Chicago six-piece Umphrey’s McGee presented a guest-filled show at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont on this date in 2006. Not only was the band joined by Jennifer Hartswick, Dave Grippo and a string quartet made up of members of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, UM also unveiled original “Morning Song.”
The night began with “Believe The Lie” ahead of the group’s first “13 Days” since the prior November. Next up was a nicely-jammed “In The Kitchen” and the debut of Brendan Bayliss‘ emotion-filled “Morning Song.” Then, Umphrey’s was joined by the aforementioned string quartet for a beautiful “Great American.” Finally, “Nemo” and “JaJunk” brought the frame to a close.
Umphrey’s second set at Higher Ground on this date in 2006 started with a wild “Der Bluten Kat” that spanned 34 adventurous minutes. Saxophonist Dave “The Truth” Grippo of Trey Anastasio Band/Giant Country Horns fame sat-in on the “DBK,” which featured teases of “Cissy Strut” and “Manteca.” A huge surprise followed as Hartswick emerged to duet with Bayliss on the return of “Bullhead City,” a song that was last played 209 shows prior on August 7, 2004.
UM then covered “Red” by King Crimson and ended the set with a run of “Partyin’ Peeps,” “Push The Pig” and “All In Time.” The set-closer was also heavy on improv and passed the 20-minute mark. For the encore, Umphrey’s McGee treated fans to a standout rendition of “Robot World” that included an instrumental cover of the Beatles’ “Norweigan Wood.”
Official Audio via nugs.net
Listen to an audience recording captured by Jesse Hurlburt:
Setlist (via All Things Umphreys)
Set 1: Believe the Lie, 13 Days, In The Kitchen, Morning Song[1], Great American[2], Nemo, JaJunk
Set 2: Der Bluten Kat[3], Bullhead City[4], Red, Partyin’ Peeps, Push the Pig, All In Time
Encore: Robot World > Norwegian Wood
- [1] debut, original
- [2] with a quartet from the Vermont Youth Orchestra
- [3] with Dave “The Truth” Grippo on saxophone; with Manteca (Gillespie, Pozo, and Fuller) and Cissy Strut (The Meters) teases
- [4] with Jennifer Hartswick on vocals
[Originally Published: February 16, 2018]
