Umphrey’s McGee inspires a devotion in its fans that rivals any jam band, past or present. Photos by Nathan Rist.
When my friend and I drove to the and found a parking space less than half a block away from the venue, I knew it was going to be a good night. Despite starting late, I was reminded of how much I like shooting jam bands because the first three songs can last upwards of half an hour. There wasn’t much lighting but the overabundance of fog made up for that. Or, as another photographer put it during the first few sonsg: “A little fog never hurt.” I looked over to see billowing clouds of fog coming up over the stage, engulfing the performers.
As a newbie I had no idea that had such a devout following. I thought it was impressive when I heard someone had been to ten of their shows. This was quickly overshadowed when I heard someone say they’d been to 70 shows. I’ve never heard anyone say that. Apparently this woman had flown in from Portland, Ore., just for the weekend so she could see Umphrey’s four shows in Colorado.
However, the most impressive statistic was from the same girl who claimed this was one of the best shows she’d seen from the band. From my limited vantage point (and having never seen the band before) I felt like agreeing agree more. When I saw Ratdog and Allman Brothers over the summer at Red Rocks, I felt like the music was good but the energy was lacking. Standing there at the front of the stage, I realized this is what jam bands are supposed to be.
All too often it appears that groups are losing energy on the road. Even if their musicianship remains unchanged, there’s that sense they’re not having fun anymore; their faces are as somber as their fingers are dexterous. But when I watched Umphrey’s play, I saw that they were genuinely having a good time, reliving times spent just jamming with one another and seeing what came out.
After their second set they encored with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” This was an unexpected treat and the audience ate up this truly impressive version. Despite having already stood for four hours, I felt like I could have kept going, living in their foggy euphoria.
is a freelance photographer and a regular Reverb contributor. He hails from the mountains of Telluride but he’s currently studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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