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.
No comments:
Post a Comment