Umphrey’s McGee Digs Deep For UMBowl XII With Long-Awaited Bust Outs & 7 Cover Debuts

Umphrey’s McGee reached back to its earliest days and added seven covers to its repertoire during UMBowl XII at Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Pabst Theater on Friday and Saturday. The fan-driven concerts featured the return of “Nachos For Two” after nearly 23 years and “Strolling A Suspension Bridge” for the first time since 1998.

The Milwaukee debut of the football-themed event was also the first UMBowl since guitarist Jake Cinninger and drummer Kris Myers left the band and Scotty Zwang took over behind the kit. Cinninger departed in July, while Zwang became a permanent member last August after initially stepping in following Myers’ May 2025 resignation.

Umphrey’s launched UMBowl in Chicago on April 24, 2010. The interactive event expanded to two nights in 2021 and made its Nashville debut at the Ryman Auditorium last year. Each Milwaukee show consisted of three themed sets, with fans directing portions of the action through live voting.

Friday began with “Choose Your Own Adventure: Electric,” as attendees selected songs and improvisational prompts in real time. “The Floor” opened the weekend, followed by “Blue Echo” into “Out Of Order.” “Muff II: The Revenge” led into a Stew Art segment with prompts including “Metal As Fuck,” “Straight Techno Heat” and “Heavenly Bliss” before “The Silent Type” ended the set.

The “Choose Your Vintage: 1999” second set brought the weekend’s first major bust-out. After “Divisions,” “Red Baron” and “FF,” Umphrey’s dusted off “Nachos For Two,” last played on November 1, 2003, a gap of 2,303 shows according to All Things Umphreys. The original debuted in 1998 and appeared regularly through the band’s early years before disappearing from setlists. A “Front Porch” sandwich with “Q*Bert” inside followed, and “All Things Ninja” capped the set.

The “Band’s Choice” third set included “Escape Goat,” “Intentions Clear” and a “Nothing Too Fancy” sequence encompassing “Puppet String” and “It Doesn’t Matter.” Another rarity surfaced in the encore: “Baby Honey Sugar Darlin’” returned for the first time since November 11, 2022, a 340-show gap, before UM finished “Divisions.”

Saturday’s “Choose Your Own Adventure: UMplugged” opening set found Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitar. Alongside originals such as “August,” “Sweetness” and “Morning Song,” the band played Alice In Chains' “No Excuses” and debuted Pearl Jam's “Black.” Bayliss and keyboardist Joel Cummins then performed “Rocker” as a duo, reviving the song after a 364-show absence dating to July 8, 2022.

Cummins went even further back for his solo turn, playing Seth Kaufman’s “Strolling A Suspension Bridge.” The song’s only previous appearance on an Umphrey’s setlist came on February 28, 1998 at Madison Oyster Bar in South Bend, Indiana, just weeks after the band formed. Saturday’s revival spanned 2,966 shows and more than 28 years, one of the biggest bustouts in live music history in terms of shows between performances. “Susanah” and “The Weight Around” completed the set.

The all-covers “All Night Wrong: ’80s” second set opened with Talking Heads’ “Burning Down The House” and Rush's “YYZ.” Five consecutive debuts followed: The Human League's “Don’t You Want Me,” Tears For Fears’ “Head Over Heels,” Madonna's “Material Girl,” Duran Duran's “Hungry Like The Wolf” and Faith No More's “Epic.”

UM returned to originals for Saturday’s “Band’s Choice” set, moving through “Red Tape,” “Hiccup,” “Phil’s Farm” and “Piranhas” before “Staircase” flowed into “The Triple Wide.” The encore supplied the weekend’s seventh debut with Nirvana's “All Apologies.” The Police's “Spirits In The Material World” then ended UMBowl XII with its first appearance since October 31, 2019, a 508-show gap.

Watch more fan-shot highlights captured by Shinepigeon below:

Listen to official audio of both shows below. Nugs subscribers can also watch livestream replays of the UMBowl run.

October 9 Official Audio

October 10 Official Audio

Setlist (via All Things Umphreys): October 9, 2026

Set One: The Floor, Blue Echo > Out Of Order, Muff II: The Revenge > Stew Art > The Silent Type

Set Two: Divisions -> Red Baron, FF > Nachos For Two, Front Porch[1] -> Q*Bert > Front Porch > All Things Ninja

Set Three: Escape Goat > Intentions Clear > Nothing Too Fancy > Puppet String, It Doesn’t Matter > Nothing Too Fancy

Encore: Baby Honey Sugar Darlin’ > Divisions

Footnotes:
[1] with Resolution tease

Setlist (via All Things Umphreys): October 10, 2026

Set One: August[1] > Sweetness[1], No Excuses[1], Morning Song[1], Black[2], Rocker[3], Strolling A Suspension Bridge[4], Susanah[1], The Weight Around[1]

Set Two: Burning Down The House, YYZ, Don’t You Want Me[5], Head Over Heels[6] > Material Girl[7], Hungry Like The Wolf[8], Epic[9]

Set Three: Red Tape, Hiccup > Phil’s Farm[10], Piranhas[11], Staircase > The Triple Wide

Encore: All Apologies[12], Spirits In The Material World

Footnotes:
[1] Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitar
[2] debut, Pearl Jam; Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitar
[3] Brendan Bayliss on acoustic guitar and Joel Cummins only
[4] Joel Cummins solo
[5] debut, The Human League
[6] debut, Tears For Fears; with Muffburger Sandwich quote
[7] debut, Madonna
[8] debut, Duran Duran
[9] debut, Faith No More
[10] with Ice Ice Baby quotes and Let Me Blow Ya Mind and My Favorite Things teases
[11] with All In Time and The Spirit Of Radio teases
[12] debut, Nirvana