6/26/15 Umphrey's McGee @ Brenton Skating Plaza - Des Moines, IA

A couple weeks ago I went on a Friday afternoon to Des Moines to see Umphrey's McGee.  I've seen most of their shows in the state of Iowa over the years.  Simon Estes was underwater nearby so this time around they booked the new ice rink (sans ice) a block down the street.  It had a plastic covering over the floor which was a bit more comfortable than concrete.  The venue was covered by a large tent which Jeff Waful made good usage of with the lights.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous as I arrived and parked on the Locust St. bridge.  Temperatures were in the low 70s with clear skies.  It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since I moved home from Ames. (I eventually got my degree the next year).  It was good to see my old Umphrey's buddy Sarah.  She hadn't seen the band since 2007.  I also was glad to see some old familiar faces in the crowd i.e. Josh, Kenny, Maggie, and Bug. Rush "Hemispheres" was the preshow PA music. 


After a short intro jam known as Bathing Digits they went into a fairly standard Hurt Bird Bath. I've always enjoyed Words.  The first part of Bridgeless had a successful jam that segued into Mad Love.  With the gay marriage decision earlier in the day this was appropriate and featured Waful using rainbow colors.  Made To Measure was the highlight of the show for me.  The improvisation that spawned from this song took was other level stuff.  Remind Me was my first time hearing that developed stew.  This had a good amount of jamming before dropping into the end of Bridgeless to finish the set. 


I was really happy to hear Cut the Cable to open set two.  That's a rocking tune.  #5 was unsually placed but it worked on this occasion.  Let's Dance was well received by the central Iowa crowd.  Booth Love was the dance party portion of the show before transitioning into Spires.  This tune off Mantis is one that I really like.  They brought the song to a complete stop before tacking on a composed stew that eventually segued into another dance number Day Nurse.  Ocean Billy reminded me of seeing UM over the years at various venues in Iowa. This band has provided a lot of good experiences.  This show somewhat reaffirmed my belief in their music.  I heard the Puppet String encore with Jake on perc on my way to my vehicle.  You could hear the show really well out on the bridges going over the adjacent Des Moines River.  This was my 153rd time seeing Umphrey's McGee and it was a big victory for the band.  I stopped at the World's Largest Truckstop in Walcott, IA and ate at Wendy's on my way home.  Initially I wasn't planning on going to this show but it proved to be a great decision. 

6/9/15 Mike Gordon @ Pageant Theatre - St. Louis, MO

Last Wednesday I worked in the morning on the farm and then drove down to Decatur to Doc's house.  From there we were on to St. Louis to see Mike Gordon at the Pageant Theatre.  For dinner we stopped at Pappy's BBQ near St. Louis University which brought back memories of the 2012 Chaifetz Arena show.  It was a nice sunny day for our cruise through southern Illinois.  We got a spot right in the center of the venue just above the floor area.  The balcony was closed for this event and it was a somewhat sparce crowd.  Mike was hanging out over by the merch area before the show taking in the scene. 


I did not recognize the opening song of the show.  I liked the understated stage backdrops which changed colors.  Especially, I enjoyed the part of the show when they used the spooky trees.  Mike deserves a keyboard player of Robert Walter's stature to play with.  This added a lot to the performance compared to the three previous MGB shows I'd seen.  Another part of this show I liked was the addition of John Kimock on drums.  This kid could really play and was an improvement over the previous drummer.  This was early in the tour but you could tell the band had done plenty of preparation.  Cruel World is a song I've heard several times before and features Scott on vocals.  I felt he had a good night on guitar and benefited from the lineup changes as well. 555 was welcomed by the Phish oriented crowd and this version was explored thoroughly.  I did not know the next few tunes and the set lagged a bit at this point.  Tiny Little World and Jumping are two tunes off Overstep which got the show heading in the right direction.  I respect Mike for putting together a cohesive musical vehicle for his performance art.  With that said I wish he'd be a bit more bombastic (pun intended) which the envelope filter. 


Jones is another Scott tune and one of his better ones.  This number segued into The Green Sparrow song, Dig Further Down.  Next came the unexpected highlight of the show for me.  This Robert Palmer cover, Looking For Clues, got the crowd moving.  Gordo was really into this cover.  The percussion player was adding some effective textures on his e-drums.  This whole set was a cohesive, effective musical statement.  I was pleased to hear the MGB take on Yarmouth Road.  This was also given more improvisation than any Phish version to date.  Suskind Hotel was from the forgettable GRAB tour.  I'm glad Mike is continuing to use that song.  In recent weeks I'd been enjoying the bonus EP The Last Step specifically Normal Phoebe so that was appreciated.  Face was another Overstep track that worked well.  I did not recognize the last song but it capped off the set effectively.  The encore of Spock's Brain and Meat was a nice kickdown to the Phish fans in attendance.  The latter was a bit awkward in its execution.  The second set of this show gave this performance the win.  I'm happy for Mike that he has an improved jam vehicle for his solo career.  Doc and I had fun and I appreciate him driving and letting me stay at his place. 






















below pictures by Jamie Schroeder (Live Music Blog)