The case has been made before about the younger generation getting its jones for jazz from the jam band world. Saturday night, that notion was confirmed.
Umphrey’s McGee headlined a show at Crossroads KC, the outdoor, downtown venue behind Grinders. Umphrey’s is a six-piece band founded 14 years ago at the University of Notre Dame and now based in Chicago. It draws its sounds from an array of sources — from King Crimson and Yes to Frank Zappa and Phish.
During Saturday’s show, you could discern those elements and more amid the band’s improvisational compositions, most of which are instrumentals and most of which bound fluidly and seamlessly from one influence or base to the next: fusion jazz, reggae, funk, electric blues and several flavors of rock, including one overt reference to Jimi Hendrix.
The 700 or so fans who showed up got more than just 180-plus minutes of music. They also got a steady and flashy light show that embellished the presentation and nicely accompanied some of the visuals that erupted from the crowd, which came equipped with glow sticks and lighted hula hoops.
The vibe in the place was upbeat all night and punctuated by outburst of recognition and salvos of cheers and applause after several numbers. No song got a bigger response than the cover of Steely Dan’s “Peg.”
The sound, by the way, was as crisp and clean as I’d ever heard it at Crossroads KC. Brendan Bayliss is an adequate but generic vocalist whose voice tends to blend in with the music around it. Even so, his lyrics were clear all night. And face it, this band isn’t about its songs and lyrics as much as it is about the music and the groove.
By TIMOTHY FINN, The Kansas City StarRead more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/03/2991952/concert-review-umphreys-mcgee.html#ixzz1RBFCroCl
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