently on a “You Booze, You Lose” tour, putting its drinking habits on a strict hold. At the moment they are also working on a new studio album and getting pumped for their summer tour with Sound Tribe Sector 9. Let’s hope the integrations of the Umphrey’s and STS9 crowds go well.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 21 April 2008 )
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