Photo: Lee Buttersworth

On Thursday, August 21, Umphrey’s McGee brought their Cruising Altitude Tour to the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines, Iowa. During the performance, the band made a habit of reviving tracks that had been collecting dust for quite some time, a handful of tried and true rarities, ranging from set one opener, “Tango Mike,” to borrowed tunes from The Beatles and Lionel Richie’s respective archives. 

Umphrey’s McGee set out to make a statement by beginning last night’s concert with the first “Tango Mike” since October 5, 2018, effectively ending a 500-show gap. The track was debuted by UM on March 3, 2010, and performed twice the following year, and on occasion from then on out. From the depths of their repertoire, the band moved without pause into “Pure Saturation” and “Nemo,” taking a breath before another package, “Education Guess” and “Kabump,” with a tease of David Bowie’s “Fame.”

They “Kabump-ped” into “Sociable Jimmy,” before conjuring the Wings’ classic, “Live and Let Die.” Set two saw the band revisit The Beatles’ “Come Together” for the first time since October 14, 2018, putting an end to the existing 495-performance gap. They provided the same treatment on the night’s final offering, Lionel Richie’s classic, “All Night Long (All Night).” The cover’s arrival concluded a 162-concert lapse, last played on August 27, 2023. 

The band’s Cruising Altitude Tour will take them to Clear Lake, Iowa, this evening, and before ensuing weekend appearances in Wisconsin and Michigan. 

Tickets remain on sale.