March 4, 2000
Benchwarmers
South Bend, Indiana
Six long months "August" languished on the setlist bench. Twenty-five shows opened and closed without calling on the multi-dimensional composition. Her GHVIII album mate "Bob" provided company watching each show from the sidelines. "Bob" was, after all, a "self proclaimed hero." Handfuls of other Umphreys originals that debuted around the same time as "August" (February 1998) had already met every song's dreaded fate: retirement.
Was the band really exiling the emphatic hammer track from its lone studio album?
As spring welcomed the new millennium, UM found themselves back on a South Bend stage, home base for a few more weeks before moving on up to Chicago. The gig fell in between multiple weeks on the road, a welcome respite for the group steadily building their reputation as road warriors. A trip to NYC's Wetlands loomed. Few bigger opportunities existed for up and coming live acts than to impress an audience in the same room that helped launch Pearl Jam, Spin Doctors and Fat Mama. How would Umphreys treat this warm-up show?
Tar clung gravely to the walls of the sports bar in the days when indoor smoking was still a thing. As one of UM's most stomped grounds, dating back to the band's 4th ever show, Benchwarmers' cozy environs served as a security blanket, fostering a relaxed space for Umphreys to test new creative ideas with old friends. Loose, unpredictable sets were the norm, so what would make this night special?
Set one opened with a Scofield jam, followed by seven originals all played the previous week and a Bunny Wailer treat mixed in for good measure. Following a drink break, the bag of tricks spilled open as set two began. The resulting 36-minute sequence showcased one of UM's defining characteristics - an uncanny ability to seamlessly string consecutive songs together with improvised sections linking them to create FLOW.
All-caps FLOW is not easily achieved. Passing the baton from one song to the next, FLOW criss-crosses genres and moods with an earnest spirit of adventure. On this SB night, the band effortlessly strung the first seven songs together with segue arrows:
2x2 > Q*Bert > Help on the Way > Slipknot > August > FF > Home Sweet Home
Once past the jarring juxtaposition of Grateful Dead and Mötley Crüe songs appearing in the same set, you see the triumphant return of "August." Unfrozen from its self-imposed carbonite chamber of song solitude, "August" showing up was as startling as Link Chomvsky's re-entry into civilization, both having laid dormant for an excruciatingly long time before coming alive anew.
Moreover, her reemergence came as an exclamation point to the GD's hallmark triad, a full-circle moment in these three songs' relationship. To wit, when Umphreys debuted "Help" > "Slip" in March 1998, the band swapped the full composition of "August" in the cathartic release slot typically occupied by "Franklin's Tower." Over the next 15 months, UM used "August" to finish the Dead's holy trinity a handful of times, always with rousing effect.
This time, though, something was different. "August" crackled with a new sense of purpose. As UM concluded the 2nd chorus and Joel finished the piano transition, Bayliss stepped in and delivered a surprise guitar solo instead of moving into the song's subsequent movements. As quickly as the guitar intensity reached its peak, it shifted gears into a full-band funky breakdown. If musical genres are clothes, "August" was suddenly grooving in a multi-colored spandex jumpsuit, a fashion choice the song had never worn before. The up-tempo funky improv didn't last too long before segueing into "FF," but the moment was seized.
"August" was back. Nobody cared that she was missing three-quarters of her full composition. The jubilant reintroduction of an Umph classic made for an unforgettable evening for the SB faithful.
Benchwarmers
South Bend, Indiana
Six long months "August" languished on the setlist bench. Twenty-five shows opened and closed without calling on the multi-dimensional composition. Her GHVIII album mate "Bob" provided company watching each show from the sidelines. "Bob" was, after all, a "self proclaimed hero." Handfuls of other Umphreys originals that debuted around the same time as "August" (February 1998) had already met every song's dreaded fate: retirement.
Was the band really exiling the emphatic hammer track from its lone studio album?
As spring welcomed the new millennium, UM found themselves back on a South Bend stage, home base for a few more weeks before moving on up to Chicago. The gig fell in between multiple weeks on the road, a welcome respite for the group steadily building their reputation as road warriors. A trip to NYC's Wetlands loomed. Few bigger opportunities existed for up and coming live acts than to impress an audience in the same room that helped launch Pearl Jam, Spin Doctors and Fat Mama. How would Umphreys treat this warm-up show?
Tar clung gravely to the walls of the sports bar in the days when indoor smoking was still a thing. As one of UM's most stomped grounds, dating back to the band's 4th ever show, Benchwarmers' cozy environs served as a security blanket, fostering a relaxed space for Umphreys to test new creative ideas with old friends. Loose, unpredictable sets were the norm, so what would make this night special?
Set one opened with a Scofield jam, followed by seven originals all played the previous week and a Bunny Wailer treat mixed in for good measure. Following a drink break, the bag of tricks spilled open as set two began. The resulting 36-minute sequence showcased one of UM's defining characteristics - an uncanny ability to seamlessly string consecutive songs together with improvised sections linking them to create FLOW.
All-caps FLOW is not easily achieved. Passing the baton from one song to the next, FLOW criss-crosses genres and moods with an earnest spirit of adventure. On this SB night, the band effortlessly strung the first seven songs together with segue arrows:
2x2 > Q*Bert > Help on the Way > Slipknot > August > FF > Home Sweet Home
Once past the jarring juxtaposition of Grateful Dead and Mötley Crüe songs appearing in the same set, you see the triumphant return of "August." Unfrozen from its self-imposed carbonite chamber of song solitude, "August" showing up was as startling as Link Chomvsky's re-entry into civilization, both having laid dormant for an excruciatingly long time before coming alive anew.
Moreover, her reemergence came as an exclamation point to the GD's hallmark triad, a full-circle moment in these three songs' relationship. To wit, when Umphreys debuted "Help" > "Slip" in March 1998, the band swapped the full composition of "August" in the cathartic release slot typically occupied by "Franklin's Tower." Over the next 15 months, UM used "August" to finish the Dead's holy trinity a handful of times, always with rousing effect.
This time, though, something was different. "August" crackled with a new sense of purpose. As UM concluded the 2nd chorus and Joel finished the piano transition, Bayliss stepped in and delivered a surprise guitar solo instead of moving into the song's subsequent movements. As quickly as the guitar intensity reached its peak, it shifted gears into a full-band funky breakdown. If musical genres are clothes, "August" was suddenly grooving in a multi-colored spandex jumpsuit, a fashion choice the song had never worn before. The up-tempo funky improv didn't last too long before segueing into "FF," but the moment was seized.
"August" was back. Nobody cared that she was missing three-quarters of her full composition. The jubilant reintroduction of an Umph classic made for an unforgettable evening for the SB faithful.
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