It’s always something of a homecoming when Umphrey’s McGee plays a show in Chicago, their erstwhile hometown. The six-piece band’s roots are in South Bend, IN, but a few years after their founding they relocated to Chicago and called it home for years. With the band members’ homes now scattered across the country, gone are the days when fans could count on double-digit shows per year in the Windy City. Recent years have seen Umphrey’s play their extended-length, two-night, fan-directed extravaganza UMBowl (2022) and three-night New Year’s run (2023) at the Riviera Theatre in the city’s Uptown neighborhood, but the Chicago Umphreak these days has to “Get in the Van,” as one of their early song titles beckons, and travel if they want to see the band as often as they could have for most of the 2000s and early 2010s in town.

The band’s first-ever show at the Salt Shed Fairgrounds on Friday also marked their first outdoor summer concert within the city limits since a 2019 appearance at the now-closed Lakefront Green. Announced as a single-set performance occupying a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute time slot, the show would mark, by the band’s own count, the 173^rd Umphrey’s McGee performance in Chicago since forming in 1997. On an evening marked by perfect weather conditions at the Salt Shed’s riverside setting, fans were first treated to a performance by Stolen Gin, followed by the soaring, blues-based improvisational rock of New Haven-based quartet Eggy.

Experienced Umphrey’s fans knew to expect that, unlike a standard two-set-plus-encore performance, the 10pm cutoff and single-set format would lead to a family-friendly atmosphere (guitarist Brendan Bayliss at one point between songs joked that “all” the kids from his own childen’s sports teams and classes were there as guests) but also a narrower range of the band’s improvisational abilities on display. There would be no 27-minute version of any song, such as the extended “Attachments” that was unleashed on fans in St. Louis the previous night. That show also opened with the aforementioned “Get in the Van”, an instrumental tune that has become a rarity in recent years and whose title once served as a rallying cry for fans who had to travel in order to see the band play.

By contrast, Friday’s performance was heavy on old, nostalgic favorites like “All in Time” and “Hajimemashite”, soaring rock anthems whose lyrics express the uncertainty and yearning of young adulthood, and “In the Kitchen”, the band’s ode to their former hometown of Chicago. The most inspired stretch of improvisation occurred within one of the band’s newest songs, a dreamy, haunting bit of pop rock called “Staircase”. Effortlessly evolving from a sparkly, spacey sound to driven jazz-rock, and then into a dark, industrial metal sound that included a reprise of guitar riffs heard earlier in the jam from guitarist Jake Cinninger. Umphrey’s improvisational game was as tight as ever. But maybe too tight for fans who enjoy seeing the band at its most exploratory. Other show highlights included the second-ever full performance of The Police’s “Message in a Bottle” and the intricate progressive rocker “2nd Self”, a song that, while mellow by Umphrey’s standards, seems to dazzle no matter how many times they play it. While there was no half-hour jam, nor was there a rare original tune that might have numerous long-time fans scratching a title off their list of unseen songs, Umphrey’s McGee brought the same danceable energy and musicianship they have been known to consistently deliver for a quarter-century. It’s what keeps the band’s loyal fanbase coming back to show after show, year after year. But it’s helpful to know that during the summertime, to see Umphrey’s push themselves to the limits of their abilities, break new ground, and play their rarest songs, you need to “Get in the Van”. 

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $69
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

John Palys (93rd Umphrey’s Show)