Umphrey’s McGee Performs ‘Songs For Older Women’ Album In Its Entirety At UMBowl IX Opener

Chicago’s own Umphrey’s McGee returned to their hometown over the weekend for UMBowl IX, a pair of football-themed concerts at The Riviera Theatre. Friday’s show saw UM play their first live album, 1999’s Songs For Older Women, from front-to-back as part of the three-set performance.

The sextet took the stage with instrumental intro “Gurgle” before launching into Songs For Older Women opener “Hangover.” Songs For Older Women documents a two-night stand held in Indiana over November 1998 in Indiana. Friday’s “Hangover” saw the rowdy crowd get involved and singalong to the delight of UM. Guitarist Brendan Bayliss then welcomed fans to the show and dedicated the ensuing “Der Bluten Kat” to any older women in the audience. “Der Bluten Kat” spanned well beyond 30 minutes as the band took its time traversing multiple jam sections. Umphrey’s closed the first set with a lengthy “2×2” and would return to Songs For Older Women, which won out in fan voting over other UM albums, for the evening’s third set.

Crowd interaction was at the heart of Friday’s second set, a “Stew Art” event in which Umphrey’s McGee musically interpreted themes texted by fans. Themes ranging from “Sharknado” to “666 McGee” to “Egyptian Square Dancing” to “Moog Madness” and beyond were displayed on a large screen behind the band. Members of Umphrey’s McGee used hand signals and other methods of non-verbal communication to work out their strategy for each theme. Highlights included bassist Ryan Stasik reading poetry, ie. the lyrics to “Front Porch,” and a “Punk Rock Glory.” Watch fan-shot video of UM tackling those two ideas below:

Umphrey’s picked up where they left off for the third set on Friday in moving through the final six Songs For Older Women cuts. Up first was the beloved “Front Porch” featuring teases of “Resolution” and Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love.” The band gave “Front Porch” the full jam treatment in delivering a +24-minute version. Bayliss then led his bandmates through “Thin Air” and the pairing of “Much Obliged” and “Hajimemashite” in continuing to replicate the Songs For Older Women tracklist. From there the sextet made its way through the country-tinged “Muff II: The Revenge” and rarity “The Other Side Of Things.” The latter saw action for the first time since November 8, 2014 — a span of 632 shows. Umphrey’s dusted off non-album track “Baby Honey Sugar Darlin'” — last played on October 18, 2018 — as a bonus to end the set.

While the first and third set of Friday’s show saw the band look back to their early days, Umphrey’s previewed their future by debuting new original “Ordinary Times” to start the encore. The six-piece then brought out Stasik’s Doom Flamingo bandmate Kanika Moore to front a show-closing cover of Tool’s “Forty-Six & 2.” UM’s previous take on the song from 1996’s Ænima came on August 30, 2019.

See footage of Friday’s encore captured by Must Have Media below and head here for a recap of Saturday's UMBowl IX finale:

Setlist (via All Things Umphrey’s)

Set One: Gurgle > Hangover, Der Bluten Kat, 2×2

Set Two: Stew Art Event

Set Three: Front Porch[1], Thin Air, Much Obliged[2] > Hajimemashite, Muff II: The Revenge > The Other Side of Things[3], Baby Honey Sugar Darlin’

Encore: Ordinary Times[4], Forty-Six & 2[5]

Notes:

• [1] with Resolution and Ain’t ‘Talkin’ ’bout Love (Van Halen) teases
• [2] with In A Silent Way (Miles Davis) tease
• [3] with Jake on percussion
• [4] debut, original
• [5] with Kanika Moore on vocals

first set was the first half of Songs For Older Women, an album selected by the fans

second set was a Stew Art event: Sharknado > Boogie Nights > Falsetto Bayliss > Umphrey’s on infected mushrooms [with Front Port tease] > Gospel McGee [with “Take It to Church” quotes] > 666 McGee > Umphrey’s at the Green Mill [with Kat’s Tune tease in intro] > Ryan Reads Poetry [with Ryan reading Front Porch lyrics, with Front Porch teases] > Egyptian Square Dancing > Dart Vader invades Jamaica [with Imperial March (John Williams) teases] > Country Jake > Moog Madness [with Jake on keys] > Robots in Space > Punk Rock Glory [Glory played in punk rock style], UMBowl Viking Techno [with Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin) quotes and teases]

third set completed Songs For Older Women

last The Other Side of Things 2014-11-08 (632 shows)
last Baby Honey Sugar Darlin’ 2018-10-18 (263 shows)