Shows in your respective home state are one thing. Sold-out rock shows are also another thing. Sold-out rock shows in your home state are an entirely different thing, capable of producing a level that you won’t possibly be able to reach on a Tuesday night in Boise, ID. For Umphrey’s, the Canopy Club in Urbana, IL is very familiar territory. If Brendan wasn’t lying when he stepped on stage, it’s the venue they’ve played the most (he wasn’t lying). This one is going to be fun.

Set One

Set I: Room to Breathe, Prowler > Utopian Fir > Andy’s Last Beer, Water, Hangover, Hourglass

How They Played

This is such a Midwest fall set. So much old school goodness here like “Utopian Fir” > “Andy’s Last Beer” and of course “Water” as well as an early “Hangover.” Starting with the “Fir,” the band slipped into a slick, Stasik-led jam that saw the bassist doing his very best Claypool impression. Eventually, Jake Cinninger would buy what Stasik was selling and take the jam to its rifftastic peak. I’m sorry for saying “rifftastic” and “peak.” Let’s just move on.

Since “Water” was played, let’s take this opportunity to discuss why in the living hell we don’t see more of it. Much like Sway, I don’t have all the answers, but we are so deprived of “Water” that I’ve gotta hook up to an IV to get proper fluids. Anyway, the “Hangover” that followed flourished in its placement. The band was just lubed up enough to uncork a little jam that broke down into a full-on “La Grange” instrumental, giving way to a bluesy Joel solo. He’s been all about the blues lately (there would be more in this show alone), which to me blows the doors off the more Moog-centric sound.

While this set was strong on its own, the centerpiece might be the closing “Hourglass.” That’s right. The MOTHERBLEEPIN’ “HOURGLASS.” Much like “Bad Friday” has routinely bullied every other song performed around it, this one stepped up to the plate and dropped into a pulsating, relentless but brief section. It was pedal to the metal as soon as all six members got on the same page making for the best version of the song played.

MVP

Ryan Stasik, by far. This was certainly a very Stasik-focused set not just in the improv sections but in the song structures themselves.

Playback Value

You must check out this “Hourglass.” It goes from 0 to 80 in the blink of an eye. It’s the musical equivalent of driving on the Autobahn.

Set Two

Set II: Der Bluten Kat > Sociable Jimmy > Der Bluten Kat, Booth Love > Amble On > I Ran > Miss Tinkle’s Overture

Enc: Phil’s Farm

How They Played

As we’ve seen throughout this tour, the band is really hitting their stride when it comes to constructing setlists with superb balance and flow. Much like they did on November 1, the opening combination set the tone for the rest of the performance. It was “Bridgeless” in Boston and last night it was “Der Bluten Kat” which found its way into “Sociable Jimmy” in there. Listening back, it’s still difficult to figure out which part of each song is which. It’s all one big, glorious, improv burrito. That’s right. An improv burrito.

The “Sociable” contains some of the most beautiful playing by the collective on this run, as they all seamlessly moved through the section and stuck the landing before doing back into “Der Bluten Kat.” Oh, and props to the guy who yelled “BAYLISS FOR ILLINOIS GOVERNOR” after “Sociable.” You are indeed the man.

“Booth Love” kicked off one of the most creative, unexpected segments of the tour. It’s been a while since we’ve seen “Booth Love” break as far off from the song structure as this one did, which is a wonderful sign for future versions. Jake and Brendan traded licks while the rhythm section held down the tender low end before the jam took a swan dive off the deep end into the fiery pits of hell. We haven’t seen a “Booth Love” like this in a long time, and there wasn’t really anything ‘love-y’ about the end of this tune. A brooding, lock-yourself-in-a-dark-room-with-lots-of-whiskey section led by some ominous playing from Joel that ultimately gave way to the opening notes of “Amble On.”

The 2013 UMBowl brought out some of the best Raw Stewage selections to date. “Amble On,” along with “Final Word,” “Gravity’s Real,” “Rise to the Top” and others, is certainly among them. The lightning quick guitar riff jam breathed life back into the room as people contemplated their lives towards the end of that “Booth Love.” And the comeback to Happy Town was complete with “I Ran,” which will forever be the theme song from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

The closing follow-up to the now-famed ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ “Tinkle’s” was certainly worthwhile as the band played one of those “no bullshit” jams and went straight to the top of the mountain with Usain Bolt-like speed. That’s what “Tinkle’s” should be all about. No need to set the scene, just find your groove and put the pedal to the floor. Big rock ending on this one, too.

One of the highlights from this tour have been the vocal stews Brendan Bayliss has delivered. Last night, we got another in the “Phil’s Farm” encore. A very “Roses Are Free” type of tune had some vocals over the music such as “I don’t ever want to see your face” and “maybe it’s time you realize” and all of those other soft, cuddly feelings.

MVP

Maybe he was more up in the mix than usual, but Stasik was playing incredibly inspired last night. Don’t know if it was the text from his daughter before or something else that got him going, but he fueled many of the tunes tonight.

Playback Value

There aren’t enough words to properly dig into the uniqueness of “Booth Love” through “I Ran.” They experimented with a variety of transitions that I personally haven’t heard in some time, if ever, and did so with the type of precision we’ve come to expect from the band. You should also get into the “Phil’s” vocal stew.

NEXT UP: Kalamazoo. Tonight. Sold-Out.