Umphrey’s McGee’s UMBowl event debuted in Port Chester, NY last night after spending the first four years of its life in the band’s hometown of Chicago at various venues. The fifth UMBowl focused more on improvisation than most in the past, exchanging more song variety for longer segments.

In no quarter did this theme hold more true than the opening “Raw Stewage” quarter, which was preceded by the intro video above from the Around the Horn crew. As you may recall, host Tony Reali and panelist Tim Cowlishaw have both shared the stage with the band in recent months. As the group dug into their first stew selection—“Gents” derived from the 3/7/2013 “In the Kitchen” and the 9/23/2011 “Ocean Billy”—it was clear they were setting out to deliver a more expansive and patient quarter.

In fact, for the first time the band would pair different improvs together, to create one cohesive improvisational section, recreating past works from different eras in their career. “Onward & Upward” upped the ante and included four stews—the 2/6/14 “Mantis,” 2/6/13 “Got Your Milk (Right Here),” 10/16/2013 “Dump City” and 10/17/2013 “All in Time.” Many fans remarked that the last section of “All in Time,” which featured lyrics, could serve as the new “Final Word,” the popular selection from last year’s Raw Stewage Quarter.

The All Request Quarter followed and did not feature any band debuts but relied on some old favorites as well as a steady dose of improv. Kicking it off with moe.‘s “Rebubula,” a popular cover for UM in the late ’90s, the crowd was in full sing-along mode from the start. An improv heavy “All Things Ninja” followed before the band paid homage to a longtime Capitol Theatre band—The Grateful Dead—with “Crazy Fingers.” Performed in various arrangements throughout UM’s career, the group opted for a more direct intro as opposed to the Jake Cinninger (who pulled vocal duties on the tune) solo intro. A lengthy “#5” preceded the closing combo (and another Capitol Theatre tribute) of Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage” > “Eclipse.” With the projections on the wall playing to the theme of the tune, one couldn’t help but be transported back to the ’70s when Waters, Barrett and more graced the stage.

Fans got their chance to stump the band during the Stew Art Series in the third quarter. However, it seemed the band was well up to the task, rolling through themes such as George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice,” “Opium Sunrise” and “James Brown Revival,” among others. Fans opted for a more dance-oriented set with the “Chase” theme, “Emergency Dance Party” and “Daft Funk” all coming in succession.

Saxophonist Bill Evans hopped on stage for the final stanza of the Stew Art, beginning with “Daft Funk” and staying through the closing Frank Zappa-esque jam which included a segments of “Willie the Pimp” and “City of Tiny Lites.”

As the event came to a close, the fans once again had control for the fourth quarter with the Choose Your Own Adventure section. Starting with “The Haunt,” the band moved through the dance number “The Triple Wide,” which was preceded by Jake Cinninger commenting that the crowd really wanted to dance tonight. A Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque funk jam bled out of “Triple Wide” before the classic UM staple “Wife Soup.”

Audibles are quite common in the Choose Your Own Adventure quarter and one was called here as the band offered up a trio of opening JO’s in the middle of the set. “Flamethrower” eventually won out before “FF” beat “Soul Food II” and the new “Bad Friday.” Fans then instructed Jake and Brendan to switch rigs, with each filling the role of the other during the end jam. The closing combo featured “Space Funk Booty” into the ending of “Mulche’s Odyssey,” despite the beginning of “Mulche’s” not offered earlier in the set.

While the encore is more of a formality at UMBowl than anything—especially after four-plus hours of music—the band and crowd had just enough left to give. Ryan Stasik took to vocals for “Nuthin’ but a G Thang,” last played in 2011. Bill Evans then came back out for “Much Obliged,” a popular tune for horns—and stayed through the ending, anthemic “Glory” that ultimately brought the evening to a close.

Next up for Umphrey’s is a show tonight at the Brooklyn Bowl as the band celebrates the launch of their new label Nothing Too Fancy Music.

Here’s a look at the setlist as it appears in our Box Scores section:

Umphrey’s McGee
UMBowl V Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

Q I: Gents*, Skin the Cat*, Onward & Upward^, Mad Love^

Q II: Rebubula, All Things Ninja, Crazy Fingers, #5, Brain Damage > Eclipse

Q III: Stew Art event

Q IV: The Haunt^^ > The Triple Wide > Funk Improv% > Wife Soup, Flamethrower > FF > Jake and BB switch rigs%%, Space Funk Booty& > Mulche’s Odyssey&&

OT: Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang$, Much Obliged$$ > Glory$$

Notes:
*debut, original
^debut, original; with vocals
^^with Rock & Roll, part 2 (Gary Glitter) intro
%with Sir Psycho Sexy (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) jam
%%with All In Time tease
&with Mind Left Body jam
&&ending
$with Jake on bass for Ryan
$$with Bill Evans on saxophone

Source: http://allthings.umphreys.com/