Video | Umphreys McGee Pays Tribute To Chris Squire

Last night Umphrey’s McGee performed at the sold-out Limelight Eventplex in Peoria, Illinois after bad weather forced the band to move the show indoors from the planned outdoors Riverfront Festival Park. Staying true to past form, the band honored a recently departed rocker, playing a song in tribute to Chris Squire after news of his death surfaced.

#umphreys pic.twitter.com/EAVA7U1YZV

— Umphrey’s McGee (@umphreysmcgee) June 29, 2015

Kicking off the concert, UM launched a huge “Front Porch” > “Resolution” > “Front Porch” > “Root Beer Rag” > “Front Porch” > “Hey, Hey What Can I Do > “Front Porch” medley. Portions of “Front Porch” featured crew member Steve Britz and contained teases of “Happy Birthday” in his honor. It was only the band’s second performance of Billy Joel’s “Root Beer Rag” having last been played November 29, 2003 at House of Blues in Chicago. 

UM paid tribute to Yes bassist Chris Squire by playing the band’s classic “Roundabout” to close the second set. News of Squire’s death surfaced yesterday after the legendary rocker lost his battle with cancer. Watch UM’s fitting tribute to the fallen bassist captured by YouTube user mattdavidpiatt:




Setlist (via All Things Umphrey’s)

Set 1: Front Porch > Resolution[1] > Front Porch[2] > Root Beer Rag > Front Porch[3] > Hey, Hey What Can I Do > Front Porch, 2×2, Little Gift, The Pequod > Mulche’s Odyssey

Set 2: Dump City, The Linear -> The Bottom Half, FF[4], Out Of Order, Le Blitz > Domino Theory, Roundabout

Encore: Thin Air[5]

[1] with Back In Black (AC/DC) jam
[2] with Steve Britz on percussion; with Happy Birthday
[3] with Happy Birthday quote
[4] with Fool In the Rain (Led Zeppelin) jam
[5] with Rainbow Country (Bob Marley) quote

Notes:
Happy Birthday was for Steve Britz
Roundabout was for Chris Squire who died earlier that day 
with Front Porch tease before Thin Air
last Root Beer Rag 11.29.2003 (1,384 shows)