They came, they saw, they played until dawn. In a lot of ways, it was the planting of the Umphrey’s McGee flag in the heart of the South, at the region’s premiere festival. 

After several years of building up steam in the South, with knockout shows at The Tabernacle in Atlanta as well as sold out stops in Asheville, Charlotte, Nashville and many more, it felt like Umphrey’s McGee was wrestling the Southern crown from mainstays like Widespread Panic and STS9. And in 2012 at Bonnaroo, they crowned themselves with a relentless marathon that spilled over into the following day’s sunrise. 

The show itself included nearly every one of the band’s heavy hitters, from early takes on “The Triple Wide,” “The Floor” and “JaJunk” to the early morning “Wizard Burial Ground” that reportedly woke up many trying to sleep in the campgrounds. The show all in all spans 26 songs, including a quasi-setbreak takeover from Big Gigantic. It ends with a take on “In the Kitchen” with a jam that would later become “Similar Skin” before the end of “JaJunk” brought the coronation to a close. 

Later that year, Umphrey’s would return to The Tabernacle for four nights. Two years later, they’d play five sold-out shows in a row. If you’re looking for a few moments where the South became Umphrey’s McGee’s second home, one of those occurred in Manchester, TN on this night. 

Watch the encore below, including some stunning shots of the shocked crowd as the sun rises.