Celebrating 25 years of face-melting progressive/jam/rock, Umphrey’s McGee, returned to Colorado for an epic three night run. Two of those final nights were supported by moe., a fitting suit within the jam scene that has been hugely pivotal in the earliest days of Umphrey’s McGee. Taking place June 15th, 16th, 17th and less than a month after performing and co-headlining the 22nd and final Summer Camp Music Festival. The energy captured a milestone for not only Umphrey’s McGee, but for these two acts and the journey they have traveled together.
Dillon Amphitheater
Dillon, CO
The first night was at Dillon Amphitheater in Dillon, CO. A small town at 9,000 feet elevation nestled within the Colorado Rocky Mountain Range. The venue overlooks and is alongside Lake Dillon, an extraordinary man-made reservoir surrounded by a breathtaking mountainous backdrop. This was the night that moe. did not make an appearance as support, and the show started early while the sun was starting to set over the Rockies and storms in the distance developed and grew into the night. The band was feeling fresh after a ten day break on tour and you can tell the energy they had coming into this three night run was going to be special. This was by far the most electrifying and awe inspiring set I have seen from Umphrey’s in the past eleven years that I have been following them.
Alexander's Dillon Amphitheater Photo Gallery
Dillon Amphitheater | June 15, 2023
Set 1: Suxity > Cut the Cable, Fenced In, Ordinary Times > The Crooked One > Exit Signs, Big Heart > Mulche’s Odyssey
Set 2: Bad Friday, Conduit, Nothing Too Fancy > Women Wine and Song > Nothing Too Fancy, Speak Up > The Fussy Dutchman
Encore: Pay the Snucka
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
Morrison, CO
Night two, we traveled to Morrison, CO to the glorious Red Rocks Amphitheatre. moe. opened their set with “Buster” and later rocked out into a “Happy Hour Hero” with the addition of Jake Cinninger making the mix flow a completely unique energy. Toward the tail end of the set, they struck a chord with the entire audience with a well placed and ironic gesture to the rain and weather of Morisson by playing Blind Melon’s hit “No Rain.” A song that they also had earlier played at the final Summer Camp Music Festival. This time met with the cameo of someone willing to put on a giant bee costume and dance around for a bit! They closed the set with "Tailspin" and the rest is history.
Umphrey’s McGee led into the synth heavy intro to their recently recorded track, “Nipple Trix.” The first track of Red Rocks 23’ built suspense as the band began to showcase the many layers of their sound. A mirror to the layers of earth that reveal themselves in the auburn rocky stone that the amphitheater was built on. The many years of stone just as the many years of devotion that this band has put into their craft. Members of moe. came back on to end the first set with the Rolling Stones hit, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” The second set proved that their fire they threw at us in Dillon would not be extinguished.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre | June 16, 2023
Set 1: Nipple Trix > 1348 > Day Nurse > Pure Saturation > Triangle Tear, In The Kitchen > 2nd Self, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking
Set 2: Small Strides, Bridgeless, Escape Goat, Ocean Billy > Wife Soup
Encore: All in Time
Day two at Red Rocks was met with a much sunnier side than we saw on the previous. As moe. opened us into evening, the sky opened and we were left with a beautiful night of Umphrey’s under the stars. Night two gave us a killer “Jajunk” and the classic “40’s Theme.” “Plunger” into “Glory” during the second set followed by “Believe The Lie” was a great musical landscape that really gave the crowd what they wanted to hear when considering Umph’s great tracks that have spanned their career. They threw out a new debut of Metallica’s, “Enter The Sandman,” with members of moe. rejoining the stage as Kris Myers and Jim Loughlin shared vocals. “Cemetery Walk II'' closed the run with its catchy and uplifting melody sending the crowd home with a joyful reflection of the jam packed performances.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre | June 17, 2023
Set 1: JaJunk, Cemetery Walk, Slacker, White Man’s Moccasins, The Silent Type, 40’s Theme
Set 2: Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Staircase > Wappy Sprayberry > 1348, Plunger > Glory, Believe the Lie, Enter Sandman, Cemetery Walk II
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