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[The Pageant in St. Louis, Missouri]
What exactly is the statute of limitations for a band being on fire? Is it really possible to play at a peak level for years on end? There is absolutely no telling with Umphrey’s McGee, who are playing with levels of intuition & instinct that are almost superhuman. Starting around UM Bowl 2 there hasn’t been a single UM show where I didn’t leave the show with my jaw on the floor. Or maybe it was Rothbury… Who knows? It’s hard to say if/when they’re peaking if they’re peaking all the time. They are so dialed in right now that, even with a show that might disappoint in some ways, there’s no way to leave not blown away overall.
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But first up was the Mike Dillon Band, which was one of the craziest musical performances I’ve ever witnessed. There’s just no other way to put it: Mike Dillon is a fucking madman. It’s impossible for a musician to be any more intensely animated than this guy. He hollered through the entire set, barking into the microphone like a dog gone mad with rabies. He hammered on his vibraphone with reckless abandon, at one point pulling a stuntman maneuver by jumping over the entire thing. Trombone player Carly Meyers was extremely animated as well and the combination of the two was like watching some deranged ballet. Musically, the only way to describe it is the unlikely collision of punk and jazz. An extremely brave musical endeavor that ended up being damn entertaining. I can say with confidence that there is no one else playing music quite like this. Singularly unique.
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Umphrey’s time. The newest intro song, “Drink My Drank,” opened the set. Some intros make make more of a statement than others and this one is pretty sinister. It established a great peak and set up the drop into “Plunger.” This song is so perfectly named, and when it’s tee’d up like this, causes an uncanny falling sensation from that tumbling guitar riff. This came and went quickly but was really just a setup for an early heavy hitter, and what ended being the highlight of the whole show. “2×2″ is always a massive song, but this 24 minute version was a towering behemoth. This version took off on a fiercely groovy jam; at first it was this proggish Jake-led pocket, then it morphed into a much funkier thing with Joel laying down some straight funk organ lines. And then… it dissolved. All of a sudden the room felt about three times bigger, the song became c a v e r n o u s, mindspace to the max. All that was left was some tripped out waves of distorted guitar (only one) and Myers laying down that gentle snare roll that led the climb up to Peak Heaven, to the moment that’s one of the most ‘shit hits the fan’ moments in the Umphrey’s catalogue, that place where the entire climb pays off with a sledgehammer of metal right to your dome. Only to then fade away into an effervescent & soothing piano lullaby which is like an aspirin to assuage all that headbanging. “2×2″ is a prog rock masterpiece and this version was exceptional.
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What I didn’t know at the time was that this was the highlight of the entire show. The rest of the first set left something to be desired in terms of improv and risk-taking. Well, aside from “The Linear,” which is growing into a song that regularly produces outrageous jams. This was an irregular jam, simultaneously spacey & complex. Myers was relentless with an accelerated tempo but Jake played it slow & soulfully while Bayliss laid out the psychedelic undercurrent of guitar weirdness and Joel brought varying waves of delicate piano. It was intensely gorgeous. One of those perfect improv moments that just boggles your mind. But it was all too short. A jam that was worthy of pushing this song to like 15 minutes ended after only nine. This set, and really the whole show, felt like they simply played too many songs. Or, in other words, didn’t leave enough time for true improv.
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Even though the first set had two of the major highlights of the night, the second set was the better set overall. But, it was a weird set too. It started off with a “Puppet String,” which is now unquestionably one of their biggest songs. Now they’ve started to jam it out, make sandwiches with it, jam into and out of it in any number of ways, play it absolutely anywhere in a set… basically they have just completely opened it up. Stasik led a dangerous, ‘end on a peak’ jam out of “Puppet” directly into a straightforward but massive “40′s Theme.” No matter what Pony thinks, there is never a bad time for a “Wife Soup,” and this was a straightforward but massive song as well. And then there was a third in a row straightforward but massive song, “Bridgeless,” which was by far the strangest selection of this show. “Bridgeless” has become a staple tune that gets utilized like I just described “Puppet,” so for them to plop it in the middle of the set and play it straight through was a weird feeling. It seemed for sure like they’d launch into some crazy Stew, or segue off, or do something, anything unique with it. It’s not like they didn’t kill this song, it was still ferocious. Yet, I was somehow slightly disappointed while I was headbanging like a buffoon & completely raging through the ridiculous climax. A weird, weird feeling.
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“Live And Let Die” is always an amazing cover, they somehow crank the intensity of this song beyond what seems possible. But then they did it again: they played a fucking amazing song, started a jam that was ridiculous, only to not let it stretch its legs and develop to its full potential. It seems like every version of “Brights Lights” is impossibly good these days and this was no different. It was that super sharp, stop-and-start style of jam, composed of that pure, high octane, sexy ass dance rock shit. This era of Umphrey’s might end up being known as a dance rock period of their career, and jams like this are prime examples of their peak. This “Bright Lights” jam had all the makings of a 16 minute epic, but then they went and cut it off with an uninspired finishing segment of “BLBC.” It was like they had a ton of songs they wanted to play in St. Louis and made sure to get them all out by not letting themselves go too wild with the improv. Fair enough. I suppose I’m a victim of my own expectations in a situation like this. I can’t help it, Umphrey’s continues to exceed my expectations show after show — this just wasn’t the night.
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There really isn’t a more perfect encore song than “Pay The Snucka.” With the way this song ends, there’s absolutely no way you’re not leaving the venue feeling like you have lightning coursing through your veins. And this brings it full circle to what I mentioned right off the bat: even though I had these nits I wanted to pick in my head, I still felt ecstatic, like the show was amazing in numerous ways. Epic “2×2″ was epic. The “Linear” and “Brights Lights” jams flashed those moments of utter, jaw-dropping improv brilliance. “Snucka 3″ finished the show at maximum rage. And, oh yeah, they left that wild “Puppet String” open, just teasing us about the next night. Everyone knows the second night of a two-night run is where it all hangs out anyhow, and I had a feeling this one was going to be special.
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02.08.2013 The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA
Set 1: Drink My Drank > Plunger > 2×2, Comma Later > Preamble > Mantis > The Linear[1] > Last Man Swerving > No Comment[2] > Plunger
Set 2: Puppet String[3] -> 40′s Theme, Wife Soup, Bridgeless, Live and Let Die, Bright Lights Big City, Deeper > Mantis
Encore: Pay the Snucka
[1] with Spirit of the Radio (Rush) and Search 4 teases
[2] with Roundabout (Yes) tease
[3] unfinished
Setlist from All Things Umphrey’s
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