Photo by Andrew Blackstein

Last night, Umphrey’s McGee continued their 25th-anniversary tour with the first of two nights at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., the performance came after a quick stop at the Brooklyn Bowl in nearby New York City. Highlights from the opening evening at the gorgeous historic theater saw several stunning improvisational runs along with an encore in honor of the late David Crosby.

Umphrey’s McGee opened their first set with “Small Strides” and quickly flowed into a jam of “Conduit” into “Day Nurse” which had teases of Michael Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night.” Next came “FF” which adeptly melded into “Mail Package” the latter of which included sprinkles of “Miss Tinkle’s Overture.” They rounded out the frame with a pairing of “It’s Not Your Fault” > “JaJunk.” The final song also was given extra gas with a tease of Harold Faltermeyer’s “Top Gun Anthem.”

Umphrey’s McGee wasted no time getting their second set off the ground with a three-song jam of “Front Porch” into “Resolution” back into “Front Porch.” Next, the ensemble flowed from “The Linear” into “2nd Self,” before closing the frame with “Higgins.”

After much applause, Umphrey’s McGee began their tribute to the late music icon David Crosby who passed on Jan. 18, 2023, with an acoustic rendition of Crosby, Stills, & Nash’s “Helplessly Hoping” with Brendan Bayliss, Jake Cinninger on acoustics and vocals and Joel Cummins adding to their three-part vocal harmony. Next came “The Weight Around” with Bayliss on acoustic which flowed without pause into “The Floor” which brought the evening to a close.

Umphrey’s McGee
The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, N.Y.
Jan. 20, 2023

Set I: Small Strides, Conduit > Day Nurse[1], FF-> Mail Package[2], It’s Not Your Fault > JaJunk[3]

Set II: Front Porch > Resolution > Front Porch, The Linear > 2nd Self, Higgins

Enc.: Helplessly Hoping[4], The Weight Around[5] > The Floor

Notes:
    [1] with Workin’ Day and Night (Michael Jackson) teases
    [2] with Miss Tinkle’s Overture tease
    [3] with Top Gun Anthem (Harold Faltermeyer) tease
    [4] debut, Crosby, Stills, & Nash; just Brendan and Jake on acoustics and vocals, along with Joel on vocals
    [5] with Brendan on acoustic

Show Notes: with Closing Time (Semisonic) quote from Brendan before Helplessly Hoping
Helplessly Hoping played in remembrance of David Crosby