photo: Lee Butterworth

***

Prior to last night’s show in Brooklyn, Umphrey’s McGee had been off the road for over a month. The group’s prior gig has been on September 20 at Pine Creek Lodge in Livingston, MT. Over the intervening weeks a number of esteemed musicians had passed away and the group memorialized them in song last night at Brooklyn Bowl.

The sequence in honor of the these artists took place late during the second set. It began during “Utopian Fir” when the six-piece moved into “New York Groove,” the signature song of Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, who died on October 16. From here the group moved into The O’Jay’s 1973 single “For the Love of Money.” This was a nod to the late Anthony Jackson, who created the song’s signature bassline. Umphrey’s then debuted D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar” out of respect for the multi-instrumentalist who died on October 14. Another song premiere followed, as the group played “Nookie” to memorialize Limp Bizkit co-founder Sam Rivers.

The show offered a number of other highlights as well. Umphrey’s opened the night with a sequence that moved from “Attachments” into “Cemetery Walk” and on into “Cemetery Walk II.” The group later closed the set with a cover of New York native Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” which UM last played on 3/21/24, a gap of 131 shows. The final song of the evening was the group’s first-ever take on Tears for Fear’s “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

Umphrey’s McGee will return to Brooklyn Bowl tonight for a special three-set performance.

**

October 24, 2025 Umphrey’s McGee — Brooklyn Bowl — Brooklyn, NY, USA

Set 1: Attachments > Cemetery Walk > Cemetery Walk II, Concessions, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Set 2: Small Strides, Plunger[1] > Wife Soup, Night Nurse > Utopian Fir[2] > Brown Sugar[3] > Nookie[4] > Utopian Fir

Enc: Much Obliged, Everybody Wants to Rule the World [5]

Footnotes:

[1] with 1979 (Smashing Pumpkins) jam in intro

[2] with New York Groove (Ace Frehley) and For the Love of Money (The O’Jays) jams and quotes

[3] debut, D’Angelo; incomplete

[4] debut, Limp Bizkit; incomplete

[5] debut, Tears for Fears