Umphrey's McGee- Romare Bearden Park, Charlotte, NC 5-10-19
Set 1: Remind Me, Slacker, Nemo > Sociable Jimmy > Nemo, Roulette > The Triple Wide, Can't You Hear Me Knocking[1]
Set 2: Nothing Too Fancy > Partyin' Peeps, Bridgeless[2] > Attachments, Wappy Sprayberry > Bridgeless, Glory[3] > Nothing Too Fancy
Encore: Comfortably Numb
[1] with G. Love on harmonica and Mike Quinn on saxophone
[2] with MLK (U2) tease
[3] with Roundabout (Yes) tease in intro
Source courtesy of: http://allthings.umphreys.com/setlists/
Reviewing an Umphrey's McGee concert for me is not dis-similar to penning a review for a roller-coaster. How can I articulate the rush of dropping over 100 feet and then corkscrewing the next 250? No can do. Not me! The same can be said for my penning an Umphrey's McGee show review. But, here's my best effort.
Song after song they infuse ALL the good stuff with no false bravado whatsoever. Umphrey's McGee is from a technical standpoint, flawless. Great guitarist? Check. Great drummer? Check? Great Bass? Check. And so on. And so on. And so on. For over 22 years now they have been honing their craft. They are a relentless touring band that are virtually incapable of a poor performance at this point in their career. But, all of that isn't what makes the band so endearing. It's their willingness to be honest about who they are. And what their music is. They pull no punches about either of the two.
Umphrey's McGee still employ mostly the same stage and production crew as they did when they formed. They are still the original lineup (minus their original drummer who left to pursue an advanced medical degree, R.I.P Mike Mirro) they were in 1997. Really, they are still the same guys from back then. Case in point: Jake Cinnegar, their guitar virtuoso who is widely considered one of rock's greatest guitar players performed the entire Charlotte gig with a jacket tied around his waist. Like a grade school kid walking home from school with his lunch box in hand! In a nutshell, that's Jake Cinnegar and that's Umphrey's a whole.
- review and photos by Tim Hobert
