With Sound Tribe Sector 9 and Umphrey’s McGee set to kickoff the Northeast leg of their co-bill tour tomorrow we figured we’d preview the shows with a review of last week’s Midwest run by Reuben of Partyin’ Peeps. You can catch the STUM9 tour at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC tomorrow night, Philadelphia’s Festival Pier on Friday and in Boston at the Bank of America Pavilion on Sunday.

It is 4:06 a.m. on Sunday here in the windy city and we just got back from STS9’s late night show at the House of Blues. I just want to start out by saying what a fantastic time these last five days have been. I don’t know about you guys, but I spend most of the year stuck inside boring law school classrooms counting down the days until Summer and daydreaming about weeks like the one I’ve just had…

…It is now Wednesday and I think that I’ve recovered enough to share some thoughts about the last week. Our run consisted of five days, five shows, nine sets, 1085 miles, and only one encore. We saw Umphrey’s McGee and STS9 in an amusement park in Cincinnati, a state park in Indianapolis, an old airport in Chicago, and a White Castle in Columbus. Over the course of the week I was not only impressed every single night at the level that Umphrey’s McGee is playing at, but I also was made a believer by STS9, a band that I had always secretly thought was only slightly above average. READ ON for more about STS9/UM tour…

In my opinion, Umphrey’s McGee played their best set on Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio. Check out this Wizard Burial Ground that not only opened the show but had the added bonus of scaring the shit out of all of the Sound Tribe fans and sending them running for the lawn. And this clip is only the opening minute of the show:

I especially like this video from the pit of Partyin’ Peeps – if this does not inspire you to go out and catch the next leg of the tour then you’re clearly reading the wrong blog:

STS9 also played one hell of a show in Columbus. If you’ve never seen Zach Velmer play the drums, this alone makes the show worth it. The guy has more energy than almost anyone I’ve ever seen perform live. Frankly, I’m surprised he doesn’t punch right through the drums every couple of nights:

The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in Columbus is also my new favorite outdoor venue. Not only is it designed really well, but they have a White Castle inside the venue. I think I would even support Live Nation renaming every venue the Fillmore <insert city here> if each new Fillmore had a Taco Bell inside.

I also saw one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen in my life that night in the parking lot. These weren’t your average frat boys on drugs blasting STS9 from their SUV, these geniuses were actually holding down the gas in order to dance in their own exhaust fumes. This really wasn’t that surprising though, after all, these kids do go to Ohio State. (I don’t know a single Michigan fan who wouldn’t take pleasure watching the Ohio State student body gas themselves).

We spent a perfect Friday evening in Indianapolis at White River State park. The best part of this venue: they hand out free lawn chairs when you walk in. Both bands put on great shows, and as UM closed down the night with a rendition of Divisions that featured Jake “the Central Scrutinizer” Cinninger playing the guitar over his head, it was clear that Chicago was destined for a blowout on Saturday night.

Umphrey’s played a fantastic show on Saturday night in Chicago that included classics All in Time, Mulche’s Odyssey, and Hurt Bird Bath. They also played this new song Waist Down which I thought sounded 10 times better than when they unveiled it a few months ago at Summer Camp. The show wasn’t quite as good as Columbus, but it was still at least a 9 out of 10.

Unsurprisingly, Sound Tribe’s late night show was their best performance of the run, and the best way I can describe it is some sort of completely out of control rave. It was one of those nights where you got to know all your neighbors pretty well, because you were pressed up against all of them. Here’s a great clip of Sound Tribe closing it all down with Lo Swaga:

I was only really disappointed by one thing this week: the lack of collaboration between the two bands. One of the most exciting things about having two headliners on the same bill is obviously the prospect that they will play together. I especially wanted to see Jake sit in with STS9 at one point over the weekend and was a little upset at the end of STS9’s late show that it never occurred. I’ll definitely be kicking myself if it happens this week.

Recap: Rankings
Umphrey’s McGee:

1. 7/17/08 Columbus, OH
2. 7/19/08 Chicago, IL
3. 7/15/08 Cincinnati, OH
4. 7/18/08 Indianapolis, IN

STS9:

1. 7/19/08 Chicago, IL (Late Night)
2. 7/19/08 Chicago, IL
3. 7/17/08 Columbus, OH
4. 7/18/08 Indianapolis, IN
5. 7/15/08 Cincinnati, OH

Here’s a list of the remaining dates for the STUM9 tour:

07.24.08 – Roseland Ballroom – New York, NY
07.24.08 – Blender at Gramercy – New York, NY – STS9 AFTER PARTY!
07.25.08 – Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing – Philadelphia, PA
07.25.08 – Fillmore at TLA – Philadelphia, PA – UMPHREY’S AFTER PARTY!
07.26.08 – Bank of America Pavilion – Boston, MA
07.27.08 – Pier 6 Concert Pavilion – Baltimore, MD
07.30.08 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC
07.31.08 – Koka Booth Amphitheatre – Cary, NC
07.31.08 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC – UMPHREY’S AFTER-PARTY!
08.01.08 – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA – INDOORS AFTER PARTY!
08.02.08 – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA – INDOORS AFTER PARTY!