CONCERT COVERAGE: Umphrey's McGee Hosts 2 Night Run in Richmond
Date of show: January 11 & 12, 2019 Location: The National, Richmond, VA Photos and Review by: Nina Martin (Copy editing by Daniel Murdock) Umphrey's McGee performed a 2-night show at the National in Richmond January 11th & 12th. The National is a treasured venue in downtown Richmond. Whether you are in the general admission area with the sloped floor or up in the balcony area, there's truly not a bad seat in the house. The sound and lighting are both top notch as well, making this location one of RVA's favorite places to see live music. Richmond's very own The Trongone Band kicked off both nights with their soulful southern rock sound. The band has just returned from a highly successful European tour. Both Friday and Saturday's sets were full of passion, and their cover of Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" was a pleasant surprise. Umphrey's McGee hit the stage Friday night opening with "It Doesn't Matter" and "Alex's House." Both songs were ideal to set the overall tone for what would be a killer 2 nights of music. The band is composed of Brendan Bayliss (guitar/vocals), Jake Cinninger (guitar/vocals),Ryan Stasik (bass), Joel Cummins (keyboad, piano, vocals), Kris Myers (drums), and Andy Farag (percussion). The guys played tons of fan favorites, breezing through their catalog of songs new and old. Some peak moments of night 1 included "Bad Poker," "Fool in the Rain," and "Seasons." Towards the end of Friday's set Umph's played "Dump City," leading in to a hit from The Police, "Walking on the Moon" with the perfect reggae jam rock vibes. The cover was a great way of illustrating Bayliss' clean, versatile vocals as well. Umphrey's McGee started their Saturday set with "Miss Tinkle's Overture," off of their 2004 release, Anchor Drops. This instrumental jam was an excellent opener to reel everyone right back in for night 2. A highlight of the second night came when the band performed a motown classic, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," which hadn't been performed by the band since 2014. The song was accompanied by vibrant purple lighting, and kept the crowd in awe with the groovy notorious bass line and funky whammy bar effects on the guitar. "Half Delayed" is another wonderful song to hear live. The song is off of the band's most recent 2018 release It's Not Us, and starts with a slow steady pace that progresses to such a heavy, power driven ending.
The prog-rockers are no strangers to the stage, as they have been performing for the past 2 decades now. The adoration and love that fans have for the group is immeasurable, and felt both nights with cheers, smiles, and the notorious Umph rock hands symbols are seen in the air. During Saturday's set fans were seen in the front row wearing birthday hats, celebrating Umph's keyboardist Joel Cummins' birthday. The group topped off the night encoring with "Kimble" and "The Silent Type," closing out their 2 night sold out shows with a lasting, memorable, and loving imprint on Richmond. Umphrey's will be touring throughout the east coast and remainder of the US through spring, and have recently announced a 3 night run at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in June. Jan 11 Setlist Set 1: It Doesn't Matter Alex's House Similar Skin Bad Poker Der Bluten Kat Fool in the Rain Der Bluten Kat Looks Set 2: Preamble Mantis Believe the Lie Seasons Dump City Walking On The Moon Dump City Mantis Encore: Hangover Glory January 12 Setlist Set I: Miss Tinkle’s Overture 2nd Self Sociable Jimmy I Heard It Through the Grapevine Sociable Jimmy Sweetness Rocker Part 2 Half Delayed Water Breaker Set 2: Power of Soul Spires Ocean Billy Ringo The Linear The Bottom Half Encore: Kimble The Silent Type https://www.trongoneband.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thetrongoneband/ https://thetrongoneband.bandcamp.com/ www.umphreys.com/ https://www.facebook.com/umphreysmcgee/ https://soundcloud.com/umphreysmcgee https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6cl-exv_SHGPpYyLgwYTpw
