Umphrey’s McGee Flies ‘Rising Bird’ In Athens

Umphrey’s McGee closed out their three-night run at the Georgia Theatre in Athens on Saturday night. The band delivered a VIP set to kick off the concert which included a performance of “Rising Bird” from keyboardist Joel Cummins’ 1995 solo album Suspended In Time: An Epic. The bust out marked just the second time the band had played the song overall and the first time since Valentine’s Day 2003 for a total of 1,908 shows.

Umphrey’s got the VIP set underway with “Sociable Jimmy” which led into “Domino Theory.” A few songs later, “Rising Bird” came ahead of the VIP set closer “Push The Pig.” Umph kicked off the show propper with “Unsung Hero” into “Miss Tinkle’s Overture.” “Hajimemashite” would close out the first frame.

UM began the second set with a continuous block that included “Hanging Chads” and a “Bridgeless” sandwich with “Whistle Kids” in between. A big surprise followed as the sextet dusted off their cover of Sturgill Simpson’s “Call To Arms” for the first time since last year’s Summer Camp. The second set came to a close with the pairing of “Cemetery Walk I” and “Cemetery Walk II.” Umphrey’s McGee reemerged for an encore of “The Weight Around” and “Mulche’s Odyssey.”

Watch video from the second set and encore captured by Gregory Marcus below:

Setlist (via @umphreysmcgee)

VIP Set: Sociable Jimmy > Domino Theory, Mullet (Over), Thin Air, Rising Bird, Push The Pig

Set One: Unsung Hero > Miss Tinkle’s Overture, In The Black, Utopian Fir > Crucial Taunt, Intentions Clear > North Route, Hajimemashite

Set Two: Hanging Chads > Bridgeless > Whistle Kids > Bridgeless, Call To Arms, Partyin’ Peeps, Cemetery Walk I > Cemetery Walk II

Encore: The Weight Around, Mulche’s Odyssey