May 12, 2000
Bell's Brewery
Kalamazoo, Michigan
To break onto the scene in one of Michigan’s biggest cities, Umphrey’s was quite literally saved by the Bell’s.
2000 marked a shift in the band's Mitten market strategy with van trips to two new cities that year, Kalamazoo (8 shows) and Ann Arbor (1 show). A day-trippable 70 miles away from the band's South Bend hub with ~35,000 college students in close proximity, K-Zoo was a desirable new tour stop, especially since the town featured one of the most successful family-run craft breweries in the nation.
Umphrey's played its first Kalamazoo gig at Bell's Brewery in February 2000. That first year, the band split its venue allegiance evenly between Bell's and the eclectic Club Soda. An immediate synergy between band and crowd congealed to help Kalamazoo become one of the most frequented cities during the band's early years. Twenty years later, UM has played 33 total shows in Kalamazoo (the band's 11th most played city around the world), nearly double the respective tallies for Detroit (18) and Grand Rapids (18).
Returning three months later to the Bell's stage, and just the third show after UM's first Cubby Bear appearance, summer was around the corner. A surprising cover of Grant Green's "Cantaloupe Woman" keeps everyone grooving deep in the 1st set. The track off 1965's "His Majesty King Funk" was a staple among UM's early swank-jazz influences, played a dozen times in the band's first 13 months, though just once over the previous 90 shows when the band decided to dust it off for the hops & malted barley crowd. This night remains UM's last performance of "Cantaloupe Woman."
Set two opens with another jazzy interlude, Scofield's "A Go Go," before giving way to “2nd Self,” the band's newest song. For the next 32 minutes, UM engages in a high-energy fashion show, composition and improvisation walking the catwalk, trying on different outfits seeking the crowd's approval. The first look, a knitted ruffle onesie, transitions out of “2nd Self,” fitting stylish and snug on the 3-week old song barely able to hold its neck up. An engaging 3 minutes ensues from the young songling, trying on pastel polka dot pajamas before ultimately showcasing a rainbow romper as a the final wardrobe change between songs.
Bayliss' loose layerings bridge the song shift to "August," which emerges in elegant evening wear for the song proper. BB sends his solo soaring before floating back down, feathering around the core riff until ~4:25 mark, signaling another costume change. Similar to “August’s” last version at the Cubby Bear with a fashionable descending note theme, Joel adds to the excitement as the tempo picks up, his note mimicry as playful as a billowy summer dress.
As the 7:40 mark approaches, the groove slips into the changing room and reappears in a saucy lace-embroidered hip-hugger skirt and tank. This second thematic movement, a descending minor chord progression, captivates the room like the exploratory belly of a "Slipknot" jam, pirouetting around the stage in its floor-length ballroom gown, revealing all sides of the repeated chord progression. Bayliss hints at a shift to a major chord peak, though the tease is in vain. The final minute ushers in one last fashion ensemble, a red satin pant suit with printed scarf and snakeskin boots, befitting the regal air that accompanies these final ascending notes.
This major breakthrough in "August's" reincarnation seamlessly segues into “Q*Bert,” which saunters into the room without any hint of it's languid groove approaching - a head turner in every respect. The final outfit in this four-song FLOW is a black-tie (not optional) celebration as the full-band joins for a rousing Orfeo, its climatic culmination akin to the rising swell of emotions when Screech finally kisses Lisa.
Bell's Brewery
Kalamazoo, Michigan
To break onto the scene in one of Michigan’s biggest cities, Umphrey’s was quite literally saved by the Bell’s.
2000 marked a shift in the band's Mitten market strategy with van trips to two new cities that year, Kalamazoo (8 shows) and Ann Arbor (1 show). A day-trippable 70 miles away from the band's South Bend hub with ~35,000 college students in close proximity, K-Zoo was a desirable new tour stop, especially since the town featured one of the most successful family-run craft breweries in the nation.
Umphrey's played its first Kalamazoo gig at Bell's Brewery in February 2000. That first year, the band split its venue allegiance evenly between Bell's and the eclectic Club Soda. An immediate synergy between band and crowd congealed to help Kalamazoo become one of the most frequented cities during the band's early years. Twenty years later, UM has played 33 total shows in Kalamazoo (the band's 11th most played city around the world), nearly double the respective tallies for Detroit (18) and Grand Rapids (18).
Returning three months later to the Bell's stage, and just the third show after UM's first Cubby Bear appearance, summer was around the corner. A surprising cover of Grant Green's "Cantaloupe Woman" keeps everyone grooving deep in the 1st set. The track off 1965's "His Majesty King Funk" was a staple among UM's early swank-jazz influences, played a dozen times in the band's first 13 months, though just once over the previous 90 shows when the band decided to dust it off for the hops & malted barley crowd. This night remains UM's last performance of "Cantaloupe Woman."
Set two opens with another jazzy interlude, Scofield's "A Go Go," before giving way to “2nd Self,” the band's newest song. For the next 32 minutes, UM engages in a high-energy fashion show, composition and improvisation walking the catwalk, trying on different outfits seeking the crowd's approval. The first look, a knitted ruffle onesie, transitions out of “2nd Self,” fitting stylish and snug on the 3-week old song barely able to hold its neck up. An engaging 3 minutes ensues from the young songling, trying on pastel polka dot pajamas before ultimately showcasing a rainbow romper as a the final wardrobe change between songs.
Bayliss' loose layerings bridge the song shift to "August," which emerges in elegant evening wear for the song proper. BB sends his solo soaring before floating back down, feathering around the core riff until ~4:25 mark, signaling another costume change. Similar to “August’s” last version at the Cubby Bear with a fashionable descending note theme, Joel adds to the excitement as the tempo picks up, his note mimicry as playful as a billowy summer dress.
As the 7:40 mark approaches, the groove slips into the changing room and reappears in a saucy lace-embroidered hip-hugger skirt and tank. This second thematic movement, a descending minor chord progression, captivates the room like the exploratory belly of a "Slipknot" jam, pirouetting around the stage in its floor-length ballroom gown, revealing all sides of the repeated chord progression. Bayliss hints at a shift to a major chord peak, though the tease is in vain. The final minute ushers in one last fashion ensemble, a red satin pant suit with printed scarf and snakeskin boots, befitting the regal air that accompanies these final ascending notes.
This major breakthrough in "August's" reincarnation seamlessly segues into “Q*Bert,” which saunters into the room without any hint of it's languid groove approaching - a head turner in every respect. The final outfit in this four-song FLOW is a black-tie (not optional) celebration as the full-band joins for a rousing Orfeo, its climatic culmination akin to the rising swell of emotions when Screech finally kisses Lisa.
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