April 22, 2000
Cubby Bear
Chicago, Illinois
Pardon my inner-Conan bleeding through when I say that Umphreys dominated Chicago like no other in the year 2000.
Beginning in January all the way through New Year's Eve, UM canvassed Chitown playing seven different local stages, several multiple times, including the band's first appearances at the iconic Double Door, Park West & Vic Theatre, plus two summer street festivals. The band's twenty total shows within the Second City's limits mark the most in any one year for their chosen "home city." 2000 marked a tidal shift as the band re-anchored its Midwest mooring while nurturing in-roads to the metropoli on the eastern shores. For the first time, South Bend lost the belt for most Umphreys soireès in a given year.
Mere weeks before Umph headquarters relocated 70 miles west on the Toll Road (a necessary step for the ambitious quintet-at-the-moment), the most famous ivy walls beckoned.
The Cubbies weren't any good that year. Dusty Baker's magic playoff elixir was three long years away. Having lost five of their last seven games the week prior, the Northsiders were tumbling south down the standings. With the Cubs circus on an East Coast swing, the sidewalks on Addison and Clark screamed for more pep with each step.
Ranked the country's 7th best sports bar, the Cubby Bear expanded its horizons to live music in the 80's and quickly established itself as a desirable, high-energy stop for punk acts (Naked Raygun, The Pixies), "jam bands" (Gregg Allman Band, Spin Doctors, Phish, Dave Matthews Band), and everything in between (Johnny Cash, No Doubt).
Umphrey's was making the first of five appearances at the Wrigleyville watering hole that calendar year. No Chicago venue has yet to welcome the band for more shows in a given year. This night differed from the four return visits as UM filled the opener role with Dead/JGB-inspired Cats Under the Stars headlining the Earth Day celebration. The condensed solo set didn't afford the luxury of easing into an evening's two sets, and the band's delivery reflected this altered dynamic as all ten song choices were standalones, devoid of any connective musical webbing. By comparison, the deep FLOW experience from the prior month wove seven songs together at one point without stopping once.
In addition to an evolutionary step forward for “August,” a notable takeaway from this show is UM debuting its first new song of the year - "2nd Self," which landed on the group's next studio album in 2002, Local Band Does OK. "2nd Self" joins "Prowler" and "Andy's Last Beer" as the only LBDOK songs written before Jake Cinninger joined. Positioned squarely in the power center of the set following four originals and a Peter Tosh cover, the band attacked the recently revived "August" with bravado. Shedding the palpable tentativeness during the song's re-entry to the live rotation seven shows prior, this performance felt more assured and excited to sprinkle some flair to the song's new blueprint.
The 3rd overall reworked version starts with just bass and drums for several bars before guitar and bongos jump in. Joel joins the intro last before Brendan belts his words. Overall, a straightforward rendition of the song proper with minimal breathing room between the verses and final chorus before Bayliss launches into his new solo spot. The peak dissolves into a quiet stillness, basks in the freedom to go anywhere, then discovers a descending groove worth repeating. As the tempo shifts into high gear, we're racing down Lake Shore Drive in a '61 cherry-red Ferrari with our best friend Ferris. Mirro lends a ferocious counterpoint to the improv, angling the groove toward a dark tunnel, though Bayliss nimbly changes lanes and veers onto Upper Wacker for one last soaring burst before an abrupt denouement.
As eye opening as spying Sloane Peterson topless in the pool, this dragster thrill ride version sets in motion the potential for further exploration whenever “August” is called upon. The self-realization that new modes of expression are possible dawns on both band and crowd. Although this evening’s improvisational path remained somewhat one-dimensional, the inward journey revealed a glimpse of attainable peaks to come.
Just as Cameron faced fears to unlock greater self-understanding (did Cam dream the whole day of hooky?), UM's willingness to embrace the unknown in “August” opened a door to learning much more about themselves as artists.
Cubby Bear
Chicago, Illinois
Pardon my inner-Conan bleeding through when I say that Umphreys dominated Chicago like no other in the year 2000.
Beginning in January all the way through New Year's Eve, UM canvassed Chitown playing seven different local stages, several multiple times, including the band's first appearances at the iconic Double Door, Park West & Vic Theatre, plus two summer street festivals. The band's twenty total shows within the Second City's limits mark the most in any one year for their chosen "home city." 2000 marked a tidal shift as the band re-anchored its Midwest mooring while nurturing in-roads to the metropoli on the eastern shores. For the first time, South Bend lost the belt for most Umphreys soireès in a given year.
Mere weeks before Umph headquarters relocated 70 miles west on the Toll Road (a necessary step for the ambitious quintet-at-the-moment), the most famous ivy walls beckoned.
The Cubbies weren't any good that year. Dusty Baker's magic playoff elixir was three long years away. Having lost five of their last seven games the week prior, the Northsiders were tumbling south down the standings. With the Cubs circus on an East Coast swing, the sidewalks on Addison and Clark screamed for more pep with each step.
Ranked the country's 7th best sports bar, the Cubby Bear expanded its horizons to live music in the 80's and quickly established itself as a desirable, high-energy stop for punk acts (Naked Raygun, The Pixies), "jam bands" (Gregg Allman Band, Spin Doctors, Phish, Dave Matthews Band), and everything in between (Johnny Cash, No Doubt).
Umphrey's was making the first of five appearances at the Wrigleyville watering hole that calendar year. No Chicago venue has yet to welcome the band for more shows in a given year. This night differed from the four return visits as UM filled the opener role with Dead/JGB-inspired Cats Under the Stars headlining the Earth Day celebration. The condensed solo set didn't afford the luxury of easing into an evening's two sets, and the band's delivery reflected this altered dynamic as all ten song choices were standalones, devoid of any connective musical webbing. By comparison, the deep FLOW experience from the prior month wove seven songs together at one point without stopping once.
In addition to an evolutionary step forward for “August,” a notable takeaway from this show is UM debuting its first new song of the year - "2nd Self," which landed on the group's next studio album in 2002, Local Band Does OK. "2nd Self" joins "Prowler" and "Andy's Last Beer" as the only LBDOK songs written before Jake Cinninger joined. Positioned squarely in the power center of the set following four originals and a Peter Tosh cover, the band attacked the recently revived "August" with bravado. Shedding the palpable tentativeness during the song's re-entry to the live rotation seven shows prior, this performance felt more assured and excited to sprinkle some flair to the song's new blueprint.
The 3rd overall reworked version starts with just bass and drums for several bars before guitar and bongos jump in. Joel joins the intro last before Brendan belts his words. Overall, a straightforward rendition of the song proper with minimal breathing room between the verses and final chorus before Bayliss launches into his new solo spot. The peak dissolves into a quiet stillness, basks in the freedom to go anywhere, then discovers a descending groove worth repeating. As the tempo shifts into high gear, we're racing down Lake Shore Drive in a '61 cherry-red Ferrari with our best friend Ferris. Mirro lends a ferocious counterpoint to the improv, angling the groove toward a dark tunnel, though Bayliss nimbly changes lanes and veers onto Upper Wacker for one last soaring burst before an abrupt denouement.
As eye opening as spying Sloane Peterson topless in the pool, this dragster thrill ride version sets in motion the potential for further exploration whenever “August” is called upon. The self-realization that new modes of expression are possible dawns on both band and crowd. Although this evening’s improvisational path remained somewhat one-dimensional, the inward journey revealed a glimpse of attainable peaks to come.
Just as Cameron faced fears to unlock greater self-understanding (did Cam dream the whole day of hooky?), UM's willingness to embrace the unknown in “August” opened a door to learning much more about themselves as artists.
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