Umphrey’s McGee Pay Tribute To Lemmy At NYE Run Opener In Denver

Umphrey’s McGee began their New Year’s Eve run of shows at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver last night. The improvisation loaded performance counted a musical tribute to legendary bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister among its many highlights.

UM launched last night’s show with an energetic offering of “Andy’s Last Beer” prior to just the second live rendition of new original “Attachments.” The instrumental “#5” came next and was followed by a rocking “Piranhas.” A stop-on-a-dime turn into “Utopian Fir” was soon followed by a brief take on Hawkwind’s “Silver Machine,” played in honor of Lemmy who died earlier this week. The exploratory, soul-rock driven “Fir” came to an end with a drawn-out, skillfully seamless segue into “Phil’s Farm” bringing the (nearly) all-original first set to a close.

The second half of the night began with “Robot World” leading off an extended stretch of continuous playing. An improvised “Jimmy Stewart” segment featured added lyrics by guitarist Brendan Bayliss and was trailed by the New Year’s Run staple “Resolution.” A move into “In The Kitchen” featured more group interaction before dissolving into “Upward.” The set’s lone break in play came before the band kicked into “Tribute To The Spinal Shaft” which featured guitarist Jake Cinninger’s nimble fretwork over a tight groove laid down by bassist Ryan Stasik and the percussion pair of Kris Myers and Andy Farag. The set closing run of “The Fuzz” > “Glory” back into “In The Kitchen” and “Den” as well as an “All In Time” encore wrapped up the first night in Colorado.

Umphrey’s McGee will ring in the New Year tonight at sold-out The Fillmore Auditorium.

Setlist

Set One: Andy’s Last Beer, Attachments, #5, Piranhas > Utopian Fir* -> Phil’s Farm

Set Two: Robot World > “Jimmy Stewart”** > Resolution > In The Kitchen > Upward, Tribute To The Spinal Shaft > The Fuzz > Glory > In The Kitchen > Den

Encore: All In Time

• * with “Silver Machine” (Hawkwind) interlude
• ** with lyrics