Photos & Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee Bookends Night Two With Bust Outs

Photos by: Steve Olker

Chicago sextet Umphrey’s McGee played the second of three shows at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on Friday night, where they dug into their massive catalog for a handful of rare treats as part of a performance filled with top shelf jamming.

The band opened with the instrumental “Auf Wiedersehen” which hadn’t been performed since February 15, 2013 – a span of 288 shows. “Auf Wiedersehen” led into a standout “Hurt Bird Bath” filled with impressive interplay between guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger. Golden oldie “2nd Self” was followed by one of the newest UM originals, “Speak Up.” Set One concluded with a jam-heavy “1348” > “Ocean Billy” > “Drums” > “Ocean Billy,” “Gents” > “1348” sequence. The segue from “1348” > “Ocean Billy” was perfectly placed, while “Drums” was long enough to garner a listing in an UM official setlist for the first time since October 17, 2014.

Set Two was a high energy affair that saw the group build to many peaks throughout. “Bad Friday” has become a true jam vehicle, while “Wappy Sprayberry” spanned well past the 10-minute mark. Cinninger was on fire during the second set with his “JaJunk” solo of particular note. The “JaJunk” jam saw the band move effortlessly between major and minor keys and win roars from the capacity crowd with its blissful climax. An “In The Kitchen” second set closer was another highlight of the evening with yet another powerful Jake solo that was heavy on the shredding. Umphrey’s McGee put an exclamation mark on the show with the dream encore of “Hajimemashite” > “Tom Sawyer.” Bayliss was in fine voice on both and even put down his guitar to focus on his Geddy Lee impression for the Rush cover which had been shelved since August 31, 2014 (119). Umphrey’s played the Rush cover for a fan who had held up a sign the previous night explaining that it was his first show and he’d love to see a Rush cover. Bayliss took note of the sign on Friday and promised the fan he’d get his request if he returned the next night. Fans left the venue to find a coating of snow on the ground as a blizzard started to wrap itself around New York City. Tonight’s concert has been cancelled due to the storm.

Watch video of “In The Kitchen” captured by Kyle Miller:

Photos (By Stephen Olker)

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”165″ gal_title=”20160122 Umphreys Beacon Stephen Olker”]

Setlist (via All Things Umphreys)

Set One: Auf Wiedersehen > Hurt Bird Bath, 2nd Self, Speak Up, 1348 > Ocean Billy > Drums > Ocean Billy, Gents > 1348

Set Two: Bad Friday, The Floor, Wappy Sprayberry > JaJunk, Similar Skin, In The Kitchen[1]

Encore: Hajimemashite > Tom Sawyer

[1] with Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac) tease