Umphrey's McGee - Grand Rapids MI

[SteveSly]

Just got home from seeing Umphrey’s McGee outdoors on a beautiful Michigan evening at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids Michigan. Yup, I’ve had a few beers, but my first reaction is……….anyone who says Umphrey’s is not a progressive rock band can kiss my ass. Yea, they do jam, and they do reggae, and they do soul, and they do funk, they even do jazz, but…….the essence of what they do is progressive rock. It is really that simple, and what separates them from the M.O.E’s and Widespread Panic’s of the world. The fact that they can attract a shitload of young people to hear music this complex gives me hope in the next generation of music fans. The fact that this band can attract ages from 10 to 70 is also a very cool thing to me. The majority of their audience is 20 something’s, but there were all ages represented at the show tonight. The only bad thing was we got caught in a horrendous traffic jam, due to an accident on the highway, and missed much of the first set. Oh well, they made up for it with the 90 minute second set. This band is killer and I wish more proggers would give them a chance.

Steve Sly

[Sordel]

Hey, I don't mind bumping your recommendation, but I think that it's too narrow to call UM a Prog band. I think if you're going to recommend a UM album to a Prog fan, you're probably going to go for Local Band Does O.K. or Mantis, and neither is really a progressive rock album.

Should Prog fans listen to UM? Hell yeah ... just like they should listen to Zappa. But that doesn't really make UM (or Zappa) Prog.

[SteveSly]

[QUOTE=Sordel;122297]Hey, I don't mind bumping your recommendation, but I think that it's too narrow to call UM a Prog band. I think if you're going to recommend a UM album to a Prog fan, you're probably going to go for Local Band Does O.K. or Mantis, and neither is really a progressive rock album.[QUOTE]


In the cold grey (and sober) light of dawn, maybe my post was a bit too enthusiastic. I think my point was maybe not that they are a progressive rock band per say, but much of what they do is progressive rock. My buddy and I commented several times during the show, with all the kids bopping around us, that what the band were playing was pure prog, and these kids had no idea what they were listening too. Of course not everything the band did fit this category, but I would say at least 50% of the show did. As for their albums, I consider “Mantis” to be a prog album for the most part. Some of their others are much less so, but as you mention parts of “Local Band Does OK” are pretty proggy as well.

Steve Sly

[Sordel]

Further to UM, since we're on the subject, I today got hold of their Summer Camp shows from May 2013 and I can already feel that the band was really 'on it' for these shows. I usually buy blind the New Year's Eve shows (which are, tbh, generally disappointing) the UMBowls (which are likewise, but at least highlight UM's more adventurous side), the Halloween show (which is always great) and Summer Camp.

Summer Camp is a real opportunity to see where the band is, because they really stretch out over the weekend: eight hours this year, over 56 tracks, which amounts to an average track length of over eight minutes per track. (Very Prog! ) The 2012 concerts were, for some reason, not recorded to the usual standards, but the 2013 concerts sound very immediate, and the performances are superb. I'm just listening to the "Der Bluten Kat" from 25th (with a vocal Stew inside it) and Jake & Kris are on fire for it ... it takes me back to that Calvin Theater "DBK" from 2008, which is one my favourite half-hours of UM ever. The "Bridgeless" with brass that closes the same set is also enormous ... and complete, which is all too infrequent in UM concerts.

[Sean]

Any thoughts on the new Red Rocks dvd? Just got a copy and am enjoying it more than the Summer Camp ones, I think simply because it's filmed better. Curious your thoughts on that night's performance.

[Sordel]

Any thoughts on the new Red Rocks dvd? Just got a copy and am enjoying it more than the Summer Camp ones, I think simply because it's filmed better. Curious your thoughts on that night's performance.

I have it on Blu-ray ... complete waste of money because I don't think the sound or even picture are any better, but there you go! To be honest, it didn't make a big impression on me. The Red Rocks arena is spectacular and UM speak of that fixture as one of the highlights of their year, but I actually think that they generally raise their game for smaller concerts, and tend to play a little bit safe with the Untz and disco lighting on those big stages.

I wasn't much taken with Picking Up The Tab, the Blu-Ray of last December's New Year's run, either, although technically that's the best they've done to date. I wonder whether I just prefer them generally without the visuals: much as I (feel that I) like them personally (never having met them!) what charisma that they have doesn't come over especially well on film ... maybe it's a problem with the editing, which always seems confused about whether to follow Jake or Brendan.

[Grimjack]

This year's Red Rocks show was filmed by AXS TV and will be shown on Jul 21st at 8PM.
Last year's Red Rocks performance was good but the Blu Ray editing was subpar. The Tabernacle shows were much better in that regard.

[bRETT]

[QUOTE=SteveSly;122357]

In the cold grey (and sober) light of dawn, maybe my post was a bit too enthusiastic. I think my point was maybe not that they are a progressive rock band per say, but much of what they do is progressive rock. My buddy and I commented several times during the show, with all the kids bopping around us, that what the band were playing was pure prog, and these kids had no idea what they were listening too. Of course not everything the band did fit this category, but I would say at least 50% of the show did. As for their albums, I consider “Mantis” to be a prog album for the most part. Some of their others are much less so, but as you mention parts of “Local Band Does OK” are pretty proggy as well.

Death By Stereo has some quite proggy moments as well. There's one bad funk track, but the rest is very good indeed.

[Sordel]

Death By Stereo has some quite proggy moments as well. There's one bad funk track, but the rest is very good indeed.

Death By Stereo is a good album, but it will always be weakened for me by the fact that two of the best tracks, Haji & The Floor, were already well-known by the time it came out. (Obviously that wouldn't trouble anyone coming to that album fresh.) Still, for me it's their ’80s revival album: less proggy than Mantis.

[SteveSly]

I actually think that they generally raise their game for smaller concerts, and tend to play a little bit safe with the Untz and disco lighting on those big stages.

I wonder whether I just prefer them generally without the visuals: .

The Wednesday night show was at an outdoor ampetheater with no roof (not a shed). This place has a 10PM curfew and this time of year it does not even get dark until around 10:30PM, so for the most part their lightshow was null and void until close to the end of the show. It didn’t even look like they had their full lighting rig set up, although I could be wrong about that. Anyway, this was my first time seeing them pretty much without the lights and I thought they pulled it off really well. I enjoy a good light show as much as anyone, but it was interesting seeing them in a bit of a different environment from what I am used to.

Steve Sly

[SteveSly]

[QUOTE=bRETT;122763]

Death By Stereo has some quite proggy moments as well. There's one bad funk track, but the rest is very good indeed.

Are you talking about “Booth Love”? I actually love that track. It had to grow on me, but now I really dig it. That thing would have been right in place on a soul radio station circa about 1977. Apparently they opened the Grand Rapids show with it, but due to the traffic jam we were not there yet.

Steve Sly

[SteveSly]

Death By Stereo is a good album, but it will always be weakened for me by the fact that two of the best tracks, Haji & The Floor, were already well-known by the time it came out. (Obviously that wouldn't trouble anyone coming to that album fresh.) Still, for me it's their ’80s revival album: less proggy than Mantis.

I wouldn’t even say 80’s. Much of that album sounds like it came out of the mid 70’s.

Steve Sly

[BrianG]

UM has their own station on Stitcher Radio ( and other Android streaming apps) which streams edits from their latest concerts. Always entertaining. Always diverse. To me, better than Phish or the Dead.

[Sordel]

To me, better than Phish or the Dead.

That's sacrilege ... but I, um, agree.

[SteveSly]

UM has their own station on TuneIn Radio ( and other Android streaming apps) which streams edits from their latest concerts. Always entertaining. Always diverse. To me, better than Phish or the Dead.

With the exception of the “Terrapin Station” album I never got into the dead at all. I tried with Phish, purchasing several of their albums, but they never did much of anything for me. In fact other than Gov’t Mule I find it very difficult to get into most jam bands. To me Umphrey’s is a totally different animal from either The Dead or Phish.

Steve Sly

[jeffworman]

To me Umphrey’s is a totally different animal from either The Dead or Phish.

Steve Sly

I agree totally. Yes, they do jam, but not only is there more creativity involved in the directions their jams take, but the basic song structures are far more interesting than any of the other so-called "jam bands" mentioned. And then there's the musicianship - - - - - - Jeff

[Sordel]

I agree totally. Yes, they do jam, but not only is there more creativity involved in the directions their jams take, but the basic song structures are far more interesting than any of the other so-called "jam bands" mentioned. And then there's the musicianship - - - - - - Jeff

While I prefer UM to the Grateful Dead or Phish, I have tens of hours of both those bands on my iTunes. Trey's early song structures were pretty remarkable - better, even, than UM's, maybe - and you could have a tricky debate about whether UM or the Dead had the better musicians. Music isn't a competitive sport, though, so it's not really necessary to make someone else a loser when you find a winner.

[BrianG]

Trey's early song structures were pretty remarkable - better, even, than UM's, maybe .

To me that is the heart of the difference - song structure. Progressive music has elevated my musical expectations, and so ruined my enjoyment of the standard blues structure songs: verse - chorus - verse -chorus - bridge -end. Sometimes UM can elevate their songs above this, but not usually an unplanned "jam" type song. Sometimes they stay in one chord for the whole song, which Magma has epitomized. On Mantis are several more deliberate, composed pieces which are much more interesting. They grow and subside, have a beginning and end.
Someone once said Progressive music song structure comes from the influence of classical training which most US schools have cut, but European schools still emphasize. Therefore the great outpouring of Progressive from Europe over the US. Hopefully UM is helping us gain ground on you Euros!