Words: John Coleman
Images: Tammy Wetzel (from the Rochester UM show)

Northern Lights, in Clifton Park, is an awkward little rock club located in a roadside plaza, squeezed between a Dollar General store and some kind of church. I have to admit, it’s kind of hard to get excited for a show that’s next to a church on a cold Tuesday night. But I had just seen an historic Umphrey’s show at Higher Ground in Burlington four nights before, complete with a Mike Gordon sit-in, and was ready for more Umph. And they delivered.

[All photos by Tammy Wetzel]

I knew things would get loud, it’s always loud at Northern Lights, almost obnoxiously so. The way the bar is laid out, with a horseshoe bar in the center and stage crammed into one small corner, the crowd is packed like sardines into the irregularly shaped room. But it seems like some of Umphrey’s most creative playing is produced in close quarters clubs, where ease of communication takes their improv to another level.

The band eased into the first set with 2×2, but things quickly warmed up with the intro to Robot World. It’s not often a concert is physical, but you could feel Ryan Stasik’s bass and Jake Cinninger’s crunchy metal chops. The set cooled off a bit after a haunting #5. Safety in Numbers was well-represented with versions of Anchor Drops and Passing. Bright Lights fell short, but set one ended in a blaze, with Glory.

READ ON for more from Umphrey’s in Clifton Park…

Set two started with the band acknowledging the crowd’s Parliament-esque “We want the Umph, gotta have that Umph” chant. That alone speaks volumes about the type of band Umphrey’s is: funky, yes, but also a band that values its fans. Higgins veered off into some strange territory before segueing into a cover of The Police’s Walking On The Moon, a well-chosen song that shares a similar reggae backbone as Higgins.

Believe the Lie was another bright spot in the second set. Umphrey’s put on an impressive display of layering a jam, with each member throwing something on the table and seeing if it sticks on stage. It may start with a bass line from Stasik or a guitar lick from Jake or Bayliss. In some cases, Joel led the way with a piano riff.

A blunt shake of the head or nod of approval – not to be confused with the array of other signals the band uses – determines if a riff or rhythm will be stick. Next, hand signals kick in and the song becomes volatile and may change key on the drop of a dime. Then, just as the crowd gets comfortable, Kris Myers kicks it into double time and the final product is revealed, often a dynamic dual-rhythm played by Jake and Bayliss with the rest of the band backing them up.

The way Believe the Lie builds up into the outro refrain is a natural fit to cap off a set. The massive 15 minute JaJunk encore brought down the house and perhaps the Dollar General as well, a fitting end to a show that had no shortage of energy.

Maybe Umphrey’s likes Northern Lights because of its reputation as a metal club (Insane Clown Posse and GWAR are on the schedule), but that’s left to speculation. In any case, the sparse Tuesday night crowd was treated to one hell of a rock show from one of the best in the business.

Set 1: 2×2 > Robot World > Anchor Drops, #5 > Passing, Bright Lights > Glory

Set 2:
 Jazz Odyssey > Higgins Part I > Walking On the Moon > Higgins, Atmosfarag > August, Professor Wormbog > Believe the Lie
Encore: JaJunk