Watch Kris Myers Make Triumphant Return With Umphrey’s McGee On New Year’s Eve

On December 31, 2002, Umphrey’s McGee introduced their fans to their new drummer Kris Myers by having him perform with the band in public for the first time during their New Year’s Eve concert at The Vic in Chicago. Twenty-one years later, UM was back in Chicago on Sunday for another New Year’s Eve show (this time at The Riviera Theatre) and Myers once again used the occasion to mark a momentous performance with the band.

Myers — who officially replaced late co-founding drummer Mike Mirro in 2003 — was sidelined for the latter part of 2023 following surgery on his shoulder. UM continued touring in his absence, playing over 20 times while enlisting an impressive roster of fill-in drummers like Duane Trucks, Mike Greenfield, Jeremy Salken and others. Sunday’s New Year’s Eve concert featured former Goose drummer Ben Atkind filling in for Myers.

UM’s regular New Year’s Eve horn section Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns, led by trumpeter Michael “Mad Dog” Mavridoglou, were back for another celebratory performance and augmented the band throughout various points of the show.

Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns, which includes Dave Matthews Band saxophonist Jeff Coffin, emerged at the start of the second of three sets, adding to first to “Staircase.” The horns remained for a subsequent debut cover of David Bowie’s “Young Americans.” Later in the second set, the horns returned and Mad Dog sang lead on UM’s first time performing the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes.” The guests stuck around to close out set two with “Out Of Focus” and the ending of a previously started “1348.”

“Small Strides” was selected to open the third set, which was the last song played by UM in 2023 as it led into the countdown to midnight and celebratory “Auld Lang Syne.” The start of 2024 saw Myers make his triumphant return and take over for Atkind behind the drum kit. UM’s first song with Myers since July 2023 was “The Silent Type.”

Myers remained for the rest of the show, which continued with “I Don’t Know What I Want.” Atkind then joined Andy Farag on percussion as the horns came back for UM’s debut attempt at Karl Denson’s song “Elephants.” Set three ended with the horns helping out on “Escape Goat.”

Mad Dog and his crew came back out with UM for the encore, which started off with “Day Nurse.” One more cover debut was in store for fans at The Riv as Umphrey’s Mcgee punctuated the night with their first time taking on “Take On Me” by A-Ha.

Scroll on for audio and video from Umphrey’s McGee’s New Year’s Eve concert in Chicago:

Setlist (via All Things UM)

Set One: Attachments [1] > Hiccup [1] > Night Nurse [1] > All In Time [1] > The Floor [1]

Set Two: Staircase [2] > Young Americans [3], It Doesn’t Matter [1] > Hajimemashite [1] > 1348 [1] > What a Fool Believes[4], Out of Focus[2] > 1348[2]

Set Three: Small Strides [1] > Auld Lang Syne [2], The Silent Type [5], I Don’t Know What I Want, Educated Guess, Elephants [6], Escape Goat [7]

Encore: Day Nurse [7], Take On Me [8]

Notes:

• [1] with Ben Atkind on drums
• [2] with Ben Atkind on drums and Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [3] debut, David Bowie; with Ben Atkind on drums and Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [4] debut, The Doobie Brothers; with Ben Atkind on drums, Michael “Mad Dog” Mavridoglou on vocals, and Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [5] with Auld Lang Syne (Burns) teases; with Kris replacing Ben on drums and Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [6] debut, Karl Denson; with Ben Atkind on percussion and Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [7] with Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [8] debut, A-ha; with Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns