One of the knocks on Umphrey’s McGee from some of the more archaic, get-off-my-lawn jamband fans is that they sometimes sketch out various sections of improv before the show as opposed to letting it happen in the moment. This widely accepted, prehistoric idea has been shattered by the Chicago sextet, who have successfully placed themselves among the genre’s elite with their cohesive, infectious jams that have themselves turned into songs of their very own. 

A video taken backstage before the band’s Sunday night return to the Brooklyn Bowl highlighted the intricacies of such a process, as Kevin Browning captured the band working through the foundational idea for what they would do during the opening “Conduit” just minutes after. 

From dissecting each note to nailing down the progression (which sounds a lot like Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” which they debuted two nights before), this inside look at the band’s collaborative process is fascinating for a number of reasons but most of all, this video highlights the type of teamwork that it takes to get six skilled musicians on the same page during a jam. 

Watch below. 

By nature, improvisation comes in all shapes & sizes. This germ of an idea was conceived by Jake less than 5 minutes prior to walking onstage at @brooklynbowl, then shared, refined & inserted into “Conduit,” the first tune of the night. It served as a jumping off point for the evening and ultimately evolved into something slightly different in real time, as improv always does. Damn near 20 years into this ride and I’m still amazed at how these guys make it look so easy. #umphreysmcgee
A post shared by Kevin Browning (@soundcaresser) on Oct 23, 2017 at 9:41am PDT