REVIEW: Umphrey’s McGee S2, Q&A and GATH Show
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Published on April 17, 2012
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By Rachel McQuade
Friday the 13th is supposedly the unluckiest day there is. However, the only people feeling unlucky in Athens, Georgia this past Friday were the ones who were unable to snag a ticket to the Umphrey’s McGee show at the Georgia Theatre.
The show sold out in less than 30 minutes, leaving many Umphreaks empty handed and scrambling to find a ticket for a much higher price. As lead singer Brendan Bayliss told the crowd, this was the quickest a show has sold out so far from home, and they planned to throw down accordingly.
Before the regular show started at 9:00 p.m., Umphrey’s scheduled a Stew Art series for 6:30 at the same location. Although the tickets cost $100.00 each, the band made sure the Stew Art (commonly called S2) experience was well worth it.
The Stew Art events are very intimate gatherings of about 50 to 70 people that include Q&A with the band, free beer and wine for all attendees, an extremely unique set and a meet and greet with the band afterwards. For the hardcore fans, this type of event is a dream come true.
The concept of S2 works like this: the band plays whatever “theme” is requested. The fans have the option of texting in any word, phrase or suggestion for the band to play. Certain texts make it through screening and are then displayed on a large projector screen set up at the side of the room. It’s an all-request, all-improvisation and all Umphrey’s showcasing their raw musical talent, mind blowing creativity and complete and utter dedication to their fans.
Kicking off the evening with a “Salsa dance party,” the guys were jamming before anyone even had a chance to glance at the projector. With an upbeat vibe that had the crowd bouncing around, this tune was a great start to the night.
Next up was an “Industrial funk jam,” before the guys transitioned into a more robotic sound mixed with their usual hippie-rock jam style.
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Literally not missing a beat, the guys made a seamless shift into the next text request, a “Sexy groovy groove.”
As guitarist Jake Cinninger signaled to the band, the music slowed and the notes became smoother, as their instruments gave off a sexy, seductive sound that resonated throughout the chill crowd.
Another quick hand signal from Jake and my favorite text of the night, “Irish metal,” appeared on the screen, putting a fun twist on the somewhat normal musical path that had been taken thus far. Starting with what sounded like typical Irish jig music, the guys paused while Jake shredded and performed a solo, complete with green lights flooding the stage.
The band then joined back in, moving on to “Keep it gangsta,” to which they played a slow, soulful jazz tune, ending the first leg of music. The band took a break to do the first Q&A session, in which Bayliss said, “Nothing is off limits.”
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Question 1: “What band, artist or moment in time made you go beyond MTV/Top 40 music and realize there was more out there?”
Bayliss: “When I first saw the Guns N’ Roses “Paradise City” music video and thought, ‘That’s fucking awesome. I wanna do that!’”
Joel Cummins: “Listening to Bela Fleck. We’ve also had the pleasure of playing with Bela.”
Jake: “My parents had a great record collection with a lot of artists, one being Frank Zappa, so I have to attribute it to my parents turning off the TV and turning on the record player.”
Kris Myers: “Any Police videos. Jazz and Frank Zappa also blew me away.”
Andy Farag: “I only listen to Top 40.”
Question 2: “What are the chances of you guys coming to Atlanta for New Year’s Eve 2012?”
Joel: “Much better than Oklahoma City.”
Question 3: “You guys harmonize better than any band I’ve heard. How do you do it so well?”
Bayliss: “Jake and Ryan [Stasik] can stick together really well and Joel can do the third in scale as well, so we build off of that a lot of times.”
Question 4: “What are the chances my future kid will be able to see an Umphrey’s show?” [Ed Note – This question was asked by a 20-something college student. – RMQ]
Bayliss: “Spectacular. Our kids will be at the shows, too.”
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After the Q&A, the band returned to playing, starting off with “Reggae electronica.” With red and green lights illuminating the stage, the three guitarists began using crazy effects paired with Marley-esque rhythm, giving off a beach island vibe.
Quickly after came “Space jams,” to which the band started playing strange noises that resembled an incoming alien transmission. Trippy, foreign-looking visuals covered the screens in the back, setting the stage for the stereotypical alien-green lights that began flashing. The guys went from strange, space-like noises to electric guitar notes in a steady jam with slight buildup.
“Southern rock anthem” popped up on the screen, and the crowd was suddenly brought back from space to the rural, Southern state they were in. The country sounding chords made it feel like we were slow dancing at a barn party, not rocking out with one of the most popular improvisational jam bands in the business.
The next text had them change gears again with a “Massive buildup.” Starting with a slow, creeping beat amidst a completely dark stage, the tension was built immediately.
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As the band kept building, the lights started flashing and soon Jake was shredding his guitar so hard it was easy to forget what led to it.
“Tribal roots” followed, bringing on another entirely new atmosphere inside the venue. Heavy thumping on the drums brought the tribal feel to Georgia with Andy banging the bongos as Kris shook bells.
“Trippy trance” appeared on the screen and colorful lights suddenly shone all over the stage, ceiling and walls. Kris played a drumbeat in the background, as lights flashed in the dark and colorful visuals flooded the venue. With that, the second leg of music ended and the second leg of Q&A began.
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Question 1: “Stasik, this question is for you: when you had that beer thrown on you in Atlanta, how pissed were you?”
Stasik: “Pretty pissed. No, I understand people get excited and do stupid shit sometimes, but when it hit my bass, I was like, ‘Did someone really throw a full beer?’ I get over stuff quickly though, so I got over that in about 13 seconds."
Question 2: “You guys have a ton of stuff happening this summer – what are you most excited for?”
Stasik: “Summer Camp!”
Joel: “No, no, we aren’t most excited for one specific thing, rather I think we are really excited for a lot of things. For example, Bonnaroo because we have really great slots.”
Question 3: “What do you guys do in the off-season? Do you communicate about music or mainly just stay with your families and not really talk?"
Bayliss: “Joel eats for two weeks straight, Andy plays golf, Stasik drinks with me, Kris does jazz gigs and Jake is the best dad in the world.”
Joel: “We’re definitely always thinking about music and there is constant communication because we just have so much shit going on.“
Question 4: [From a British fan] “I heard a rumor you guys came up with the idea for the band at a campfire in 1998 – is that true?"
Bayliss: [In a British accent] "We were actually inspired by Iron Maiden. We were at a gig where Jake’s band was playing and we thought, “Why are we paying to see him, when we can get people to pay to see us?”
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The last leg of music began with a “Dance par-tay!,” in which the guys started jamming and segued into Bayliss’ solo.
Mixing it up a bit more, “Drum n drums” came up and as expected, Kris broke out a nasty drum solo in the spotlight as red lights fell on all the other members.
“Butter blues” came after, and the venue turned a predictable blue as the band began a slow, country-esque song that continued to speed up as Jake kept doling out more hand signals.
[FIND complete lineups, ticketing information and analysis in our 2012 Festival Guide.]
The final text of the night was “Total devastation,” paralleling what the band had just brought to the venue and pleasing every fan in the room. A heavy metal intro paired with red and black lights brought a Metallica feel to the crowd, as they thrashed their heads accordingly.
Jake and Stasik went on a jam tangent duet as the tempo increased along with the rapidly flashing lights. Ending the night with a bang, crazy guitar shredding ensued into a chaotic mess of lights, visuals and music notes, abruptly ending, setting off the crowd’s screams and applause.
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The sold-out Georgia Theatre was hot, sweaty and crowded by the time Umphrey’s took the stage. Beginning with the intro, “There’s No Crying in Mexico,” which was one long build-up, they then dropped right into “Pay The Snucka” and had the crowd going crazy.
Stasik addressed the crowd, telling them how good it felt to be back in Georgia. A funky groove landed in the middle of “Pay The Snucka” and not stopping, the guys went straight into “Cemetery Walk.” a pretty standard song and play.
Near the end of “Cemetery Walk.” Joel went crazy on the keys before they dove into “Nemo.” A huge jam split “Nemo” in half with Kris laying down a beat and Jake playing a dance jam.
The guys took a break as Bayliss talked to the crowd, noting how quickly the show sold out and how much they have been looking forward to it.
“Cemetery Walk Part II” came next, with a lot of groovy improv by Kris and Stasik. The jam got pretty out-there as they got further into the song, until the band sped up and followed Jake’s lead.
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Near the end of the song, Jake finished the long build-up with some wild shredding, which led to Joel breaking it down on piano to end the tune.
Transitioning from “Through The Cracks” into “Andy’s Last Beer,” they dished out a massive metal build-up before Bayliss broke it down and the whole band went funky, performing one of their signature groovy jams.
The second set began with “Wappy Sprayberry,” an upbeat song that is always a crowd-pleaser. Adding an electronica jam in the middle, they segued into “Push The Pig”, jamming into Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” before they ended the song on a funky note.
Another standard crowd pleaser, “In the Kitchen,” followed, and the crowd sang along with Bayliss, before they went into one of their obvious favorites, “Booth Love.” Having recently made a music video for this track, the guys seemed very into the slow, seductive mood that the song put everyone in.
An encore of “All in Time,” with an innovative jam of Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” ended the night, leaving the Georgia Theatre begging for more and crossing their fingers for New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.
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04.13.2012 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
Set I: There's No Crying In Mexico > Pay the Snucka > Cemetery Walk > Nemo > Cemetery Walk II, Through the Cracks, Andy's Last Beer, Pay The Snucka
Set II: Wappy Sprayberry > Push The Pig, In the Kitchen > Booth Love > Can't You See, Prowler > In the Kitchen
Encore: All In Time
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Umphrey’s McGee is currently hitting the South, with a 4/20 show at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, TX planned for this Friday night before UM Bowl III in Chicago on April 27. For a complete list of tour dates, check out their official website.
Road warriors that they are, the recently announced dates add to Umphrey’s extensive festival schedule. Earlier this week, UM announced that they will play two sets at 
The boys finally took the stage a little after 8:00 p.m. and opened with “Flamethrower,” a song that featured the concentrated and robust intensity Umphrey’s has become known for. The song set the tone nicely for the evening, kicking off an expansive, mostly instrumental two-set performance.
“Rocker Part II” followed as the end of a perfectly paced first set.
The crowd wasn’t ready to call it a night at 11:00, and upon coaxing the band back on stage, they ended the night with “Got Your Milk > Nothing Too Fancy” encore.