Watch Mike Portnoy Join Umphrey’s McGee For Rare Spinal Tap & Rush Covers In Chicago

While Umphrey’s McGee drummer Kris Myers reunited with his bandmates for most of the third set and the encore on New Year's Eve, he missed the remainder of the group’s recent three-night New Year’s Run in Chicago to recuperate from shoulder surgery. The band enlisted one of its heroes, Mike Portnoy, to be among the drummers filling in for Myers at The Riviera Theatre.

Mike Portnoy is best known as the founding drummer of Dream Theater. The Long Island native parted ways with the band in 2010 after a 25-year run. The acclaimed progressive-rock band announced Portnoy’s return this past October. Mike Portnoy and lespecial drummer Rory Dolan split UM drumming duties on December 29 in Chicago. Dolan and former Goose drummer Ben Atkind shared time behind the kit on the 30th with Atkind and Myers trading off the spot on New Year’s Eve.

Umphrey’s McGee played a set of classic originals with Rory Dolan to start the night and run on the 29th in Chicago. Mike Portnoy hopped behind the kit for the band’s cover-heavy second set on Friday, December 29 at The Riviera Theatre. Up first was the coupling of “In The Flesh?” and “Another Brick In The Wall” from Pink Floyd’s The Wall album. The latter slid into high-octane UM original “Puppet String.” Next came one of the biggest bust outs in the band’s history as they dusted off their adaptation of The Beatles’ “You Never Give Me Your Money” for the first time since New Year’s Eve 2002 — a span of 2,177 shows. “Plunger” then dropped into The Police gem “Driven To Tears” before UM’s first cover of Genesis’ “Abacab” in over six years segued into a set-closing “Wizard Burial Ground.”

Portnoy was still behind the kit as Umphrey’s began their encore on December 29 with “Conduit.” The Dream Theater drummer then picked up a bass as did Umphrey’s McGee guitarist Brendan Bayliss and took a spot towards the front of the stage. Rory Dolan hopped on drums for “Big Bottom” off the soundtrack to the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap. Keyboardist Joel Cummins introduced the musicians on stage before Bayliss helmed UM’s first “Big Bottom” since February 17, 2013 — a span of 895 shows.

Mike Portnoy was back on drums to channel the late Neil Peart on the Rush instrumental “YYZ,” which was last played by Umphrey’s McGee on December 29, 2018. The six musicians tacked on a few bars of Rush’s “The Spirit Of Radio” to close the show.

View audience-captured video of Umphrey’s and Mike Portnoy performing “Big Bottom” and “YYZ” below:

Official Audio (via nugs.net)

Setlist (via All Things UM)

Set One: Push the Pig[1], Phil’s Farm[1], JaJunk[1] > 13 Days[1] > JaJunk[1], 40’s Theme[1], Nothing Too Fancy[1]

Set Two: In the Flesh?[2] > Another Brick in the Wall[2] > Puppet String[2], You Never Give Me Your Money[2], Plunger[2] > Driven to Tears[2], Abacab[2] > Wizard Burial Ground[2]

Encore: Conduit[2], Big Bottom[3], YYZ[2]

Footnotes:

• [1] with Rory Dolan on drums
• [2] with Mike Portnoy on drums
• [3] with Mike Portnoy and Brendan on lead bass with Ryan, and with Rory Dolan on drums

Show Notes:
entire show without Kris
last You Never Give Me Your Money 2002-12-31 (2,177 shows)
last Abacab 2017-05-26 (470 shows)
last Big Bottom 2013-02-17 (895 shows)
last YYZ 2018-12-29 (336 shows)

Opening Band(s): lespecial

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