Safety In Numbers: Umphrey’s McGee Plays Numerical Set In Pittsburgh

Umphrey’s McGee staged a show on Thursday night at Stage AE in Pittsburgh. The band had some fun with the songs selected for the first set, choosing ones with numerically themed titles.

The aptly named instrumental intro “Bathing Digits” kicked off the numbers-only set. Next came “Rocker 2,” followed by “40’s Theme” and “13 Days.” The numerical focus continued with “Cemetary Walk II” and “Half Delayed.”

UM’s all-originals opening half progressed with “2nd Self” and the sure-bet of the set, “1348.” Funky companions “Soul Food 1” and “Soul Food II” setup a return to finish the aforementioned “1348.”

The second set saw UM once again draw completely from original material and sourcing heavily from their 2022 studio album, Asking For A Friend. A trio of tracks from the album launched the set — “Pure Saturation,” “Draconian” and “Small Strides” — with each expanding beyond 10 minutes. “Make It Right” slid in ahead of another Asking cut, “I Don’t Know What I Want.” The six-song second set drew to a close via a lengthy offering of the UM classic “Ringo.”

A two-song encore was in store after the two main sets. The heartfelt “You & You Alone” came first, followed by the high-octane instrumental “Miss Tinkle’s Overture.”

UM plays tonight in Columbus, Ohio and tomorrow in Detroit. Livestreams are available to nugs.net subscribers. Watch the start of Thursday’s concert in Pittsburgh and stream full show audio via nugs.net below:

Setlist (via All Things UM)

Set One: Bathing Digits > Rocker Part 2, 40’s Theme, 13 Days > Cemetery Walk II, Half Delayed, 2nd Self, 1348[1] > Soul Food I > Soul Food II > 1348

Set Two: Pure Saturation, Draconian, Small Strides, Make It Right, I Don’t Know What I Want, Ringo

Encore: You & You Alone, Miss Tinkle’s Overture

Notes:

• [1] with Dr. Feelgood (Motley Crue) jam and quotes