Umphrey’s McGee wrapped their 28th show of 2016 and their Winter Tour with a knockout performance at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, CA that was fit for a New Year’s Eve celebration.
Continuing the trend from the previous two nights and featuring a healthy mixture of improvised hippy metal, alternative dance and improvisation-inclined guests to the mix, Umphrey’s McGee brought the heat to the West Coast winter.
Opening with “Le Blitz”, the boys sprinted off of the starting blocks and straight into a high energy “Educated Guess”. Guitarist Jake Cinninger and bassist Ryan Stasik mobilized themselves around the stage and each other early on, unable to simply play in place or leave the other in peace.
“The Crooked One” is a song that used to be in heavy rotation, but has been limited to six or less appearances out of an average 100+ shows per year since 2011, including Saturday night at The Wiltern. Cinninger took the lead in the jam with super melodic Satriani type leads and that segued into another classic tune, “Example 1” from 2001’s One Fat Sucka. A standalone version of “Attachments” elevated the song’s appearance into double digits since its debut in December 2015.
Following the next break in music, guitarist Brendan Bayliss took a moment to introduce a special guest to the stage as Stasik was relieved of his bass and replaced by Arthur Barrow, former bass player for Frank Zappa in the late 70s and early 80s.
Bayliss took over the lead for another old school catalogue tune, “Soul Food 1”. As the band transitioned into the jam, keyboardist Joel Cummins paid light tribute to LA originals The Doors with a familiarly stormy measure before the band took a backseat to let Barrow solo.
Cinninger joined Barrow, drummer Kris Myers and percussionist Andy Farag to kick off a dark harmonic jam and the cover debut of Frank Zappa’s “Treacherous Cretins”. The song exploded in at least six directions before being reined in by Cinninger and a very Latin swing recovery and flawless segue into “Glory”.
Stasik returned to the stage and following a moment of appreciation for the musical odyssey that just took place amongst themselves, they kicked into another newer song, “Piranhas”. Making its debut on New Year’s Eve 2014, the song has evolved significantly in the 15 times it has been played with each member taking risks within the framework of the song.
To close the set, the boys put the pedal to the metal and unleashed a haunting and beautiful “Wizard Burial Ground” that saw Bayliss take control of the melodic reprise in the second half, dragging the vibe to seriously swampy depths following Cummins’ solo piano break.
During set break, representatives from HeadCount.org could be found engaging concert-goers in political conversations. Given the heat of the current presidential race, and coming one day after Kalamazoo, MI based quintet Greensky Bluegrass performed at a Bernie Sanders rally, HeadCount.org had plenty of conversation starters and had a successful evening of registering new voters ahead of the California primary.
After a 25 minute set break, an enthusiastic “40s Theme” picked up the energy exactly where the first set left it. Stasik held a heavy presence in the mix early with a wet wah effect to give the tune that extra helping of funk for the tune’s 401st set list appearance. Along the front rail, stage left for the entire show was a man with a modest sign. A sheet of copy paper no larger than your average 8”x11.5” and blank white save for two letters that took up the entire page: FF, a modest request for a fan favorite.
“We see you, and we hear you,” said Bayliss to the man. “But we’re gonna give you what you need, not what you want.”
With that came the ethereal and harmonic laden beginning notes of “Puppet String”. Cinninger and lighting director Jefferson Waful took turns complimenting each other between a pick raking guitar jam and Waful’s literally raking of the stage in light cannons that turned into a start-stop jam that brought a few ‘woo’ birds out of the rafters.
The jam took on an infectious dance beat reminiscent of a Michael Jackson tune. It wasn’t MJ, but a segue into the Mark Ronson featuring Kevin Barnes (Tame Impala) tune, “Daffodils”. Making its debut the final night of the most recent New Year’s Eve run in Denver, the tune has already shown up at three shows.
A 12 minute “Wappy Sprayberry” followed and after the initial peak and first verse became the platform for Myers and Farag to showcase their skills in an all-out percussion expo before Cinninger and Cummins bounced back and forth in leading the jam. Eventually their discombobulation melted perfectly into the opening sequence to “The Bottom Half”.
The middle section of “The Bottom Half” opened up wide. The ambient improvisation operated in such a way that freed up Waful to experiment with the lighting effects. Alternating between raking through cannons or blast stobes through every filter he’s got, often adjusting the aperture and focus of the standstill washes as well, Waful dazzled the crowd.
Following the atmospheric jam, Cummins employed another Ray Manzarek themed transition to bring it back into the end of “The Bottom Half”. A 14 minute standalone “Hurt Bird Bath” was strong and Waful continued to take the spot light and point them how and where he pleased, much to the enjoyment of everyone in attendance. Rather than the typical improvisational section that “Hurt Bird Bath” has come to produce, the boys opted for a jam on their own Death By Stereo tune, “Domino Theory”.
Notable for showcasing the harder rocking side of Umphrey’s McGee, the tease was an appropriate lead in for the second set closer “Hindsight” from 2014’s Similar Skin, elevating its song count into double digits at 10 times played.
For the encore, Umphrey’s McGee continued to carry over the vibes from the NYE run in Denver by beginning with their jam band take on R. Kelly’s wildly popular 2003 hit “Ignition”, with Bayliss adjusting the lyrics on the fly (as he so often does) to reference his band mates in what remains an interesting cover choice that carries itself if by nostalgia alone.
The lyrical “Jimmy Stewart” turned full-fledged catalogue track “Upward” elevated the seriousness quickly and segued clean into the end of “Puppet String” to end the show.
Opening the evening was Oyster Bay, NY four piece prog machine TAUK. A band that typically doesn’t travel as far west as LA, the budding relationship between TAUK and UM has exponentially surged their growth in the last year and they showed their appreciation over a six song, hour long set.
In “Friction”, a 14 minute display of technical prowess, guitarist Matthew Jalbert, bassist Charlie Dolan, keyboardist Alric “A.C.” Carter and drummer Isaac Teel showed why Umphrey’s continually returns to touring with TAUK. They have even done a handful of late-night, post-concert collaborations at smaller clubs under the bill “TAUKing McGee” featuring rotating members of the bands.
“Darkwing” was less technically progressive in its rock roots, but the intricate timing of Super Mario quality infectiousness required no less effort. “Dead Signal” featured Carter’s Leslie organ speaker setup utilizing a gradual oscillating melody that grew in intensity and served as a solid backbone in an otherwise loose jam. They scored with the crowd in an off-kilter take on The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” that disintegrated smoothly into a dark yet bubbly rendition of their popular single “Mindshift” to close the set.
Umphrey’s McGee and TAUK split ways momentarily following another TAUKing McGee after party in Augusta, GA, making a run across the south and through the Midwest, respectively before reconnecting at Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, IL over Memorial Day weekend.
Umphrey’s McGee will also return to the Southwest region in early May for their seventh annual UMBOWL event, an intimate fan-immersed experience tailored and curated by attendees for the second consecutive year at the Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas.
2016-03-26 Umphrey’s McGee @ The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
Set I: Le Blitz > Educated Guess, The Crooked One > Example 1, Attachments, Soul Food 1* > Treacherous Cretins&* > Glory *, Piranhas > Wizard Burial Ground
Set II: 40s Theme > Puppet String > Daffodils^, Wappy Sprayberry > The Bottom Half, Hurt Bird Bath, Hindsight
Encore: Ignition, Upward > Puppet String
*- with Arthur Barrow replacing Ryan on bass
&- debut, Frank Zappa
^- cover, Mark Ronson
“The Will Tern Up Set”, TAUK @ The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
One Set: Friction, Darkwing, Rainwalk, Dead Signal, Tumbler, Eleanor Rigby, Mindshift
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