Unseasonably warm weather and the promise of a really big rock show made Umphrey’s McGee’s first ever arena headlining date one to remember. The band is no stranger to large crowds, having sold out Red Rocks and stormed the main stage at Bonnaroo last year, but their first big indoor spectacle hadn’t fully manifested until the band booked this headlining gig. The half-arena setup allowed 3,000-plus fans plenty of room at the old Asheville Civic Center (now known as US Cellular Center) and proved a fine setting for the sextet’s frequently roaring, always entrancing sound. After a temperate day visiting the fine establishments of Asheville and soaking in the city’s mountainous splendor, the crowd was more than ready for the night’s main event – perhaps a little too ready, if the amount of intoxicated tomfoolery was any indication.
Exploratory jam quartet Tauk opened the show, and they did an admirable job, even if you’ve probably heard their sound a hundred times. Imagine a Phish “Mike’s Song” jam, molded into many different shapes, with one maniacal peak after another, and you’ve got a pretty good handle on Tauk’s instrumental blitz. Soon, Umphrey’s strode out and dove deep into their dance-rock meanderings early and often. A quick opening combo of “Bad Friday” and “Hindsight” afforded opportunities for both bombast and groovy relaxation, and they subsequently stretched out for a 20-minute take on “Ocean Billy”. The jam was nothing out of the ordinary, but entertaining enough that 20 minutes just flew by. The last segment of the first set featured an invigorating sequence that included “No Diablo”, “Hangover”, an incomparable “Hurt Bird Bath”, and a positively inspired version of one of their oldest songs, “Dump City”. This ripping “Dump” saw the whole band digging in to the familiar, funky groove with fangs bore. Jake Cinninger made mincemeat of his solo, cramming an impossible amount of notes into his allotted space, before the band went bonkers on an all-out improvisation. The energy carried over into a gloriously loose “Hangover”, and the audience even demonstrated their acumen, bellowing a hearty “Break out the booty wax, it’s Saturday night” during the ensuing jam.
After an interminable set break, Umphrey’s returned with a scintillating “Bridgeless” – a dynamic second set opener if there ever was one. Crafting a “Bridgeless” sandwich over the next 45 minutes, the band wove through pummeling new favorite “Similar Skin”, the dramatic “Wappy Sprayberry”, the unproven and still-evolving “Mad Love”, and a gliding, crowd-centering instrumental riff on Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”. After a typically heartstring-tugging version of “Hajimemashite”, the frantic instrumental action of “Day Nurse” gave way to the somewhat quizzical choice of “Upward” as set closer. The song has an epic feel, but fell a bit flat as an ending to this otherwise grandiose second set. Fortunately, the encore – a quick “Much Obliged” that bled into “Comfortably Numb” – was just the icing this big, brightly colored cake of a concert needed.
The sound was as good as I’ve ever heard at this venue, and lighting director Jefferson Waful clearly relished his first big box show. “Dump City”, “Ocean Billy”, and “Hurt Bird Bath”, and “Wappy Sprayberry” turned out to be the highlights of an above average entry into the ever-impressive live oeuvre of Umphrey’s McGee.
Setlist
Set 1: Bad Friday, Hindsight, Ocean Billy, No Diablo, Dump City, Hangover, Hurt Bird Bath[1]
Set 2: Bridgeless > Similar Skin, Wappy Sprayberry > Mad Love, I’m On Fire > Bridgeless, Hajimemashite > Day Nurse > Upward
Encore: Much Obliged > Comfortably Numb
[1] with Domino Theory teases
Support: TAUK
