Photo credit: Travis Carpenter

On Saturday, Feb. 24, Spafford teamed up with Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee at the Old Town Pub in Steamboat Springs, Colo. This match made in jam heaven went down on the penultimate date of Spafford’s four-night run at the historic venue, which composes the first leg of the Spaffski Tour that brings the Arizona band to the Rockies for two weeks of shredding–in every sense of the word. 

Spafford kicked off its performance with “Fuel” and “When It Falls,” both selected from its breakthrough 2018 album For Amusement Only. Next, the band bridged the past and present with “In the Eyes of Thieves” from its 2012 self-titled debut and “Ginger Stardust,” released on Spafford’s 2022 live entry, Hindsight. Cummins then joined the group on stage to wrap the first set, playing keys alongside Spafford’s Cory Schechtman for a cover of Filter’s 1999 rock sensation “Take a Picture.” This has been a recent favorite cover for Spafford, who have staged the song nine times in the last year.

To open the second set, the jam quartet performed “The Postman” before launching into a cover of Stone Temple Pilots’ grunge staple “Plush,” marking the rendition’s fourth presentation. Spafford closed out the show with its self-titled album’s “Electric Taco Stand” followed by an alternate ending of the song, a playful intricacy that has become a calling card for the group. Finally, Spafford sent the crowd off into the night in grandiose jam fashion with an encore of the sprawling recent offering “Lonely.” 

Next in the Spaffski tour, Spafford will head to the Public House in Crested Butte, Colo. for a series of four shows from Feb. 29 to March 3; visit spafford.net/tour.html for tickets and more information. Umphrey’s McGee is also scheduled to return to Colorado’s alpine range soon, as the next stop on its 2024 tour will be a three-night run at Aspen, Colo.’s Belly Up Aspen from March 8-10. 

Read on for the full setlist from Spafford’s Feb. 24 concert. 

Spafford 
Old Town Pub – Steamboat Springs, Colo. 
Feb. 24,  2024

Set I: Fuel → When It Falls → In the Eyes of Thieves → Ginger Stardust → Take a Picture*
Set II: The Postman → Plush& → Electric Taco Stand → Alternate Ending^
Encore: Lonely 

Notes:
* cover (Filter)
& cover (Stone Temple Pilots)
^Reprise of “Electric Taco Stand”

Setlist via setlist.fm