All Things Umphrey's > rspotts → Reviews

rspotts March 20, 2014
I had no idea what this venue was like, because I travelled from Washington State in order to attend this show with friends. We got in line early enough to position ourselves right up front. This small venue was like that of a high school dance. I found this incredible. Once the band started with Conduit, it was a big thrill. The sound definition was great, and the guitars started out with clean sound. When the music got more aggressive, the sound man put the pedal to the metal. I could hear the clipping in the mix, and feel my auditor sensors wither... "I'm going to pay dearly for this!" My ears were ringing for 3 days after. I would say that 30% of the songs were ones I had never heard, which thrilled me. The familiar ones were epic. The Pink Floyd medley was a massively good surprise. I especially liked the fact that they did not play "Leave those kids alone." Joels intro vocal for the medley was super. I was told by one of the fans that Umphrey's was on fire on this tour. She was right. This was the best concert I'd ever been to, any group, any time. The audience was great as well. The band members interact very well with the audience, through eye contact and comments. The only drawback was that during the show, my rental car was broken into, and all luggage but my guitar were stolen. The classic California "welcome." Through the generosity of friends and family, the rest of my visit was great. In conclusion, where else can you be up front, close to the stage, and feel like... there are my buddies up there, playing their asses off!


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