Umphrey’s McGee continued their three-night run at the Belly Up in Aspen, Colorado on Friday night. UM dusted off a Metallica cover to cap off the encore.
Umphrey’s kicked things off with the flying guitar harmonies of “Red Tape” from Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss before keyboardist Joel Cummins took over on synth leading into the bridge. A short jam ahead of some shred from Cinninger brought the song round to its final refrain. The classic “Tribute To The Spinal Shaft” came next. In the early 2000s, the tune often hosted “Jimmy Stewart” sections — including its debut in March 2001 — but in Aspen headed into “Uncle Wally,” which made its 2020 debut. Another 2020 debut, “Water,” came next, which was approaching a year since it was last played on March 23, 2019 in Cleveland according to All Things Umphreys. A nonstop section of “The Triple Wide,” “The Fuzz” and “Seasons” brought the first frame to a close.
Cummins trickled in the lullaby-like strains of “Preamble” before the band quickly got into “Mantis” from UM’s 2009 album of the same name. Umph stretched out a bit with a jam that began with just drums and bass from Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik and then cycled through twangy and funky sections before heading into the reggae-tinged “Ringo.” “Partyin’ Peeps,” “Miami Virtue” and “Kimble” came next ahead of “Hajimemashite” before the band returned to “Mantis” to bookend the set.
The encore got underway with vintage UM in “Orfeo.” While the song was a staple in the band’s early days, it has become something of a rarity, tapering off in the mid-2000s and not being played at all in 2008. The tune then made no more than three appearances a year up until the present day. But the biggest bust out of the night in terms of gap — at 273 shows, last time played on March 11, 2017 — came with Metallica’s “…And Justice For All” for just the 28th time since its debut on Halloween 2003, a literal show stopper.
Check out video of the first set opener below:
Red Tape
💃🐇🕺🦌🔴LIVE from Aspen!!🌲🗻 We hope you brought two pairs of gloves for Night II 🧤🧤 from the Belly Up in Aspen Colorado 🎥🎸 Watch the set I opener here free. See the whole 🖥HD broadcast📡 over at https://tourgigs.com/show/umphreysmcgee_20200306/ $14.99 for Live + 2 week VOD
Posted by Umphrey’s McGee on Friday, March 6, 2020
Setlist via All Things Umphreys
Set One: Red Tape, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Uncle Wally, Water, The Triple Wide > The Fuzz > Seasons
Set Two: Preamble > Mantis > Ringo, Partyin’ Peeps, Miami Virtue, Kimble, Hajimemashite > Mantis
Encore: Orfeo, …And Justice for All
Notes:
last …And Justice For All 03.11.2017 (273 shows)
