Review: Umphrey’s in Charlotte

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As vocally-oriented as the set was, it also included plenty of masterful instrumental moments. August opened up into a familiar, peaceful space before picking up steam and resolving beautifully. Plunger tends to spawn robust explorations, and this version was no exception, though the band moved a bit too deliberately into their planned improv space. During the ensuing journey, the band stumbled upon a pronounced Herbie Hancock tease, and even stumbled a bit with the music for a spell, but they finished Plunger with vigor and moved on.

The Fussy Dutchman’s intricate interplay sandwiched the subtle majesty of the seldom-performed instrumental Keefer, and the combination was impossibly satisfying. The transition from Keefer back into The Fussy Dutchman was a thing of unrestrained beauty, full of soaring, emotional notes from Bayliss. But the true highlight of the set was 1348, which encompassed a metallic, four-on-the-floor intro and a sinister, slow-building jam that achieved deafening liftoff.

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1348 also contained one of lighting director Jefferson Waful’s best ideas yet. Waful is starting to build a large collection of signature looks to accompany specific portions of songs, and he’s struck mesmerizing gold with his work during the opening of 1348. Only spotlights light the guitarists while they play solo, and the rest of the band’s entrance is met by a sweeping flourish of light. That moment sticks with you because of the perfect confluence of music and light.

Set two proved to be a much darker, heavier affair than its predecessor, and it opened with a monumental version of Robot World. Crushing rock riffs clashed with starry-eyed post-rock, and the resulting jam was truly remarkable, the best one of the evening. Though Umphrey’s entrances into improvisation and spontaneous composition sometimes feel forced, the results are almost always enjoyable, and their ability to communicate and create is supernatural. Bassist Ryan Stasik came alive during the set, and so did Cinninger, in a way. The song selection in set two was tailored much more for shredding and deep, rumbling bass work, and Stasik took the wheel of the UM machine during the Robot World jam.

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The band never gave the wonderful Robot World jam a chance to go stale, dropping neatly if abruptly into the concise Uncommon. Uncommon is hardly a song that UM fans clamor for, but it served as a mood-changing device between the gravity of Robot World and the limitless possibilities of the next song, Der Bluten Kat. Der Bluten Kat tends to take 20 to 30 minutes every time it appears, and this luxurious version featured not only the standard Umphrey’s treatment of full-band rhythmic and melodic exploration, but also a complete reading of Jeff Beck’s You Know What I Mean.

You Know What I Mean is the kind of elastic, expansive fusion workout that is putty in the hands of band as skilled as Umphrey’s McGee. As is so common with spacious instrumentals, each band member was allowed to shine. Drummer Kris Myers went well beyond the song’s required rhythm, embellishing the beefy beat with his own touches. Keyboardist Joel Cummins stepped up to consistently deliver the song’s biting, looping hook along with the guitarists, who relished the chance to dig in to a relatively straightforward rhythmic backing. Cinninger delved into some truly Beck-tastic whammy sounds, and the circle was complete with a brilliant move back into Der Bluten Kat. The bits of Der Bluten Kat that were held together by chord progressions worked out splendidly, but the improvised segment between never recovered from an awkward start and failed to reach any truly memorable peaks.

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The stretch run of the show was oddly constructed but effective. The world debut of a new song always makes for memorable moments, and the band tried one out on this evening. Tentatively titled Conduit, the tune isn’t going to surprise many UM fans – through and through, it sounds just like the band they’ve come to love. A slightly poppy verse-chorus-verse structure holds a simple, descending melody, a few hard-hitting jazz breaks, and a hint of reggae, but little else in its infantile state. According to Bayliss, the crowd’s reaction was favorable, but nothing gets an audience going like a cover that is older than most of them.

Marshall Tucker Band’s 1973 hit Can’t You See was performed in full for only the second time ever, and I must admit I was surprised at the crowd’s reaction. It’s not the cover I would have picked, but I’m all for variety. Cinninger, who handled the song’s gritty vocals and recently moved back to South Bend, IN, added his own lyrics while wearing a hat that read “Can’t U See” – “I’m gonna take that train right down to that state of Carolina, I’m never going back to Chicago, f**k that place!”

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Then, for something completely different, the opening bass glide of Wappy Sprayberry greeted the crowd. Percussionist Andy Farag clearly enjoyed some time with his samplers and drum pads during the intro, and the song has obviously become a fan favorite. However, nothing else from the set quite matched the amazing jam out of Robot World. The end of the show included some curious song choices, though I loved seeing Thin Air in the set closer spot. The meat of the song is a bit languid for such late positioning, but the late Latin-tinged breakdown, alternating guitar solos and “Hall of the Mountain King” ending make great closer material. The first encore, Soul Food 1, was so short that it almost seemed aborted, and if that was the case, it was no loss – it was going nowhere to begin with. The song that ultimately closed out the encore, Words, functioned in a manner similar to Thin Air. It’s not the most energetic song, but the payoff at the end makes for a reflective, majestic last scene.

Just when I thought I might have had enough of Umphrey’s McGee over the last 10 years, they stoked my appreciation with this above average show. Surpassing the quality of previous appearances in a given city is always good, and the first set stands as one of my favorite of the last several years.

Set I: Get in the Van, August, Plunger, The Fussy Dutchman> Keefer> The Fussy Dutchman, Morning Song, 1348

Set II: Robot World> Jimmy Stewart> Uncommon, Der Bluten Kat> You Know What I Mean&> Der Bluten Kat,Conduit*, Can’t You See%, Wappy Sprayberry> Thin Air

E: Soul Food I > Words

Notes:
& Jeff Beck cover (second time played)
* new original song
% Marshall Tucker band (second time played in full?)

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