Umphrey's McGee
Key Club, West Hollywood, California
10.21.04
Umphrey's McGee play what they want for as long as they want, and a live setting is a great showcase for their free-flowing musical jams that have more in common with progressive rock than the Grateful Dead. The sold-out show at the Key Club was a perfect venue to see the band up close.
The crowd was very easygoing and happy to be out dancing. They were comprised mostly of college kids and some grown-ups who are aware that the phrase carpe diem covers weekdays. As my pal Mike and I were standing around waiting for the opening band, a long-haired gentleman was kind enough to offer us dessert in the form of chocolate mushrooms, a very tasty treat I'm sure, but Mom always told me not to take candy from strangers. Besides, this was my first UM show, so I had no idea how long it would last and wouldn't want to be heading out into the streets of West Hollywood while I was peaking. That didn't stop others, though. I overheard a guy who couldn't stop grinning or make eye contact talk about being on mushrooms at the Particle concert two weeks earlier.
I only recognized a few songs from their current release Anchor Drops, the title track, "Wife Soup," and "13 Days," but I discovered some wonderful gems like "Prowler," a major percussive assault that is sandwiched around a jazz piano interlude and for those with stamina they played the 23-minute epic "Der Bluten Kat."
The best moments of the show were when they played covers: Pink Floyd's "In the Flesh," Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" and Guns n' Roses' "Paradise City." The crowd went absolutely wild during these nearly flawless covers, but that's to be expected and not a slight against UM. They can't yet compare to those legendary bands because they haven't had the time to establish that deep of a rapport with people, but they are well on their way.
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