Last Thursday night, October 28th, I had the pleasure of witnessing one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to — and I’ve been to a lot. The Canopy Club hosted jam bands Elmwood and Umphrey’s McGee, and I think it’s safe to say the socks were knocked off of everyone in attendance.
The show started at 8:00, on the nose, with a very small crowd. When Elmwood took the stage, the audience was only four to five deep from the rail, with twenty or so people scattered throughout the back areas of the venue, drinking beer and munching on pizza.
The members of Elmwood even picked up on the lukewarm enthusiasm of the crowd right away. “I could see the skepticism on your faces when we walked onstage,” said frontman Ruston Kelly. “Who are these guys? They’re not who I came to see!”
Halfway through the second song, though, the crowd warmed up to Elmwood and started swaying and bobbing their heads to the music. By the third song, Canopy Club finally started to fill up, and the audience was treated to an hour-long set consisting of chill jams with a sort of jazzy-blues feel to them.
One of the highlights of Elmwood’s set was when the bandana-wearing bassist, fedora topped guitarist and rasta-styling saxophonist came together with some sick vocal harmonies. Another highlight was toward the end of the set when drummer Donnie Marple busted out a fantastic drum breakdown. Even when he dropped his drumstick he never missed a beat, and the end of the breakdown garnered the most applause of Elmwood’s set. The band closed strongly, and I heard people nearby talking about how impressed they were with Elmwood. Whatever lack of enthusiasm existed at the beginning of their set had been completely reversed.
Following in the grand tradition of jam band concerts, the smell of marijuana soon wafted through the venue, getting consistently stronger throughout the course of the night.
By the time Elmwood finished their set Canopy Club was packed. From what I was hearing from those around me, I was one of the few people at the show who hadn’t seen Umphrey’s McGee before. The guy in front of me, Brandon, told me he had made the trek to Champaign-Urbana from Bloomington, Indiana, and that it was about his 80th time seeing Umphrey’s. When I mentioned that it was my first time seeing the band, the people around me started congratulating me and telling me how excited they were for me. It was like I had just told them I was having a baby!
It didn’t take long for me to understand the excitement of those around me. Umphrey’s McGee took to the stage around 9:30 and wowed me immediately. Their playing was strong, fun, and completely in sync. Unlike many bands, they didn’t come out and start talking with the audience, but went straight into the music, and kept that up for the majority of the set.
What really impressed me with Umphrey’s McGee, aside from their superb playing, was the way they managed to get the crowd completely wrapped up in the show. Now, if you’ve never listened to Umphrey’s McGee, you need to know that most of their songs are just instrumental styling. Their lyrics, in the songs that have them, are minimal in comparison to the instrumental parts. But, even so, the crowd was dancing and rocking out to the music as much as they would if they were at a show filled with songs they could sing along to.
This wasn’t a show focused on the theatrics or crazy stage antics of the band. This concert revolved entirely on the music itself, and it was amazing. The music was accompanied by a light show, and that was as far as the non-musical entertainment went. Being in the second row, I could clearly see the faces of the members of Umphrey’s McGee, and it was obvious that these are musicians who truly enjoy what they do.
Not once did they look bored (side note: my biggest pet peeve at concerts is when the performer looks like they’re bored or don’t want to be there) or like this was just another concert to them. Their hearts and souls were being put into every second of the concert, and that completely shone through in their performing.
Umphrey’s McGee played an hour and fifteen minute set, and then left the stage to take a break. No, not to come back out to play an encore. They came back to play another hour-long set! I was amazed both by the fact that they played as long as they did in the first place, and by the fact that their energy never wavered throughout the over three hours (including encore) that they ended up playing. The show didn’t end until almost one in the morning, easily making it one of the longest concerts I’ve ever attended, but every second was phenomenal.
While Umphrey’s McGee’s performance was stellar on its own, the audience at the show really added to the overall experience. It was hands down one of the friendliest crowds I’ve ever been a part of, and there was an overwhelming feeling of unity between everyone there to just take in the wonder that was Umphrey’s McGee. As I mentioned, I was in the second row for almost the entirety of the show. This was the only concert I’ve ever been to where I’ve been that close and not had people trying to shove past me to get to the front. It really was a fantastic crowd that made an already outstanding concert even better.
I honestly can’t say enough good things about how excellent a live band Umphrey’s McGee is, and I can definitely understand now why my fellow concert-goers were so excited for me to experience one of their shows.