I had never witnessed Umphrey’s McGee live before. In fact, I couldn’t even say I’d intentionally listened to any of the band’s music (though I’m sure some diehard fan friends of mine had played it in my presence). All I knew was that I was in Colorado — a haven for festival music lovers — it was getting close to New Year’s Eve, and I wanted to see a show.
“Umphrey’s McGee at The Fillmore Auditorium with Dumpstaphunk and Joshua Redman.” I knew I loved Dumpstaphunk and had heard good things about Umphrey’s McGee, so I figured, “Why not?” and got myself down to that old renovated skating rink on Sunday night, Dec. 29.
After standing in the cold for at least 20 minutes in order to clear security, I was more than ready to get inside and hear some music. Unfortunately, I was too late to bask in the glory that is Dumpstaphunk. Family engagements kept me from arriving at the listed start time of 7 p.m. (a wee bit early, in my opinion), so that had me a little down as I entered the venue.
I said to myself, “These guys had better be good, for $40,” and huffed my way into the box seats in the rear balcony, as Umphrey’s McGee members headed on stage and sprung into their portion of the night.
