The music inside The Wiltern Theatre was most certainly that of Umphrey’s McGee (UM), but the stage at times resembled a Tom Jones’ show, thanks to the bevvy of bras tossed on stage.
“Thank you ladies for the bras,” said lead singer/guitarist Brendan Bayliss after laying a white, lacy over-shoulder, bolder-holder on the guitar stand next to another. “It’s very inspiring. You’re gonna get a better performance.”
Not that they needed it, but with all the “support” from the ladies and numerous “Fuck Yeah” signs in crowd, there was certainly plenty of inspiration to be had.
After opening with the instrumental “Bathing Digits,” an inspired UM weaved in-and-out of its “hippie metal” with precision, coming full-circle with “JaJunk” to start and close the night.
In between, there were many twists and turns, with the first set highlight being a set-closing cover of Simple Mind’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” marking only the third time the band has covered the tune in its 15-year history. Midway through the song, Bayliss reminisced back to high school and shared a personal story about getting drunk at a party and puking on himself, unable to muster the courage to ask a girl to prom after consuming five “drinks of courage.”
With the band keeping tempo during the narrative, Bayliss finished the story by telling the crowd to not get caught up in the moment. “It just doesn’t matter. Shit happens. Life goes on.” Pointing at people in the crowd, Bayliss continued: “It’s true for me. It’s true for. It’s true for you. It’s true for him, for her, for everybody.” At that moment, the band picked up where it left off and Bayliss jumped back into the song at the chorus “La la la, when you call my name” to wind out the set.
The second set opened and closed with “Nothing Too Fancy,” a song that showcased UM’s innate ability to switch mid-song from spacy, jelly-kneed noodling to head-banging thrash on a dime, keeping fans guessing as to the direction of any given song.
Perhaps Bayliss and crew were feeling nostalgic this evening, adding another 80’s cover to the night to highlight the second set. Joined on stage by the horn section of opening band The California Honeydrops, UM pulled out the rarely-played cover of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” Impressively, Bayliss’ showed off his chops by hitting and holding the high registry throughout the song. About seven minutes into the tune, UM worked its way back into the second-set opener “Nothing Too Fancy” to end the set as it started.
For the encore, Umphrey’s opened with “Hajimemashite,” a tune that pre-dates UM back to the days of Bayliss and bassist Ryan Stasik’s previous band, Tashi Station. But seemingly unwilling to not finish what they started, the group ended the night by coming full circle from where the night started, with a nice button of the opening number, “JaJunk.”
To further enhance the live experience for the fans, UM again offered its Headphones &Snowcones program to a limited number of fans. For $50, fans can get the pristine soundboard mix piped directly into a set of headphones, eliminating crowd noise and other imperfections that come with a live performance. Additionally, everyone who purchases the headset receives a free download of the show. While the price may seem steep, audiophiles and die-hard fans will see it as money well-spent.
Some bands are considered underground, but the Oakland quartet The California Honeydrops literally got its start underground: in the subway of the Bay Area Transit (BART). With nothing more than a bucket and string five years ago, The California Honeydrops have risen from the dark underground to the bright lights of the big stage.
Building a mix of blues, roots, R&B and soul, The California Honeydrops brings a funky New Orleans-style sound with its brass and vocal harmonies. Like UM, The California Honeydrops like to change the tempo throughout their set with spiritual jams showcasing each member of the band.
Throughout each song, lead singer Lech Wierzynski often stops to share a story with the crowd, giving insight to the song’s meaning or background. This was particularly poignant for the set-closer “Soul Tub,” a song that pays tribute to the band’s early days plucking away at a string and a bucket underground.
Set List
Set 1
Bathing Digits >
JaJunk >
No Diablo
Day Nurse >
The Linear >
Ocean Billy
Bad Friday
Tribute to the Spinal Shaft >
Don’t You (Forget About Me) (Simple Minds cover)
Set 2
Nothing Too Fancy > (Ali Baba’s Tahini cover)
The Floor >
Glory >
The Floor
All In Time
Resolution > (Ali Baba’s Tahini cover)
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson cover)
Nothing Too Fancy
Encore
Hajimemashite > (Tashi Station cover)
JaJunk
