Night one of Umphrey's McGee's Thanksgiving run at Aragon Ballroom was a solid show. The first set's unexpected cover of "Burning Down The House" lit a fire under the room. And the second set's "Triple Wide" was one of the best versions I've heard of that song in a while-- that "Smooth Criminal" jam was money in the bank. Yet, I felt like there was a lot of room to improve, especially considering the Chicago Mass Choir was going to make an appearance. Where there wasn't room to improve, however, was in the sound quality department. Remember how I bashed Widespread Panic for having the worst sound in Aragon? Well, UM's sound engineer, Chris Mitchell, had them at the opposite end of the spectrum; the sound was as dialed in as possible within the limitations of the venue. The conditions were right, and with the people packed in tighter than the previous night, Umphrey's came out and played a gem of a concert.
One of the main reasons why Aragon was more full on Saturday, I think, was because Cornmeal was opening the show. Cornmeal has a earned a strong draw in the city thanks to a large contingent of Corn Stalkers (Cornmeal street teamers/fans) who call Chicagoland home. I arrived a little bit late and missed my photo pit opportunity, so I ended up wandering aimlessly around trying to find some photos. Due to the fact that they were opening for Umphrey's, I expected them to come out with a really psychedelic & jam heavy set. Instead, they played a traditional bluegrass and buttoned down rock set of music. I mean, no Cornmeal show is without its moments of rage, like the intense & swirling fiddle vortex during "Better Off This Way," but in the grand scheme, this was a pretty tame show by their standards. Though the "Benny & The Jets" set closer was a really cool way to end the set and lifted everyone's mood heading into the intermission.
One of the reasons why Umphrey's appeals to me such is the unique approach of using instrumental intro-specific songs, my favorite of which is quickly becoming "Nipple Trix." This tune builds the perfect platform for just about any song to leap into action. In this case, it was "Bridgeless," and the position & song structure suggested this night was going to be one huge "Bridgeless" sandwich. This was partially confirmed as they segued gently into the winsome "No Comment," a re-work of the old classic "Pop Tart." A huge change in energy occurred as they dropped into "Bright Lights," which got the crowd engaged in a heavy sing-along. This song found a murky jam which hid the build up to "1348" beautifully. "1348" has these signature weird guitar sounds and a peculiar rhythm, the elements of which were sprinkled gently in this segue whirlwind of sound. Then, all of a sudden, all pieces came together and they erupted into the song.
It seemed as if they were going to make a sandwich of "1348" as well, but then they fell into a clean, rock n roll jam that then evolved into a Lyrical Stew. Once again, just like in Milwaukee, this felt like like bud of a newly forming song, complete with lyrics Bayliss had obviously written & practiced. But it began to jam away rather quickly, leaving space to introduce Allie Kral for a little sit-in on the fiddle. The jam took on a Southern rock edge, finding a peak that was sharpened beautifully by Allie's amazing strings. Then they pulled back, entering that space where absolutely anything can happen. And what did happen was just about the most beautiful "Hajimemashite" that has ever existed. Allie's influence pushed this already sentimental song to a new level of emotional potency. It was just a gorgeous piece of music. Ms. Kral left the stage to a raucous applause, the special "Haji" obviously had a huge impact on the grateful crowd. They wrapped the first set with a particularly spirited & gregarious "40s Theme." Jake seemed like he was having a ridiculous amount of fun during this one, especially when they extended the classic guitar jam to the point where it became a 12 minute-plus, straight "40s;" it's the song that keeps growing.
Go pick yourself up a couple a, what? 40s!!
The first set was extremely satisfying, but the second set is where the magic really started to flow. This set had a smartly constructed song list, beginning with two huge versions of Death By Stereo material. "Miami Virtue" is becoming much more than the album version in a hurry, with this version featuring a huge, power-packed jam with a rare, percussion-only breakdown. This song was the Kris Myers show, as his drumming was very Digital Tape Machine-esque, and he completely led the way in the percussion improv. Next up was a massive "Booth Love" that had a really patient segue build-up and a hot lava, extended axe section. This song somehow got stretched all the way to the 12 minute mark as well, without the addition of a dedicated "Stew." The power of improvisation, my friends.
After this half hour, two song base layer, it was a good time to add a dose of the Chicago Mass Choir to the night. They busted out the ever rare "Bullhead City," with featured some soulful vocals from Jake and Bayliss, as well as a awesome individual effort from one member of the choir. With the rhetorical, "Should they stay out for one more song?" from Bayliss, they slid into a mash-up of sorts with "Amazing Grace" and "Glory." It was a re-working of the piece they performed together on NYE at the Auditorium Theater in 2008, and it was definitely powerful, but part of me felt like it was a little bit of a cop out to play basically the same thing over again. Nonetheless, it was a stunning moment of musical bliss, which garnered the loudest audience roar I've ever heard in the Aragon. The place was shaking with human energy.
With the choir cleared off the stage, Joel started exploring a weird little synth jam, that once again landed the show in terra incognita. Where were they going now? As the percussion picked up, Joel slid into that trademark misty synthesizer tone, as they patiently found their way into the barn burner that is "Day Nurse." I was fiending for either Nurse, so "Day" was the perfect thing to hear at that moment. I sprinted from the balcony to the floor to find some room to get my groove on; this song makes me shred the dance floor at a more enthusiastic clip than usual and I made sure to let it all out. The end of this song found that no man's land again, this time stumbling on a slowed-down, tumbling percussion intro to "The Floor." Reason #26728673 why Umphrey's kicks ass: even with a classic, well-known song like "The Floor," they still find new & exciting ways to deliver the goods. I'd never heard them "screw and chop" a section like this, it was so brilliantly curious it my eyebrows curl up in an expression of impressed bewilderment. This song, like it is want to do, went on to absolutely explode, sending the crowd into yet another frenzy; the inclusion of this song on Death By Stereo has only strengthened its bond with the fans.
Bayliss issued one of his trademark displays of gratitude to the crowd, which was a great indication that they were about to jump into "Much Obliged." But this crowd-pleaser at the end of a set also signifies the reprise of the searing concluding composition of "Bridgeless," which came out of a particularly weird segue like a hammer. The final, dual guitar section always makes me feel like I'm behind the wheel of a car in a desperate, high speed chase from the law. It's intense, and invoked the rage in everyone I could see around me; "Bridgless" is generally an ideal way to end a set. When they came back out for the encore I was totally expecting them to finish the "1348" they left open in the first set. Instead they dropped a complete "All In Time" that featured a jam so snappy that it felt like a practiced piece. Maybe it was? I can't say for sure, but this was one of the coolest, most engaging "AIT" jams I've heard in some time. This beastly 14 minute version felt like the end of the show for a moment, but Bayliss brought the Chicago Mass Choir out for one last feelgood song of the night. Which just so happened to be an amazing cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Bringing the choir out to end the night was a fantastic move that resulted in a towering peak to put a huge exclamation mark on a spectacular night of music. Umphrey's McGee is still Chicago's band, despite their NYE run exodus, especially if they keep throwing down special shows like this on a regular basis.
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