Umphrey’s McGee kicked off a two-night run at The National in Richmond, Virginia on Friday. The Chicago-based band unearthed a trio of songs that included “Alex’s House” and “Bad Poker” along with their cover of The Police’s “Walking On The Moon.”
The six-piece act got their evening going with a seamless stretch that kicked off with “It Doesn’t Matter,” which was debuted exactly one year ago to the day. The new original worked its way into the first “Alex’s House” since January 27 of last year with “Similar Skin” closing out the jam-filled run. Next, Umphrey’s looked to “Bad Poker,” the rarity had sat unplayed for nearly a two-year stretch. The back half of the frame was highlighted by an expansive “Der Bluten Kat.” While parts of the setlist staple’s composed section were skipped Umphrey’s did drop a take on Led Zeppelin’s “Fool In The Rain” in its midst. It marked just the fourth time the In Through the Out Door cut had been played since 2015.
“Mantis” was used to open and close the second frame of the night off. The title track from their 2009 LP led into a lengthy jam that eventually found its way into “Believe The Lie,” which was played for only the second time since 2017. “Seasons” came ahead of “Dump City” that saw the septet unearth their take on “Walking On The Moon” in the middle of it. The track from The Police’s 1979 release Reggatta de Blanc had been sitting on the shelf since a one-off performance in 2016. The band brought their night to a close with a two-song encore pairing “Hangover” with “Glory.”
Audio | Taped by opsopcopolis
Setlist (via The Bort)
Set I: It Doesn’t Matter > Alex’s House > Similar Skin, Bad Poker, Der Bluten Kat > Fool in the Rain > Der Bluten Kat, Looks
Set II: Mantis > Believe The Lie, Seasons, Dump City -> Walking on the Moon > Dump City, Mantis
Encore:Hangover > Glory
