photos: Vanessa Sundra (@vsundra)

On February 13th, Umphrey’s McGee brought their Sky’s the Limit Tour to Philadelphia, performing there for the first time since drummer Scotty Zwang  Scotty Zwang joined the band six months ago. With about fifty shows under his belt, Zwang has brought a new spark to the band, not only anchoring their complex rhythms but emerging as a third vocal powerhouse, and he showcased both roles brilliantly throughout the evening. (This is not to imply that the band was missing a spark before the departure of longtime drummer Kris Myers last year – this is just a different kind of spark, as many prominent jambands have experienced in the face of recent band member transitions, particularly behind the skins.) Zwang is no stranger to the cheesesteak capital of the world, having spent years living here as a member of Ghost Light and Sonic Spank, his first livetronica/jamband, so in many ways, this show felt like a homecoming.

Walking into a respectably full Fillmore on Friday night, there was a palpable sense of anticipation for Umphrey’s 10th appearance at the venue. The evening began with the cinematic swell of “There’s No Crying in Mexico,” leading into the first “with Scotty” performance of “Hourglass.” The room ignited during a massive, nearly 20-minute “Mantis,” where Jake Cinninger, wielding a Fender Telecaster for the entire show, cut through the darkness with biting tone and intricate two-hand tapping. The band followed with an eleven-minute setlist regular “Bridgeless,” always welcome to fans of the band’s proggier, more metallic leanings. The light show was top-notch, working smashingly well with the venue’s chandeliers and mirror ball, which reflected the mirror ball on the stage behind Zwang.

From there, the first major highlight of the evening came with the appearance of hometown keyboardist Eli Winderman, fresh off his second Jam Cruise and an epic sit -n with Lotus. Winderman, who currently plays in Octave Cat and an eponymous trio with Jonathan Colman and John Morgan Kimock, played with Zwang in the now defunct Dopapod, who opened for Umphrey’s seven times dating back to 2014; so the telepathy on stage was undeniable as the band sandwiched Dopapod’s “Turnin’ Knobs” between sections of their own “It Doesn’t Matter.” The set closed with another bustout cover: a rare, soaring take on Pink Floyd’s “Time,” only its 20th performance in the band’s history.

The second set launched with a heavy, 25-minute “Unevolved,” performed for the third time this year but only the seventh time since its 2022 debut. Cinninger’s and Brendan Bayliss’ guitar delays were perfectly synced with Zwang, creating a dense lattice-work of sound that felt as cozy yet complex as the argyle pattern of red and purple lights that washed the venue. Another Mantis tune, “1348,” featured a tease of the New Deal’s “Home” before giving way to a dreamy, ethereal take on Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” presented in double time as per the cover version by Poolside. It marked only the third time the band has played the cover; interestingly, the first performance in 2025 featured Kanika Moore on vocals.

The emotional peak for the hometown crowd arrived with a massive 317-show bust-out of Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).” Bayliss hit the high notes with precision, but it was Scotty Zwang taking the second verse that felt like a true arrival for the new drummer. The frame concluded by finishing a dangling “Bridgeless,” followed by an always welcome “Mulche’s Odyssey” encore. Bassist Ryan Stasik stood on the drum riser as the three ax men rocked hard in sync with Zwang to close out the evening. Throughout the night, the energy in the room was set to 11 during an evening that reflected Zwang’s variegated past, exciting present, and extremely bright future.