Umphrey’s McGee Goes Sans Setlist For Tour Opener In Idaho

Chicago sextet Umphrey’s McGee usually employs a pre-planned setlist they use to guide each performance. They rarely follow the plan exactly, but often play most of the songs they go into the night aiming to perform. Last night UM went in another direction as instead of laying out the setlist before the show, they created a list of a couple dozen songs that were options for the evening without figuring out what order they would be played in ahead of the show. Fans love these “song list” shows for their spontaneity and Thursday night’s tour opener at The Hive in Sandpoint, Idaho was no exception.

Umphrey’s kicked off their latest round of touring and fourth-ever performance in The Gem State with “There’s No Crying In Mexico” > “Cut The Cable.” The band then worked “Turn & Run” within “Phil’s Farm” and ended the opening stanza with “Out Of Order,” a well-jammed “Utopian Fir” and “Thin Air.” Thursday’s second set began with “Preamble” > the first “Mantis Ghetts” of the year which gave way to a “Mantis” featuring a dance-rock “Jimmy Stewart” improvisation complete with lyrics spouted by guitarist Brendan Bayliss. The jam-heavy set continued with “Comma Later” and “Amble On” before UM concluded “Mantis.” The venue’s owner, Jeff Grady sat-in on percussion for “Amble On.” From there, the sextet laid down a version of “The Bottom Half” that segued into a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” and back into “The Bottom Half.” Umphrey’s wrapped up the second set by dusting off The Who’s “Eminence Front” for the first time since June 21, 2015 and the instrumental “Eat” for the first time since August 21, 2015. “Slacker” served as the evening’s encore.

Next up for UM is a visit to the Moore Theatre in Seattle tonight. From there, the group brings the tour to the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon for performances on Saturday and Sunday.

Setlist (via All Things Umphreys)

Set One: There’s No Crying In Mexico > Cut the Cable, Phil’s Farm > Turn & Run > Phil’s Farm, Out Of Order > Utopian Fir[1] > Thin Air

Set Two: Preamble > Mantis Ghetts > Mantis[2] > Comma Later > Amble On[3] > Mantis, The Bottom Half > I’m On Fire > The Bottom Half, Eminence Front > Eat

Encore: Slacker

• [1] with The Ocean (Led Zeppelin) tease
• [2] “Jimmy Stewart” with lyrics
• [3] with Jeff Grady on percussion