The improvisational, progressive rock band Umphrey’s McGee has been playing music and touring the country for just over twenty-two years now. Although everything that this band does is amazing, in those twenty-two years, there has been a handful of years that stand out beyond the rest. Years such as 2002, 2008, 2011 and 2014 are just a few of the incredible years that this band has put forth. Through outstanding improv sections, the element of surprise, choice covers and many other factors (pun intended), Umphrey’s can go above and beyond to create a year that will be remembered in the eyes and ears of the umphreaks. I believe that 2019 was one of those years. Throughout the year of 2019, we witnessed beautifully constructed setlists, many unforgettable improv sections (my initial hall of fame candidates list is 258 songs long) and jaw-dropping cover debuts and bust outs.
Just within the year of 2019, Umphrey’s McGee took us along on three tours hitting 30 states and playing 87 shows, 8 VIP sets, and 14 different music festivals around the country (including 2 sets at Jam Cruise Festival). The state that got the most attention with ten shows was Colorado, but collectively the South-East got the real treatment. They played 29 shows in the South-East, 23 shows in the West (PNW, SW & RM), 17 shows in the Mid-West and 16 shows in the North-East. The most played song was “The Silent Type” at 23 times played. Coming in second was “Attachments” at 19 times played and “The Floor” was third at 17 times played. This was also an incredible year for bust outs and debuts (see chart below).
The band has about 5 or 6 big events each year that any umphreak would not want to miss. 2019 was quite the eventful year with Summer Camp Music Festival, Red Rocks, the Halloween run, the New Year’s Eve run, and a debut of The Woodlands Music Festival. The band also fed everybody’s musical chops by releasing the redux of the popular album “Anchor Drops” on May 17th. I can only imagine how special this project was to the band with it being such a pivotal album for their career. They still keep a lot of the songs on this album in regular rotation, including the hit that everyone who has ever heard of Umphrey’s knows, “In the Kitchen.” In celebration of this great triumph, the band dedicated one of their six sets at Summer Camp to playing this album in its entirety.
Summer Camp Music Festival is a festival that happens each year in Chillicothe, IL on Memorial Day weekend. This festival started out as the band moe.’s festival but as the two bands quickly formed a long-lasting friendship, it was only fitting of moe. to invite Umphrey’s to be a part of the lineup in 2003. The festival since has grown and is getting ready to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Umphrey’s went on in 2019 to play six enticing sets (including one VIP set) that featured exciting sit it’s groundbreaking cover bust outs and many memorable moments in Umphrey’s McGee’s career. Later, down the road in mid-summer, the boys nearly sold out their three-night Red Rocks run in Morrison, CO. This year’s run fell on the weekend of 6/21/19-6/23/19. They always do something special for the rocks and this year they invited Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham, to join them for a whole set dedicated to the rock legends Led Zeppelin. A couple of other highlights from this run were the bust out of Joe Cocker’s version of “With a Little Help from My Friends” dedicated to Jeff Austin and the TLC’s “Waterfalls” tease during “Front Porch” that hasn’t been seen since 2014.
Even though the summer was action-packed, they didn’t leave the fall out in the dust. They thrilled their fans by performing a Halloween show on actual Halloween for the first time since 2016. This show was at The Anthem in Washington D.C. on 10/31/19 and they honored The Police by debuting seven Police songs and dressing up as police officers out of the movie “Super Troopers.” The three-night Halloween run was completed with two shows in Philadelphia on 11/1 and 11/2. To bring the fall tour to a close the boys created their own music festival and brought together some of the bands that they’ve had open for them and even formed their side projects together to pull off one of the best music festivals that I have ever been to. The Woodlands Music Festival took place in Charleston, South Carolina on 11/7/19-11/9/19. Here the boys once again treated the South-East to an unforgettable weekend by demonstrating amazing improv and compatible covers.
Umphrey’s McGee ended this remarkable year in Denver, Colorado with their New Year’s Eve run. This year they tried something new by playing 12/27-12/28, taking a day off and then completing the run on 12/30-12/31. UM dusted off some old techniques and gave us a taste of what was in store for 2020 by bringing out their old UMbowl methods. The crowd of the New Year’s Eve run witnessed a set long “Ringo,” a “choose your own adventure” or, as Brendan Bayliss referred to it, an “only blame yourself” set, and some breathtaking debuts and bust outs. They ended 2019 with a bang and left us eager for the next year.
By picking up on a few elements through the duration of the year, I concluded that Umphrey’s was trying to tap into their “country” side. Some deciding elements were cover choices such as “Whitehouse Road” and “Dark Side of the Street,” the bust out of the rather twangy song “Muff II: The Revenge,” and the fact that they played “Bad Poker” three times, which is more times played in a year since 2014 (Brendan and Jake also performed this at their pre-Red Rocks benefit show). If you pay attention to various of the jam sections through the year you can even pick up on a very country-esk jam progression. Through the help of Sara Jachimiak from Dropped Among This Crowd Podcast, I was able to pinpoint the start of this mysterious jam. It first made its appearance in the “It Doesn’t Matter” from Portland, Maine on 2/2/19. Since it first poked its head out, it has manifested throughout the year in several of their improv sections. This Jake driven jam has an old western stand-off vibe with a Dick Dale Flair, proving to be quite ironic because Dick Dale passed away in early March of 2019. This jam has even made its way into 2020 and I’m very excited to hear where it will go.
To add even more evidence to the country case, Ali Baba’s Tahini released a new studio album on 12/9/19 called “Bottom Feeders.” Ali Baba’s Tahini is another band from South Bend, IN and it is where Jake shared his brilliance with the world before coming to Umphrey’s. Jake’s country roots can really come out to play in ABT, and who doesn’t love Jake’s country side! I think that the country feeling that was received by Umphrey’s jams was a sign of Jake’s comfort in Ali Baba’s Tahini coming out. And, thankfully for those Jaco fans out there, Jake was permeant in expressing that familiar country twang that we all know and love in 2019.
Additionally, Brendan and Jake did a handful of shows together including their annual holiday show in Chicago on 12/8/19. Kris, Joel, and Brendan did some solo performances and workshops scattered throughout the year. Joel Cummins released his book “The Realist’s Guide to a Successful Music Career” on 7/30/19 that he wrote with Matt DeCoursey. Doom Flamingo also circulated throughout the year, playing more and more shows as their fanbase increases. So, naturally, these absolutely incredible musicians were at a constant in flexing their craft and making music for us to hear in 2019. I think a lot of people don’t take into consideration that these outstanding people have families and lives of their own but still take the time to feed our hunger for their music. We are lucky to have a band that’s as dedicated to us as we are to them.
Personally, I had a wonderful Umphrey’s year. At the beginning of the year, my goal was to hit my 50th show by 2020 and I succeeded! My 50th show fell on the first night of The Woodlands music festival and I couldn’t have asked for a better show. I got my first “Soul Food II!” I saw their very first show of the year in Richmond, VA. I also hit my first Umphrey’s Red Rocks run and my first Halloween show with them where I dressed up like a Rocktopus. I also met some of the most wonderful souls that I have come into contact with. One thing about this band that stands above all else (besides their impeccable musical abilities) is the people that come with it. There is something very special about sharing a mutual love and dedication to these six grown men just through a simple but pure lust for their music.
Even though 2019 was one for the books, I strongly believe in the words of Mr. Brendan Bayliss himself when he says that we have yet to ever witness their best, yet. Onward and Upward to 2020!
Debuts/Bust outs/Openers/Jimmy Stewart:
Debuts:
“Whitehouse Road” Tyler Childers 3/30/19
“Unsung Hero” Original 5/25/19
“Outshined” Soundgarden 5/26/19
“Have a Cigar” Pink Floyd 6/21/19
“Take Me to the River” Talking Heads 6/22/19
“Ramble On” Led Zeppelin 6/23/19
“What is and What Should Never Be” Led Zeppelin 6/23/19
“Punchable Face” Original 8/10/19
“Handshake Drugs” Wilco 8/18/19
“Moving in Stereo” The Cars, 9/21/19
“Synchronicity II” The Police, 10/31/19
“Reggatta de Blanc” The Police, 10/31/19
“Message in a Bottle” The Police 10/31/19 (first time played in full)
“Spirits in the Material World” The Police 10/31/19
“Can’t Stand Losing You” The Police, 10/31/19
“King of Pain” The Police 10/31/19
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” The Police, 10/31/19
“Dark Side of the Street” Arlo McKinley 11/8/19
“Unchained” Van Halen, 12/27/19
“Tribulations” LCD Soundsystem, 12/28
“Modern Love” David Bowie, 12/31/19
“Physical” Olivia Newton-John, 12/31/19
“Suxity” Original, 12/31/19 *first song played after midnight
“Alright” Jamiroquai, 12/31/19
“Bullshit Anthem” Fantastic Negrito, 12/31/19
Bust Outs:
“Walking on The Moon” The Police, 1/11/19, LTP: 4/29/16 (236 show gap)
“I Heard it Through the Grapevine” Bill Frisell, 1/12/19 LTP: 8/14/14 (402 show gap)
“Breaker” Original, 1/12/19, LTP: 2/19/17 (164 show gap)
“The Stranger” Billy Joel, 1/18/19, LTP: 8/25/16 (207 show gap)
“It’s Gonna Be A Long Night” Ween, 1/25/19 LTP: 2/17/08 (1,150 show gap)
“Coming in From the Cold” Bob Marley, 1/26/19 LTP: 10/09/02 (1,880 show gap)
“E.T.I” Blue Oyster Cult, 2/14/19, LTP: 2/04/16 (281 show gap)
“Cinnamon Girl” Neil Young, 3/21/19, LTP:10/16/13 (526 show gap)
“50 Ways to Leave your Lover” Paul Simon, 3/23/19, LTP: 4/3/14 (476 show gap)
“Ten Years Gone” Led Zeppelin, 3/30/19, LTP: 9/11/03 (1,769 show gap)
“London Calling” the Clash, 4/3/19, LTP: 1/31/11 (833 show gap)
“Stop” Jane’s Addiction, 5/23/19 LTP: 6/9/00 (2,251 show gap)**
“Bullhead City” original, 5/24/19, LTP: 5/6/16 (276 show gap)
“Who Knows” Jimi Hendrix, 5/30/19, LTP: 8/14/15 (345 show gap)
“With a Little Help from My Friends” Joe Crocker, 6/22/19 LTP: 12/31/08 (1,088 show gap)
“Hey, Hey What Can I Do” Led Zeppelin, 6/23/19, LTP: 6/28/15 (364 show gap)
“Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” Led Zeppelin, 6/23/19, LTP: 4/24/10 (930 show gap)
“No Quarter” Led Zeppelin, 6/23/19, LTP: 11/15/05 (1,467 show gap)
“Bittersweet Haj” original, 8/16/19, LTP: 4/16/16 (306 show gap)
“Home” The New Deal, 8/18/19, LTP: 4/2/14 (513 show gap)
“Im on Fire” Bruce Springsteen, 8/18/19, LTP:3/17/17 (219 show gap)
“Runnin’ with the Devil” Van Halen, 8/22/19, LTP: 4/27/17 (209 show gap)
“Come As Your Kids” Original, 8/29/19, LTP: 4/16/16 (313 show gap)
“Muff II: The Revenge” Original, 8/30/19, LTP: 1/29/17 (241 show gap)
“Thunderstruck” ACDC, 9/1/19, LTP: 9/24/15 (365 show gap)
“Two Tickets to Paradise” Eddie Money, 9/20/19, LTP: 4/28/17 (217 show gap)
“Transdermal Celebration” Ween, 10/18/19, LTP: 7/9/17 (200 show gap)
“Rising Bird” Original, 10/19/19, LTP: 2/14/03 (1,908 show gap)
“Last Train Home” Pat Metheny, 10/23/19, LTP: 5/27/17 (216 show gap)
“Bombtrack” Rage Against the Machine 11/2/19, LTP: 12/30/19 (268 show gap)
“Big Heart” Lounge Lizards, 11/8/19, LTP: 6/7/13 (618 show gap)
“Electric Avenue to Hell” Original, 11/9/19, LTP: 7/2/17 (214 show gap)
“Full Frontal” Original, 12/27/19, LTP: 1/14/17 (268 show gap)
“Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” Billy Joel, 12/30/19, LTP: 2/5/10 (1,000 show gap)
“Headphones and Snowcones” Original, 12/31/19, LTP: 8/12/16 (304 show gap)
“Dick in a Box” Lonely Island, 12/31/19, LTP: 1/6/07 (1,364 show gap)
Openers:
The Trongone Band: 1/11-1/12
Big Something: 1/18-1/19, 3/21-3/23, 7/19?, 8/29-9/1,9/19-9/20
Marcus King Band: 1/25-1/26
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress: 1/31-2/2
Moser Woods: 2/21
Michal Menert and the Pretty Fantastics: 2/22-2/23
Ghost-Note: 3/1-3/9 (minus 3/3 festival set)
Spafford: 6/21
Turkuaz: 6/22
Ron Artis II & The Truth: 7/3, 7/5
Aqueous: 7/18
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong: 8/3-8/4
Cory Wong: 8/10
Magic City Hippies: 8/15-8/18
Susquabi: 8/24-25
Star Kitchen: 10/31-11/2
Pimps of Joytime: 12/27
Cycles: 12/28
Kyle Hollingsworth Band: 12/30
Jimmy Stewarts:
“Phil’s Farm” Portland, Maine, 2/2/19 (Lyrical)
“Jajunk” Aspen, CO 4/3/19 (Lyrical)
**I would like to send a HUGE thank you to Sara Jachimiak from Dropped Among This Crowd Podcast for helping me out with facts and accepting Mulche Obliged Music Blog to her team. I am so thrilled to be working together and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
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