Show Review

Umphrey’s McGee made their way through the dank, dark and gloomy northwest to celebrate the annual musical pinnacle that is Halloween. Portland Oregon’s Aladdin Theater served as the backdrop for this year’s spooky extravaganza. The theme focused on celebrities who were famous before some sort of legal fallout turned their fame into infamy, and all members of the band were adorn in outfits to reflect this theme. Brendan was dressed as Courtney Love, Jake was Ozzy Osbourne, Ryan made a great Sid Vicious, Joel was a convincing Jerry Lee Louis, Andy was Pete Rose, and Kris was Pee Wee Herman. The stage was also covered with mug shots of famous criminals through the years.

Each set had a balanced split between Umph’s originals and appropriate Halloween covers that punctuated the night’s theme. They opened the night with the smooth title track from their newest album Anchor Drops, and with that the evening’s festivities commenced. The first set saw an extended Ozzy Ozborne segment led by Jake that was highlighted with a run of Black Sabbath into "War Pigs" and "No More Tears." Jake gave a convincing impersonation of Ozzy, but thankfully no bats were hurt in the production of the first set.

Not only were they dressed as musical and social deviants, but their music took a somewhat controversial and devious path in the second set, when there was a musical tour that focused on musicians that shared allegations that centered around particularly disturbing past behaviors, that created the central theme to the second set. As Brendan said, “The theme centers around a word that begins with a P and ends with an E.”

This medley of musical misfits began with Gary Glitter’s sports anthem "Rock and Roll Part II," which segued into a Michael Jackson medley of "The Way You Make Me Feel>Smooth Criminal jam>Thriller Jam," which truly had the audience pumped. Ted Nugent’s "Cat Scratch Fever" followed, which led to R. Kelly’s "I Believe I Can Fly." Joel got his chance to do his best Jerry Lee Lewis impression during "Whole Lot of Shaking Going On." Then came a fiery Who tandem of "I Can’t Explain>Baba O’Riley," which was punctuated with a quick "Mike’s Song" riff from Phish’s repertoire. Interestingly enough the last little jab at Phish and more specifically Mike Gordon’s unfortunate incident at Jones Beach last summer raised quite a stir, and created a mild controversy in the jamband scene.

After the medley, Umphrey’s got back to business with a couple of their terrific originals such as "Ocean Billy" and "Miss Tinkle's Overture," which closed the set and hit such a frenzied crescendo that right at the peak of the jam, Jake’s flying fingers broke a string on his guitar. We were treated to an especially sweet encore of Jake revisiting his best Ozzy impression with "Mama I’m coming Home." Ryan was finally getting to live up to his costume’s persona, when the Sex Pistol’s "Anarchy in the U.K" was played, which had Joel move over to the bass so Ryan could thrash about. The night ended with a third encore of the Umphrey’s original "Plunger," as the band left stage to a loud and appreciative response form the audience.

Umphrey’s McGee’s influences can bee seen in their musical diversity shown on any given night, and in any given song. A perfect example would be from the pre- Halloween show in Seattle. They played both the theme song from the Dukes of Hazzard(Good ol’ boys) as well as Metallica’s heavy metal anthem "And Justice For All." Any band that can shift gears from country to heavy metal, and everything in between, has the type of musical versatility that proves they are onto something special.

As talented musicians who display strong interplay between one another, there is terrific balance between the band members. With just looking at the distinctive differences in the guitarists approach, it is no wonder that they are really beginning to catch on across the country. Jake’s fiery solos and speed play on his guitar satisfies my need for musical fury, while Brendan’s song writing, singing and structural affinity in each song makes them a strong one two punch. Ryan on Bass, and Kris and Andy on the drums/percussion make for a strong and driving rhythm section and Joel on the Keys adds terrific textures to the overall musical tapestry. As a whole, the sum of their parts rounds into an impressive lineup that coalesces into a dynamic musical machine. If you have not seen Umphrey’s McGee yet, you really need to get out and see what you are missing.

Setlist

Set One:

Anchor Drops^, Bridgeless, Much Obliged > "Jimmy Stewart", Roulette, 40's Theme, The Fussy Dutchman, Black Sabbath* > War Pigs > No More Tears**, Wife Soup

Set Two:

The Triple Wide > The Bottom Half, Halloween medley$, Der Bluten Kat, Bright Lights, Ocean Billy, Miss Tinkle's Overture

Encore: Mama I'm Comin' Home%, Anarchy In the UK%%, Plunger

Notes:

Celebrity Criminal Celebration - Brendan was dressed as Courtney Love, Jake was Ozzy Osbourne, Joel was Jerry Lee Lewis, Ryan was Sid Vicious, Kris was Pee Wee Herman, Andy was Pete Rose, and Vince was dressed as Nick Nolte

^ with Pat Bayliss, dressed as Brendan, on guitar and vocals

* first time played, Black Sabbath; with Jake on vocals

** first time played, Ozzy Osbourne

$ the medley went something like: Rock and Roll Part II (Gary Glitter) > The Way You Make Me Feel > Smooth Criminal jam > Thriller jam (Michael Jackson) > Cat Scratch Fever (Ted Nugent) > I Believe I Can Fly (R Kelly) > Whole Lotta Shaking Going On (Jerry Lee Lewis) > I Can't Explain > Baba O'Riley (The Who) > Mike's Song tease (Phish)

% first time played, Ozzy Osbourne; with Jake on vocals

%% first time played, the Sex Pistols; with Ryan on vocals and Joel on bass