Show Review

It has been a long four years since Umphrey’s Mcgee last slipped over the northern border to play in Vancouver. Things have changed since then, the band has improved greatly and the word seems to be out. Some critics are even comparing the Chicago sextet to Phish. There is little doubt Umphrey’s will eventually summit the great jam band mountain so it is all the more impressive to see them in a smaller venue. Richard’s On Richards is just such a place.

You must forgive the Vancouver faithful for seeming a little burnt, this tiny dance club in a residential part of downtown has seen Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Steve Kimock Band, New Monsoon and Umphrey’s Mcgee all come through within a month. String Cheese Incident and Spearhead have played in town recently too. The locals interested in this type of music are having a memorable spring and amassing a growing pile of ticket stubs.

It must seem like one endless tour for Umphrey’s Mcgee, the band already performing close to fifty shows this year and on schedule to beat their record of 2004, one hundred and fifty plus change. With the announcement that the Umph will be featured in “The Big Summer Classic” festival with String Cheese and Spearhead, the future is just so bright and busy, you’re going to need some shades.

The first set segued through a nice run of songs, some newer than others, all competently tied together in danceable time signatures. Any complicated developments didn’t seem out of place when they burst forth from nowhere then melted into something completely different just as fast. Things were fairly subdued on the floor until a bouncy rendition of Bob Marley’s “Kinky Reggae” gave the crowd a chance to relax and just groove without fear of surprise transitions catching their feet off guard. Yeah, reminiscent of Phish is fair.

The highlight of the first set was “Mulche's Odyssey” which showcased the fretwork of guitarists Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss. These two weave together raging harmony solos like stadium rock gods, albeit without the ladies in tight pants screaming from the front row. The crowd did draw from a wider range of interest than your average jam band though, clearly evidenced by the many eclectic concert shirts in the audience. I spotted one guy in a Black Sabbath tour shirt.

The second set started out with the synthetic energy of “Bright Lights,” the heavy keyboard wrenching the crowd back into serious focus. “Jazz Odyssey” was next, serving up a good launching pad for thoughtful explorations. The relatively bouncy vibe was shattered by the futuristic anger of “Robot World”. Any robots remaining were destroyed by the thick blackness of Metallica’s “And Justice For All,” a crowd favourite. The many shades of jam between “Resolution” and “Thin Air” were simply stunning.

But it was the first encore that really sold me, “That’s the Way” by Led Zepplin, which few bands could pull off as well. It made me want to hold up my lighter in appreciation and wondered if I might just have to slip over the border myself to catch another show. Jake Cinninger said of it after, “That’s the first time I understood what that song was about.” A few people must have felt that way. Then the second encore reigned down, “Believe The Lie,” a radio friendly from their latest album.

I must admit, An Umphrey’s Mcgee original song has its appeal, catchy lyrics that aren’t dumb, simple musical structures based on craft not flash. That being said, what makes an Umph show so fun is the surprising array of cover material they can spring on you, anything and everything might come out and often does, and they do it up right. Don’t be fooled, this band has its own style, it is just so well rooted in the glorious past of rock and roll that it makes you feel sentimental even if you’re not sure why. And that is the way it is going to be.

Setlist

Set One:

Andy's Last Beer, Anchor Drops, The Fuzz > Lenny > The Haunt > "Jimmy Stewart" > Kinky Reggae, Mulche's Odyssey, In the Kitchen

Set Two:

Bright Lights > Jazz Odyssey* > Robot World > Hajimemashite > And Justice For All, The Crooked One > Resolution** > Thin Air$

Encore: Thats the Way, Believe the Lie

Notes:

* with Safety Dance teases

** with Bridgeless teases

$ with Spirit of the Radio and Tom Sawyer (Rush) teases

Photos by Scott Preston