Umphrey’s McGee Debut Billy Joel’s “Vienna” in Richmond
Umphrey’s McGee, photo by Brian Stollery
On Thursday, August 21, Umphrey’s McGee brought their Cruising Altitude Tour to Richmond, Va.’s The National. In the final lap of an incredible summer tour, the pioneering prog ensemble have continued to fearlessly pursue new creative avenues, resulting in a recent wealth of debut covers. The band sustained that momentum in their performance last night with their first treatment of a Billy Joel classic.
Umphrey’s McGee stormed the stage in Richmond with a segued sprint through the setlist staples “Walletsworth,” “The Linear” and “The Bottom Half.” The band took a beat before proceeding into “Nothing Too Fancy,” complete with its tried and true tease of Van Halen’s “Aint’ Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” then cut through “Kimble” on the way to a set closer of Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River,” an oddball choice remade in their singular sound for only the third time since its debut in April.
To commence their second set, UM turned to the reliable Mantis standout “1348,” left unfinished as the quintet band veered off into “Small Strides.” The group strolled into the stormy “Cemetery Walk,” then pulled away into their well-honed cover of A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran” before completing the sequence with “Cemetery Walk II.” The group’s third cover of the evening came in the form of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem,” pinned between passages of “Resolution.” The Kid A cut reared its head again as an extended tease within the second set closer of a revived “Nothing Too Fancy.”
After the lights went down, Umphreys McGee returned to the stage for an unconventional encore. Rather than tearing into a full force anthem for one final blast of energy, the band began by allowing frontman Brendan Bayliss to perform a solo piano debut of “Vienna,” Joel’s The Stranger essential that’s recently enjoyed a new life through TikTok virality. With the reliable show closer of “Andy’s Last Beer,” the band slipped into the night and off to the next stop on their packed late summer run.
Umphrey’s McGee will return to the stage tonight for a show at Norfolk, Va’s The NorVa. Find tickets and more information on the band’s upcoming performances at umphreys.com/tour.
Umphrey’s McGee are having a historic year. After parting ways with their longtime drummer Kris Myers in May, the pioneering prog ensemble formally welcomed touring stand-in Scotty Zwang on as their new permanent backbeat two weeks ago. On September 12, they’ll release Blueprints, their long-awaited 15th studio album and first since 2022’s Asking for a Friend. To celebrate the whirlwind, the group will present a special New Year’s Eve run at Atlanta’s The Tabernacle; learn more about the year-end event here.
