Umphrey’s McGee Debuts ‘So Much’ In Vail

Umphrey’s McGee debuted a live rendition of their recently released single, “So Much,” during their show Sunday in Vail. The concert at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater capped the band’s four-night run in Colorado that included a show in Dillion and two at Red Rocks.

UM walked onstage to the sounds of “Le Blitz” and steered the pre-recorded intro into “Remind Me.” Some 20-minutes later the opening pairing was completed as the band wasted little time delivering satisfying improvisation. Well-traveled instrumental original “Prowler” held down the next spot in the setlist.

Debuted at the start of the year, “I Don’t Know What I Want,” the lead single off the band’s upcoming new studio album, Asking For A Friend, followed and saw the band infusing the new song with a modest jam. The band then called up longtime staple, “Nemo,” stretching it out beyond the 10-minute mark.

“So Much,” another recently issued Asking For A Friend single, then made its first UM setlist. The debut, which followed Saturday’s first-time offering of the Asking single “New Wings,” was the fourth single played live off the album prior to its release on July 7 (“Small Strides” has also been performed). UM filled in the rest of set one with back-to-back instrumentals, the uplifting “Glory” and the hard-charging prog piece “Miss Tinkle’s Overture.”

The final set of Umphrey’s McGee’s 2022 Peak Summer Colorado Run took off with a coupling of “The Linear” into “Attachments.” The two songs were seamlessly patched together, combining to take up 30 minutes to start off the set. A standalone “Comma Later” brought on more intricate improvisation.

The band then presented a set-closing sequence that saw them work through the 2020 non-album single, “Suxity,” the longtime fan-favorite “Hurt Bird Bath,” the dark and angular “Domino Theory” and a return to “Hurt Bird Bath.” For the encore, UM selected the fun sing-along from their early days, “Front Porch.”

Listen to Sunday’s show in Vail taped by Don Olker and watch pro-shot video of “Le Blitz” into “Remind Me” below:

Setlist

Set One: Le Blitz > Remind Me, Prowler > I Don’t Know What I Want, Nemo, So Much [1], Glory, Miss Tinkle’s Overture

Set Two: The Linear > Attachments, Comma Later, Suxity > Hurt Bird Bath > Domino Theory > Hurt Bird Bath

Encore: Front Porch