Home | Music | Umphrey’s McGee—The Lawn at White River State Park—Indianapolis, IN-- July 7, 2012

Umphrey’s McGee—The Lawn at White River State Park—Indianapolis, IN-- July 7, 2012

14/07/2012 05:13:00 / Reads: 1907 | New today: 1 |

The timing was on, the rifts were strong, and the lighting effects didn’t miss a beat as Umphrey’s McGee showed up to play for the fans in their home state of Indiana. It was hot, and I mean HOT, but that didn’t stop the fans from coming out for the party. The opening act, G. Love really set the mood, starting off with their hit “Cold Beverages” and including a Beastie Boys cover in honor of Adam Yauch who died earlier this year.

Written by Kelly Burns
Listed on Jams Plus MediaDespite the heat, the atmosphere was amazing. There was an excitement that filled the air as friends were reunited to catch another brilliant show. Umphrey’s took the stage just before sunset, opening with “Gurgle” seguing into “Ringo” which really got the crowd moving. Though there was nothing particularly memorable about “Red Tape” or “The Linear”, the guys brought it with all they had during “Day Nurse” which seemed to ignite one huge dance party.

The dance party didn’t stop there as the guys moved into some newer songs off their album “Death by Stereo”. They played a funky “Loose Ends” which already seems to be a favorite, and closed the set with “Puppet String” which started off a little slow but picked up just before the end of the set to remind everyone why we are glad these guys still come out with new music.

During intermission it was obvious that people were overall happy with the set but excited to see what was going to come after the sun had set. The guys took the stage and came out strong, opening the second set with “There's No Crying in Mexico” > “Hangover”. If there were any skeptics in the crowd this combination surely changed their minds. Let’s just say it was Saturday night and the crowd broke out the booty wax as it immersed itself in the music and it seemed like nearly everyone was singing and dancing along.

Then came a very special treat as G. Love took the stage on harmonica to play the next tune, a lovely little ditty by Led Zeppelin “When the Levee Breaks”. Not only was the harmonica a nice touch, but it was the first time the band had covered this particular song and I must say, nice choice! The guys kept the momentum up as they moved into “1348” into a commonly played Motely Crue cover, “Dr. Feelgood” which really allows the band to tap into their metal, progressive rock side.

Umphrey’s smoothly transitioned into, “Much Obliged” sending the crowd into a wild frenzy with the tightness to which they played this classic favorite. The guys closed the set with “Crucial Taunt’ into “Dear Lord” and picked up where they left off in “1348” to end the second set. The encore was another Umph's staple, “Miss Tinkle's Overture,” with its pseudo-classical mocking crashing up against fiery machine-gun rhythms and a jam lead bassist, Ryan Stasik.

One thing is for certain -- Umphrey's always gives it 100% on the stage, whatever the outcome. Between their seamless transitions, super-human rhythmic endurance and ability to weave that many extraordinarily autonomous sounds into one pure adrenaline pumping show, Umphrey’s continues their stroke of genius.