On Friday night Umphrey’s McGee will launch their annual UMBowl event at the the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. UMBowl XII will extend over two evenings, from Friday into Saturday with plenty of audience-fueled improvisatory moments. Ahead of these shows, the group performed a stretch of dates that began in Colorado, then continued in the South, winding up over the weekend with two gigs at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville.

The Saturday show saw the band collaborate with area resident JoJo Hermann. The Widespread Panic keyboard player joined UM at the close of the first set for a version of his band’s “Ain’t Life Grand.” This is the first time that Umphrey’s has performed the song, which is the title track to Panic’s 1994 album. Hermann remained on stage for the set-closing “Life During Exodus,” the longtime UM mashup that blends “Life During Wartime” by Talking Heads with Bob Marley’s “Exodus” and Frank Zappa’s “City of Tiny Lites.”

Prior to Hermann’s appearance, the evening’s first set had included a notable 29-minute pairing of “Speak Up” and “Draconian.” The second set consisted of five songs, each of which extended beyond the 11-minute mark. “Remind Me” included teases of “I Keep Forgettin’” (Michael McDonald) and “Head over Heels” (Tears for Fears) teases, while the expansive version of “Staircase,” which eventually founds its way into “Seasons” quoted Parliament’s “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker.” The encore was The Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.”

You can watch Hermann with UM below.

Limited tickets remain on sale for UMBowl XII.

October 3, 2026

Umphrey’s McGee — Brooklyn Bowl Nashville — Nashville, TN

Set 1: Conduit, Wide Open, Domino Theory, Speak Up > Draconian, Ain’t Life Grand[1] > Life During Exodus[2]

Set 2: Small Strides, Remind Me, Staircase > Seasons, Ocean Billy

Encore: Can’t You Hear Me Knocking

Footnotes:

[1] debut, Widespread Panic; with JoJo Hermann on keys

[2] with JoJo Hermann on keys

Notes:

last Life During Exodus, 2025-03-21 (141 shows ago)