Umphrey’s McGee Honors Jeff Beck At 25th Anniversary Tour Opener In Washington D.C

Umphrey’s McGee launched their 25th Anniversary Tour on Thursday with the first of two shows at Washington D.C.’s iconic 9:30 Club. The band paid tribute to legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in the wake of his sudden and tragic death by dusting off a cover of “Led Boots” to kick off the second set of a concert held on the birthdays of UM keyboardist Joel Cummins and sound engineer Chris Mitchell.

Jeff Beck keyboardist Max Middleton wrote the Led Zeppelin homage “Led Boots.” Beck released the song as the opening track on his 1976 studio album, Wired. Umphrey’s McGee debuted their cover of the instrumental on January 3, 2015 at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. A second version played in Huntington, New York two weeks later stood as UM’s most recent take on “Led Boots” until last night.

Umphrey’s McGee took the stage for their second set at the 9:30 Club on Thursday while fans cheered “Joel!” in honor of the keyboardist’s birthday. Guitarist Jake Cinninger emulated Beck’s hot licks on the “Led Boots” bust out and interlaced his axe with Brendan Bayliss on the main theme. Cummins employed synth for an outrageous solo to end the cover. The sextet showed no rust as they nailed their first “Led Boots” in nearly eight years. “We miss him. Mr. Jeff Beck. That’s for him,” Cinninger exclaimed after the tribute.

Stream “Led Boots” and the rest of last night’s show via a recording taped by Alex Leary with official audio available through nugs.net:

Earlier in the night, UM kicked off the seven-song first set with beloved instrumental “The Triple Wide,” which flowed into Asking For A Friend standout “Pure Saturation.” The seamless run continued with oldie “Professor Wormbog” and a powerful “Cemetery Walk.” The ensuing “Got Your Milk (Right Here)” was a well-jammed affair spanning over 15 minutes. Cummins then led his bandmates into the second version of “Exit Signs,” an original debuted last November in Chicago. UM wrapped the frame with “Cemetery Walk II.”

After the Jeff Beck tribute, Umphrey’s McGee took “Plunger” deep. Both “Plunger” and “Ringo,” which were split by Asking For A Friend’s “Small Strides,” went beyond the 20-minute mark and featured diverse explorations. “Ringo” was followed by the Cummins showcase “Kimble,” one of the band’s oldest songs. An extended “Push The Pig” brought last night’s second set to a close.

When UM returned for the encore, Bayliss dedicated the first “Mantis Ghetts” since August 31, 2019 to Chris Mitchell for his birthday. The alternate version of the title track from the band’s 2009 LP gave way to a show-closing “1348.”

Umphrey’s McGee returns to the 9:30 Club tonight. Scroll below for a full list of tour dates.

Setlist

Set One: The Triple Wide > Pure Saturation, Professor Wormbog > Cemetery Walk 1 > Got Your Milk (Right Here) > Exit Signs, Cemetery Walk II

Set Two: Led Boots, Plunger > Small Strides, Ringo > Kimble > Push The Pig

Encore: Mantis Ghetts > 1348