Umphrey’s McGee was joined by ace pedal steel guitarist Kurt Ozan at The Caverns Above Ground Amphitheater on Saturday night. Ozan, a member of Luke Combs‘ band, sat-in with UM for a portion of their second of two shows at the Pelham, Tennessee venue.
The sextet kicked off Saturday’s concert with a well-jammed “Dump City” and a fiery “Crucial Taunt.” Umphrey’s then paired “Deeper” and “Wife Soup” before bringing out Kurt Ozan. Kurt augmented the group on a version of instrumental “Great American” featuring “Push & Pull” within. “Be careful don’t look him in the eyes,” guitarist Brendan Bayliss said in introducing Ozan. “You’ll get lost in his dreamy eyes.” A nicely extended “Puppet String” brought the frame to a close following Ozan’s guest spot.
Umphrey’s went with “Hourglass” to open their final set at The Caverns Above Ground Amphitheater. An exploratory “Phil’s Farm” came next ahead of “Utopian Fir.” The six-piece segued into a cover of Huey Lewis & The News’ “Heart & Soul” before finishing “Utopian Fir.” Saturday’s “Heart & Soul” was the band’s first since April 19, 2014 at Stubb’s in Austin — a span of 585 shows.
The band focused on older songs to end their second set. A 10-minute “Much Obliged” gave way to “Red Tape” before UM paired “Partyin’ Peeps” and “Plunger” at the end of the frame. Umphrey’s said farewell with an encore featuring “Kula” and “Den.” Next up for the group is a two-night stand at Northlands in Swanzey, New Hampshire July 23 – 24.
Setlist (via All Things Umphrey’s)
Set One: Dump City, Crucial Taunt, Deeper > Wife Soup, Great American[1] > Push & Pull[1] > Great American[1], Puppet String
Set Two: Hourglass > Phil’s Farm, Utopian Fir > Heart and Soul > Utopian Fir, Much Obliged, Red Tape, Partyin’ Peeps, Plunger
Encore: Kula > Den
[1] with Kurt Ozan on pedal steel guitar
