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The Adolescence of August, Chapter 5: The Fresh Prince

June 23, 2000
South Bend, IN

The seemingly casual calendar flip from May to June caused seismic activity for Umphrey's McGee in the summer of 2000. Seven weeks passed in between South Bend shows. Over that period, the band ventured across five states, playing ten shows in seven cities. They also celebrated the last band member to graduate college mid-May, the last tether torn before UM headquarters sojourned west to the Lake Coast, expanding their palette on bigger hometown stages.

Wrigleyville::South Bend
Bel Air::Philly

This particular June night was UM's first, unofficial return-to-their-roots spectacle. Gracing the State Theater stage for the 4th time ever and 3rd of ten visits that year to the downtown's next-biggest room (respect the Morris). An all-ages belated Cinco de Mayo street fest outside ole faithful Madison Oyster Bar was the previous SB gig, featuring Joel's pride-and-joy piano students as set break entertainment for the familial affair.

UM took The State stage oozing with swagger, fresh off visits to Milwaukee's famous Shank Hall and the band's first Memorial Day festival spot at The Big Wu Family Reunion - a treasured holiday tradition was born! Wasting no time dispensing the South Bend love, "August" was slotted second in the seven-song first set following a spirited version of the six-month old Fussy Dutchman.

Clear the dance floor. 

An imposing bass enters the room first with flair, emitting a surprise belch a few booming steps in. New instruments joining the soothing, verdant intro-groove with each new measure: bass > drums > guitar > bongos > piano. The song proper strides smoothly through its composed sections. Around the five-minute mark, as Bayliss' solo wanes, inviting full-band improvisation, Cummins floats a hint of the 2Pac/Dre "California Love" progression. A fluid, ping-pongy guitar groove develops and feels out the space before adding layers of uptempo bluesy keys.

South Bend, throw your back out.

Four minutes of full-band effort to get every booty in the building boppin. Infectious, chunky funk licks, making no excuses for establishing a party vibe out of the gate. An omen of a dynamite rest-of-show with the band feeling so comfortable exploring this 7th Lazuritic version. Deconstructing the rhythm over the last couple minutes, the dance-o-meter downshifts to Active Body Sway. And the mind drifts to more Bel-Air moves to study up on for a future "August."

P.S. For those horticulturists wondering about Joel's musical seed of "California Love" planted early in "August," it miraculously bore fruit later that set during a raucous "2x2" as "City of South Bend" references invaded the anthemic breakdown.


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