I was incredibly tired going in to night three, I think we all were. We spent all day being lazy to save up our energy for the show. Once we got let into the Tabernacle though, it was like we forgot that we were tired and started to run up the stairs just so we could get a nice upper balcony spot again. We found a spot almost in the same location as the previous night but just a few rows closer. The seats were a godsend for this night. Our tired bodies appreciated the rest.
Cory Wong and Antwuan Stanley were going to open for the show tonight. Cory Wong is a very talented funk artist and he kicked things off strongly with his quirky stage presence. He could make you smile, even when he wasn’t playing music. He reminded me of a young David Bryne because both are eccentric musicians and push the envelope. They are constantly questioning the how’s and the why’s in life. Wong is best known for his collaboration with the funk band, Vulfpeck. He has been working with them since 2013. Both Cory Wong and Antwuan Stanley have contributed their musical expertise to the group. Stanley works as a featured vocalist for Vulfpeck, adding a rich, soulful sound. The set that they played left me with a taste of disco fever in my mouth. They covered one of my favorite songs, “Peg” by Steely Dan. They set the show on sail to a funky dance party that the night would turn out to be.
When it was time for the show to start, I felt a sudden burst of energy. They opened the show with an inviting and funky “1348.” About six minutes into the jam, Ryan lays down a fluttery bassline that fit perfectly with Jakes ethnic riffs. Stasik kept up with some thumping bass notes throughout the jam. They eased into a beautiful, soaring-uplifting jam where Jake’s playing sounded like a sweet lullaby. It was the kind of jam that brings a lump to your throat. They brought this one home from this incredible jazz odyssey with an impeccable Jake solo. They slowed it down and floated right into “Seasons.” This song has been almost like a constant for me by the end of 2018. I was curious to see how many times they played it this year, so I looked it up. But then I just ended up looking at the same for all of the new songs:
It’s Not Us It’s You
Silent Type:21 Triangle Tear: 10
Looks:23 What We Could Get: 4
Whistle Kids: 18 Push & Pull: 6
Half Delayed: 29 In the Black: 7
Maybe Someday: 20 Xmas At Wartime: 7
Remind Me: 20 Seasons: 14
You and You Alone: 11 Nether: 0
Forks: 6 Hanging Chads: 1
Speak Up: 13 Attachments: 14
Piranhas: 3 Upward: 10
Dark Brush: 8
The boys then jumped right into “Slacker.” Whenever I hear the beginning of “Slacker,” I get this feeling of complete bliss. This song, if you’re anything like me, gives you a lot of energy. Ryan just hits those notes with such sass. This song bounces along with Joel’s striking chords. They always give you their all in this song which is ironic because of its name. The intense funkiness that they brought to the Tabernacle with this one made me want to dance really low to the ground. And you know what? I probably was. It transformed into a full-on dance party when Kris came in strong around minute five. I love that small “Saturday in The Park” by Chicago tease that Jake throws in there at the end. When it was over, Garrett looked at me and said “so, I’m guessing ‘Slacker’ is a crowd favorite?” I never considered this one to be a crowd-favorite, but he was right! The walls of the Tabernacle where shaking with the energy coming out of not only the band, but the crowd as well.
After my first “Push & Pull,” they played an almost twenty-one-minute, brain crushing “Utopian Fir.” What a tasty jam. It’s a great jam segue song to begin with and it will always entail some buttery goodness. This one teased and quoted “Misunderstanding” from Genesis right off the bat, so we knew it was going to be a good one. They took a beat before jumping into the jam which was simply amazing. They started soft in the rhythm section with a low-key beat and slowly built upon it. Stasik lifted out of that and created a “Robot World” feeling to the jam. It was smooth and creamy. It then built to more suspenseful beat with Bayliss’ watery tone. The energy built up and allowed Jake to throw this thing into motion before going back into that cool, mellowing jam section from the beginning of the jam which flowed right into the second part of the song that holds the lyric section. This sort of “come-back” in the song is one of my favorite pieces of music ever written. It’s a good old classic UM tune and the melody tends to stick in your brain.
They invited Jeff Coffin out to provide his assistance in playing “Made to Measure.” I was just in complete awe because this is a very good, underrated tune. The last time they played this was on 3/8/17. They debuted this song ten years ago on this date (12/30/08), so I imagine that’s why they played it. The addition of Jeff to this song was brilliant. Bayliss’ voice was so velvety. This song reached a whole new level for me this night because it was my first one. This is a beautiful song with well written lyrics and unique music to go with it. They kept Jeff on and invited Cory Wong out on stage for the next song. Sam seemed to gain a million tons of energy when they started to play a cover of “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai. This is the first Jamiroquai song that they’ve ever covered. So, a huge debut for us! It was so fun to dance to it live rather than dancing to it in my car on the way to work. The insertion of Jeff and Cory and having Kris on vocals really made them nail this right on the head. This closed out the first set forcing us to wait twenty minutes for more magic.
When Umphrey’s returned to the stage, I was a little reluctant to stand back up. I knew that I was about to witness some great shit, so I powered through and I’m glad I did because they opened the second set with “Little Gift.” A song that has been on my wish list for at least a year. I got one of these at my first show, so I was super excited to hear Jake sing this. They ended the song and without even taking a breath, dropped right into “Ocean Billy.” This song is such a set exploder. They blow this wide open and leave us to pick up the pieces. They went into this serene jam that ended up being a “Footsteps” by Pearly Jam tease and quotes. A dark factor made its presence known in the second set with a grungy “It Doesn’t Matter” and then going back into Billy only to dump even more grease into our ears. The dark aspect didn’t last for too long because they excitedly jumped into a familiar, disco-like mashup.
“Can’t Rock My Dream Face” came right out of left field. The only other time that this song has ever been played was on Halloween of 2015, giving it a two hundred and eighty-two show gap. It appears on the album Zonkey that was released on November eleventh of 2016. Antwuan Stanley sat in on Kris’ usual part because he has quick but sharp vocals that were perfect for the portion of the song that features The Weekend. This song is a mashup of the songs “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson, and “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weekend. The whole Tabernacle turned into a sweaty 70’s disco club. This was an incredible experience to see this happen live. Don’t underestimate the power of live music!
They didn’t give us much time to cool down after that heater because they went right into a funky, twenty-two-minute version of “All in Time.” They took this one to so many different places. Ryan sank some funk into our souls and Jake absolutely slayed the improv on this. There was some serious griminess and even a little county twang mixed into this euphonic dance party. The end of this song melts all our Umphrey’s loving hearts. The slow break down into hearing Bayliss wail out those final lyrics mixed with the shredding that happens after is just the icing on the cake of an amazing second set. They had fun playing around with this one. Everyone took their turn ripping this to shreds. They milked it until they got all of what they could out of it. What a great way to close down set two and get us pumped up for the encore.
Once the lights went down for the encore break, we all quickly raced downstairs so we could find a good spot on the floor. They played an amazing “The Triple Wide” to start out the encore with. Usually, Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” loves to make its appearance in this song. But as this progressed, we heard the song “Dreams” came back out to play. I thought that it was very clever of them to bring that back from earlier in the show in “Can’t Rock My Dream Face.” They slowly eased into the tune adding some funk in behind it. It brought back the majestic fog that was draped over the crowd. They snuck right back into “The Triple Wide” then quickly transferred to the end of the “1348” that they opened the show with. The whole show was one huge, juicy, funky “1348” sandwich.
Once we started moving towards the exit, all of my tiredness from before rushed back to me. But what a perfect show to massage my mood for the night. They had a couple of relaxing song choices and the improv was fun and didn’t make you have to think too hard. It was a disco dance party with a couple head banging moments thrown in. I think we all went straight to bed when we got back to the Air Bnb, because we needed to save every ounce of energy for the next night.
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