Guitarist Steve Sweney Joins Umphrey’s McGee At The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival

Last night Umphrey’s McGee performed at the second night of The Werk Out Music & Arts Festival thrown by The Werks at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. During Umphrey’s second set of their headlining appearance, the Chicago-based band welcomed a guitarist from another Ohio band, Steve Sweney of ekoostik hookah.

Friday night’s first set mixed originals from across UM’s lengthy career and included just their second (unfinished) rendition of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” in the midst of the first set closing “Bright Lights, Big City.” The second set led off with “40’s Theme” and “Blue Echo” which concluded with the rarely played “Kula” ending, followed by another bust out in the form of the White Zombie/Frankie Goes to Hollywood/Pink Floyd mashup “Frankie Zombie” which had not been playing since last December.

Toward the end of the second set UM took “Ringo” into “The Fuzz” before past collaborator Steve Sweney emerged with his guitar to augment the second half of “Ringo.” Sweney and ekoostik hookah were also on The Werk Out bill and the guitarist was joining UM for the first time since 2004. The band then finished their appearance off with “The Floor” as the night’s encore before turning things over to the fest’s late night sets.

Umphrey’s McGee performs tonight at Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park in Indianapolis, which is being webcasted for free by Yahoo! Live.

Set One: Lucid State > 1348, Piranhas, Out Of Order > Dump City, Conduit, Puppet String, Bright Lights, Big City > When Doves Cry[1] > Bright Lights, Big City

Set Two: 40’s Theme, Blue Echo[1] > Kula[2] > Frankie Zombie, Hurt Bird Bath > Upward > Hurt Bird Bath, Ringo > The Fuzz > [3]Ringo

Encore: The Floor

[1] unfinished
[2] ending only
[3] with Steve Sweney on guitar