Umphrey’s McGee Welcome 2016 With New Songs In Denver

A sold-out The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver hosted Umphrey’s McGee for the band’s New Year’s Eve concert last night. In typical UM NYE fashion, the band delivered three sets filled with horns and featuring a new original and a number of new covers.

Umphrey’s McGee started the show strong with a “Bathing Digits” > “Wappy Sprayberry” > “Puppet String” > “Mad Love” sequence to open the first set. Guitarist Brendan Bayliss (sounding a bit congested) powered through “No Diablo” which he dedicated to absent crew member Robbie Williams who was away for the birth of his son. The band next delivered the first half of “Bridgeless” which then segued into the conclusion of “Puppet String.” Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horn section – a staple of UM New Year’s Runs for many years led by Michael “Mad Dog” Mavridoglou on trumpet – then emerged to augment “Women Wine & Song.” The horns stuck around as Bayliss introduced a new original song in which they featured prominently, “Speak Up,” based off on the April 23, 2015 performance of “Spires” and its lyrical “Jimmy Stewart” segment, bringing the first set to a close with the debut.

After opening the second set with well-jammed “Bad Friday” the horns returned to help out on “Wife Soup” and an exploratory “Red Tape.” The horns left the stage ahead of just the eighth rendition of “Make It Right” – an original introduced earlier in 2015. Guitarist Jake Cinninger took charge as UM stretched out his “Ringo,” working in a bit of The Beatles “Blackbird” as they progressed into “Educated Guess.” The Filthy Little Secret horns were called upon to close out the set with longtime UM original “Example 1” as well as the band’s debut cover performance of “Tempted” by Squeeze.

A jovial “Bright Lights, Big City” set a party atmosphere as UM launched the third set. An energetic jam grew in tension while the last seconds of 2015 were counted down and the band dropped into “Auld Lang Syne” as balloons and confetti covered the crowd. The first UM song of 2016, “JaJunk” bookended a performance of the mashup rarity “Bitter Sweet Haji.” Horns were added to “Push the Pig” which abruptly shifted to “Space Funk Booty.” The second new cover of the night delighted many in the crowd as Bayliss handled lead vocals on a take on R. Kelly’s “Ignition.” The final set of the night wrapped up with the guitarists trading licks on the band’s classic party tune “40’s Theme.”

Old favorite “Much Obliged” initiated the encore and after a brief bit of improv dissolved to finish the “Bridgeless” begun in the first set. There was one more debut still in store as Bayliss and Cinninger traded verses on a cover of Run D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis” once again assisted by Mad Dog and his crew.

Umphrey’s returns to The Fillmore Auditorium tonight for a special “Reel To Real” film and concert event.

Setlist (via The Bort)

Set One: Bathing Digits > Wappy Sprayberry > Puppet String > Mad Love, No Diablo, Bridgeless > Puppet String, Women Wine & Song [1], Speak Up [2]

Set Two: Bad Friday, Wife Soup [1], Red Tape [1], Make it Right, Ringo [3] > Educated Guess, Example 1 [1], Tempted [2]

Set Three: Bright Lights [1] > Auld Lang Syne [1], JaJunk > Bittersweet Haji > JaJunk, Push the Pig [1] > Space Funk Booty, Ignition [2], 40’s Theme

Encore: Much Obliged > Bridgeless, Christmas in Hollis [2]

Notes

• [1] w/ Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [2] debut; w/ Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret horns
• [3] w/ Blackbird jam