Da Umph

3/11/11 – Umphrey’s McGee – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (17th show)
I: The Floor, Turn & Dub, Intentions Clear > Professor Wormbog, Rocker Part 2, JaJunk
II: All in Time > Pay the Snucka, Comfortably Numb, The Triple Wide > All in Time, Made to Measure, Go to Hell, August > Dear Lord > August, Mood for a Day > Pay the Snucka > Bulls on Parade > Pay the Snucka
E: Booth Love, The National Anthem

I have to admit that I was a little worn out for this one as six shows in seven days can be a little rough on an old man. So while I wasn’t shedding any tears about not being packed in like a sardine I was a little surprised at the lack of turnout on a Friday night in Portland for the Umph. Even though I am not the most hardcore Umphrey’s fan I know one thing to be true…

Umphrey’s. Always. Destroys. Portland.

I settled into a spot far back in the all age’s side of the Crystal as the boys took the stage to the theme from Knight Rider. The show first took off with a fantastic “Turn and Dub” that warmed the crowd up and made me oh so happy that I had plenty of room to boogie. “Intentions Clear” was hands down the highlight of the first set and featured a long multi-tiered jam that built on the vibe of “Dub” but went even further out there before splashing down into “Professor Wormbog.” A fierce “JaJunk” closed down the set but the best was yet to come.

When the volume went down on Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” the band decided to keep playing along to the jam for about a minute before dropping on a dime into a raging “All in Time.” About half way through the song guitarist Jake Cinninger led the band into a few verses of Archie Bell and the Drells’ “Tighten Up” which turned out to be just the first of many fun teases on the night.

“Tighten Up” gave way to a slight Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” tease before sliding into “Pay the Snucka.” After the vocal portion of “Snucka” we got some Howard Jones “Things Can Only Get Better” whoa-whoa-whoa’s prior to the “Snucka” refrain before Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” shocked everyone in attendance. Keyboard player Joel Cummins and guitarist Brendan Bayliss switched off on the lyrics with Bayliss especially nailing his parts.

“The Triple Wide” was a straight up disco dance party that had the entire crowd getting down like nobody’s business. Then out of nowhere Cinninger started up theNEWDEAL’s “Glide” and it was really on. After about two minutes of building to an epic peak the boys exploded back into “All in Time” and the place went bananas.

I really enjoyed how the groovy swing of “Made to Measure” gave way to the uber-rocking instrumental “Go to Hell.” The closing stanza of the night started out with Jake playing Yes’ “Mood for a Day” and then “Snucka” started back up. But the capper to evening was one verse of Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” sandwiched in between “Snucka” that raised the energy in the room yet another notch. They played Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” right up until 12:59 and there wasn’t one unsatisfied person walking out of the Ballroom to my ears.

This night was more about fun and energy than epic jams but upon re-listen this show holds up very well. I think my buddy Chip summed it up perfectly when comparing the Crystal to the two that followed at the Fillmore when he said, “Friends + space + raging show = good times.”

MGB Anyone?

3/5/11 – Mike Gordon – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre (3rd show)
I: Horizon Line, Middle of the Road, Traveled Too Far, Willow Tree, Sailin’ Shoes, Be Good and You’ll Be Lonely, Babylon Baby^
II: Funky Bitch, Andelmans’ Yard, The Grid, Cruel World, Crumbling Bones, Pretend > She Said She Said, What Things Seem, Dig Further Down
E: Mound^
^ first time played

This was my third time seeing the Mike Gordon Band (MGB) and to say they have improved by leaps and bounds since Rothbury 2008 would be a supreme understatement. This band hardly even resembles the one I saw in Portland just four short months ago.

The MGB reminds me of a young basketball team just starting to realize their potential, the Oklahoma City Thunder if you will. Much like Kevin Durant Mike is the obvious leader but he is also very unselfish in trying to get his teammates involved, and this attitude is where MGB truly excels right now.

You can almost see and feel their chemistry and confidence as a unit growing by the minute as they continually try and push the limits to discover new ground. They are having far too much fun for it to seem like work either as all the smiles and supportive body language on stage would suggest.

When you combine all their talents with the ambition to take things into perpetually new directions and the collective attitude to make it work you just can’t shake the feeling that this is a band on the verge of doing big things in the jam world. I only wish the people of Eugene would have realized this sooner as the place was nearly empty to start the show.

With the energy of the room severely lacking right off the bat the show didn’t really take off until “Traveled Too Far.” “TTF” featured an extended grooving intro and when the lyrics ended the crowd was ready to get down and Scott Murawski’s guitar work did not disappoint taking us all on an extended journey.

The next highlight was Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes” that started with a swanky Mike bass solo that disguised what was coming. Once people realized what tune was being the played the energy in the room went up a few notches. The set closing debut of “Babylon Baby” was expertly played and featured some more stellar shredding from Murawski.

Son Seals’ “Funky Bitch” got the second set started with an adrenalin boost and gave those looking for their phix something to smile about. I have to say the quirky little reggae ditty “The Grid” caught me by surprise but turned out to be very enjoyable.

The Beatles’ “She Said, She Said” was rocking right from the jump and the jam went way out there creating a swirling mass of dancing bodies before crashing back into the lyrical finish. “What Things Seem” was a welcome interlude that featured a nice breakdown from keyboardist Tom Cleary and a muscular “Dig Further Down” closed the show out on a high note.

Prior to the encore Mike directed a stretch where the entire crowd (literally) had both arms spread as far apart as possible then he asked drummer Todd Isler for some “help.” As Isler started the familiar drum beat to “Mound” Mike was taking his arms over his head leading the crowd in a unified clap. I really dug how the intro to “Mound” was extended before dropping into the real nastiness. It goes without saying that this was a crowd pleaser.

By the time the house lights came on the McDonald was practically full both upstairs and down. This is a good thing if Eugene really expects Phish to play the brand spanking new Matt Knight Arena in the future.

The music MGB is creating right now is much more compelling than most “new” things happening in the jam scene today. This is why I recommend to all readers of this site to get out there and support Mike, you won’t be disappointed.