“Break out the booty wax/It’s Saturday night!” the crowd chanted as Umphrey’s McGee performed “Hangover” at an outdoor show in Indiana a while back. Wait … what? Are or are these not actual Umphrey’s McGee lyrics?
Well, they sort of were if you were there, if that makes any sense. A continuously evolving organism, Umphrey’s operate from the standard baseline of recorded singles and albums, but ultimately create a new concert experience every night. Each performance is filled with in-jokes, in-the-moment improvisations, offbeat covers and bonding moments for the crowd.
It’s a rolling exchange between band and fans with a friendly FOMO vibe prevailing and various “What was that from?” discussion threads cropping up online after live shows. It’s one reason that UM have amassed a loyal, mobile following that travels to multiple shows a year.
They might conjure the image of some barefoot Scottish flautist, but Umphrey’s McGee are not what their name sounds like. These protean prog-funk rockers and more from the Midwest don’t fit squarely into any one category beyond ur-jam band or musicians’ musicians. Their 30-album discography spanning 25 years is so sprawling, stylistically, it can be daunting for curious newcomers to know where to begin.
PureHoney recommends a playlist reflecting the band’s prodigous range. Start with “No Diablo,” a retro-metal rocker from the harder corner of the catalogue, and then a couple of standouts from “Zonkey,” a 2016 mash-up album named after a hybrid animal. Pairings include “Strangeletage” (Ted Nugent, Beastie Boys) and the Spotify favorite “Can’t Rock My Dream Face” (Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, The Weeknd) — the latter perfect for people dragged to an Umphrey’s show on the promise they’d hear something to dance to.
Floydians, Deadheads, and fans of El Ten Eleven and Papadosio will find their niche in intentionally crafted acoustic tracks like “Glory.” And to grok present-day Umph, newbies should sample “Hiccup” and the just-released 2023 single “Staircase.” As novel as the view through a kaleidoscope, Umphrey’s shows are set-list anarchy from one night to the next, but consistent in delivering bliss.
GMP LIVE presents Umphrey’s McGee at 7:30pm on Saturday April 15 at Miami Beach Bandshell. umphreys.com ~ Amanda Moore
