Brendan Bayliss & Jake Cinninger Fill 2017 Holiday Show With Covers, Guests & Rarities

Umphrey’s McGee guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger hosted their traditional seasonal celebration in The Windy City last night. Brendan & Jake’s 15th Annual Holiday Show took place at Park West in Chicago and featured the pair joined by three other members of UM and additional guests including Jennifer Hartswick.

The evening was a fundraiser for People’s Music Of Chicago. Umphrey’s McGee keyboardist Joel Cummins began the concert with a set of his own. Brendan & Jake opened their set with a “Divisions” featuring “Yoga Pants” within as well as the first known version of Shaker song “Simple Gifts” played by the pair since the 2009 Holiday show. Up next was a “Nemo” that included the beautiful UM instrumental “Sweetness” as the break in the middle of the tune.

The show rolled on with Cinninger leading “Bad Poker,” a tune of his Umphrey’s hasn’t played since January. Brendan then fronted “You & You Alone,” a ballad from the forthcoming UM studio album it’s not us. Five-sixths of Umphrey’s (Jake, Brendan, Joel, Andy Farag and Kris Myers) then assembled for one of the group’s earliest instrumentals, “Kimble.” Other guests who contributed at various points of the evening included traditional Christmas Show pedal steel player Mike Racky and owner of The Store Kevin Kostelecky.

Among the covers performed throughout the rest of the night were “Jacksonville Skyline” from Ryan Adams’ Whiskeytown days, Paul McCartney’s “Let Me Roll It” and the Grateful Dead’s “They Love Each Other.” Bayliss showed off his multi-instrumental skills as he played piano, bass and mandolin at various points in addition to his usual guitar duties. Jake did the same with bass and drum work among the roles he performed.

Jennifer Hartswick emerged towards the end of the main set to sing a gorgeous rendition of John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery.” Then, Hartswick stuck around to duet with Bayliss on “Bullhead City.” For the encore, Jake and Brendan led covers of John Lennon’s “Mind Games” and Jackson Browne’s “Running On Empty.” Jennifer helped out on the finale, a cover of Journey’s ode to San Francisco – “Lights.”

Watch a few clips from the evening:

[Jacksonville Skyline]

[Angel From Montgomery]

[You & You Alone]

Jake & Brendan Holiday Show 2017 Setlist (Compiled by Sam Sutton)

Set: Divisions > Yoga Pants > Divisions > Simple Gifts > Divisions, Nemo > Sweetness > Nemo, Bad Poker, You and You Alone, Kimble, Gone For Good, Jacksonville Skyline, Susannah, They Love Each Other, Push and Pull, Take The Long Way Home, Angel From Montgomery, Bullhead City, Let Me Roll It

Encore: Mind Games, Running on Empty, Lights

Special Guests: Andy Farag, Joel Cummins, Kris Myers, Mike Racky, Kevin Kostelecky, Jennifer Hartswick