On Feb. 23, Umphrey’s McGee brought their 25th-anniversary tour to the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, Calif. During the Thursday night gig, the billed performers took a seat while their crew band, Finger Tight, ascended on stage and covered the Grateful Dead’s “West L.A. Fadeaway” during UM’s set break. 

The main attraction began with a rendition of “It Doesn’t Matter” before the group pulled out “Mad Love” and “It’s Not Your Fault.” In continuation of their initial frame, Umphrey’s McGee delivered the Death by Stereo tune, “Conduit,” before adding in “Front Porch” and “Gulf Stream,” which saw a return to “Front Porch” to cap the jam. For the final song of their first set, the band ran through “Hangover.” 

Next, guitarist Brendan Bayliss introduced Finger Tight–which consists of UM’s stage manager, Robbie Williams and lighting director Ben Factor on guitars, in addition to tour manager Bobby Haight on drums, production manager/monitor engineer Bob Ston on bass, lighting chief Aaron “Louie” Meyette and backline tech Christopher Ericson on keyboards, front of house engineer Chris Mitchell and utility man Steve “Britches” Britz on percussions as well as Sam Sutton who grooved on stage. 

Williams took on the favored Robert Hunter lyrics as the band jammed through the Grateful Dead tune, which initially appeared on the Dead’s 1987 studio LP, In The Dark. After the crew capped their cover, the second set picked back up with “Bright Lights, Big City.” For UM’s following number, they added “13 Days” before a pairing of “Attachments” and “Mail Package.” The latter half of the night merged “Atmosfarag” with “Andy’s Last Beer” and closed the set on “Hajimemashite.” For their encore, UM played “Puppet String.” 

Watch a fan-shot video of Finger Tight covering the Grateful Dead’s “West L.A. Fadeaway” below. 

Scroll down to view the Feb. 23 setlist. 

Umphrey’s McGee

Mystic Theatre – Petaluma, Calif. 

Feb. 23, 2023

Set I: It Doesn’t Matter, Mad Love, It’s Not Your Fault, Conduit, Front Porch > Gulf Stream > Front Porch, Hangover

Finger Tight: West L.A. Fadeaway 

Set II: Bright Lights Big City, 13 Days, Attachments > Mail Package, Atmosfarag > Andy’s Last Beer, Hajimemashite

Enc.: Puppet String