9/12/12 Umphrey's McGee @ Wooly's - Des Moines, IA

Umphrey's McGee
9/12/12
Wooly's
Des Moines, IA

I: Flamethrower > Ringo, Wappy Sprayberry > Alex's House > Eat > Example 1 > Eat, Room to Breathe, Domino Theory

II: Push the Pig, Hurt Bird Bath, Much Obliged, Live and Let Die, Higgins, Last Man Swerving > Smell the Mitten

E: Bright Lights



Audience Recording



On Wednesday afternoon after work my neighbor Jamie and I drove from Geneseo to Des Moines for Umphrey’s McGee. The show had been moved indoors to a new bar in the east village near the state capital building called Wooly’s. The reasoning for the move had been stated as due to the threat of bad weather, however, rumors were going around about there having been around only 170 advance tickets sold. I was put on the guest list for the performance by a friend of mine in Ames.

I would guess that by showtime the tavern was near capacity which was stated to be just less than 700. The place was very poorly ventilated and temperatures were almost unbearable the closer you got to the stage. Flamethrower was an appropriate opener and I recognized it from their most recent Umbowl show. Pony was dropping an infectious groove. I will say his get up with the mustache, rat tail, and several items of Umphrey’s merchandise is a little tacky to say the least. They took the stage the prerecorded intro and then started playing along with it as has been the custom most of this year with all the different named intros they now have. This led into Ringo which had several pieces of interesting improvisation. I can’t emphasize enough how much energy was exploding from the stage. Wappy was next and this also had a jam that strayed from the typical terrain usually associated with this dance number. Alex’s House featured some great soloing from Cinninger per usual. Eat was sandwiched with Example 1 in the middle. This also had a catchy groove. Room to Breathe was appropriate with the crowd packed in like sardines.  I wasn’t expecting Domino Theory in that slot in the setlist. That had a nice build into the end of the song. The intimate confines of Wooly’s reminded me of the old days of seeing Umphrey’s back when I was in college. It was almost too loud up front and I had to deal with several amateurs so I eventually moved further back for the second set. I saw several old school UM friends of mine namely O’Malley, Cleofus, Keith, and Waxhead Kenny.  My friend Curt was taping by the soundboard.  It was also good to see several people from Ames that I hadn’t seen in ages. I should note this was the first venue I’ve ever seen Umphrey’s McGee where they had deer mounted on the wall.

Push the Pig was fairly standard with the usual hip hop groove. The end of the song featured Xxplosive teases. Hurt Bird Bath was placed in the centerpiece position of the show and it turned out to be the highlight of the show. The raw power the band was producing was impressive. MO kept the energy going which really never let up the whole night with the exception of The Wings cover Live and Let Die which I could have done without. This is a progressive rock show not a James Bond movie. Higgins had another jam and they finished the composed ending with authority. Last Man Swerving was appropriate with much of the crowd becoming extremely inebriated. Smell the Mitten is always appreciated.  Bright Lights in the encore was my other major highlight of the show. Like so many versions recently this was a powerhouse jam. It was a great way to end the show. Umphrey’s McGee at Wooly’s was like a geyser of energy all evening. This was my 143^rd time seeing UM and they continue to find ways to keep my interest. After the show I drove us home and I crushed a McDouble at the Newton Iowa Speedway golden arches.