Umphrey's McGee at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, MI \mm/

2 Feb, 2018 John Kosiewicz Concert Reviews, Jazz, Rock

Umphreys-McGee-Photo-credit-John-Kosiewicz

For Umphrey’s McGee (UM), 2018 is a “NEW YEAR, NEW ALBUM, NEW TOUR.” Right off the bat, the band released their 11th studio release called, <em>It’s Not Us</em> on January 12, 2018. In support of the new album, they announced an extensive tour which also celebrates 20 years as a band. The tour started out in Pittsburgh, PA on January 11th. Some noteworthy shows during the winter 2018 tour included: a special “Album Release” show in Chicago on January 14th, a three-night birthday celebration at Beacon Theatre in New York on January 19th, 20th, and 21st (with the actual birthday on January 21st). They also found that two nights of UM are way more fun than one, so they performed double-headers in Cincinnati, Philly, Kalamazoo, and Asheville. You definitely don’t want to miss out on a show near you to celebrate the occasion with these guys. Currently, the band consists of six members: Brendan Bayliss on guitar, vocals; Jake Cinninger on guitar, vocals; Joel Cummins on keyboards, piano, vocals; Andy Farag on percussion; Kris Myers on drums, vocals; and Ryan Stasik on bass.

On February 2, 2018, Front Row Music News took to the road for a 160-mile trip from Chicago to Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, MI for night one of Umphrey’s McGee’s performance. The first of two nights at this West Michigan venue included a set of songs spanning their career (see set list below). In addition, The Marcus King Band opened the night up.

Growing up in the local area, Stasik mentioned that he spent a lot of time in formerly Wings Stadium, both playing hockey and attending concerts. He saw Phish in 1995, along with a lot of metal bands too: Prong, White Zombie, Pantera, Nirvana, Meat Puppets, NIN, Tool in the mid 90’s. “Kalamazzzzooooooo… We missed you! We’ve been looking forward to this one. We hope you have too.” As a result, the fans were privileged to a show that was definitely lit, as the band rocked Kalamazoo Wings Stadium for two nights. Speaking of “lit”, an Umphrey’s McGee concert can’t be mentioned about without making reference to the spectacular light show. The mastermind is lighting designer, Jefferson Waful, who joined the Umphrey’s team nearly 10 years ago, in the fall of 2008. After coming back on stage to perform “The Silent Type,” Bayliss excitedly stated, “Best part is, we get to do this shit all again tomorrow!”

Whether you’re a long time Umphrey’s McGee fan or just heard them for the first time, definitely check out the new album. If you’re looking for a high-energy, dynamic musicianship and amazing lightshow, Umphrey’s is the show for you. Keep up with the latest news and tour days at: Umphreys.com.