SCamp concludes there are a few questions that always cross my mind. Things like, “I wonder if my dog misses me as much as I miss him?” And, “How will I be able to pay rent by the 5th?” Another being, “When is the next time I can catch an Umphrey’s McGee show?” In 2016, I was fortunate enough to make it out to Red Rocks for two nights with UM in July, but most years I sit and anticipate their eventual return to Illinois. Their regular stops in Peoria, IL. have often been where I find myself reconnecting with one of the best live rock bands on the planet.
This Summer’s tour with Umphrey’s regularly showcased excellent support from The Main Squeeze, a band based out of Chicago and groomed in Indiana. A mixture of blues, funk, rock’n’soul, The Main Squeeze have shined in all three sets I’ve seen them perform and Peoria was no exception. Big time UM fan Eric (Chicagoland), who was initially Squozen in 2012 at the demised Whippersnap Music & Arts Festival, drove straight from work to make sure he didn’t miss them in Peoria. Exclaiming the benefits of the venue, how factors like ease of access to CEFCU and the scenic view on the Illinois River’s front, along with much appreciated CHEAP BEER makes the trip an absolute no-brainer. If you’ve missed out on The Main Squeeze at Summer Camp Music Festival be sure to give their SoundCloud a listen here: (The Main Squeeze). A band that Eric describes as, “An amalgamation of everything I love about music… Funk, soul, progressive rock, soaring guitar solo, virtuosity at every instrument and the undeniably charismatic Corey [Frye] at the helm with those velvet vocals.”
I spoke with Greg (Decatur, IL.), who spent most the night hanging towards the back to take advantage of the ample space and view at the outdoor venue. He has been listening to Umphrey’s Mcgee for about a year now and got to experience them live for the first time at SCamp16 and the show in P-Town was his first outside of the festival setting. Traveling north with his “Ohana,” Greg arrived just before UM’s first set in time to see the band open with “The Message,” an homage to hip hop origins and amusingly relevant to my love for the new Netflix series, The Get Down. The set also included a rare performance of “Orfeo,” a beautiful Joel Cummins instrumental that UM plays about once a year at the current pace, where I was privy to witness some unique stage crouching by the guitarists including a ninja like stance by Brendan Bayliss behind the keys. Umph closed the set with some of their stalwart songs Push the Pig > Resolution > All In Time. Greg, newer to experiencing this formula of “Heavy, Jammy” music was left quite satisfied from the night and I was assured that he would see me again at future shows.
Rail riding Umphrey’s fan of 4 years, Ben (Peoria, IL.), admits to turning co-workers on to UM by playing the tributes for them. “Someone who likes rap or pop I’d throw on their cover of Warren G‘s ‘Regulate,’ or R. Kelly‘s ‘Ignition’ […] I’ve gotten quite a few old guys on job sites to like Umphrey’s by throwing on some of their Zeppelin covers.” But, there would be no covers to speak of in the second set. Nothing but original jam/groove/rock from Umphrey’s. Mixing up regulars such as “The Triple Wide” and “Der Bluten Kat” in with songs still in their relative infancy like “Forks” and “Make It Right” only cleverly teasing Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac along the way. Ben must have some good spirits on his side for the local shows, as he was gifted a drumstick from Kris Myers at its conclusion. Not only does this scenario apply to 2016, but also in 2015 where he acquired another staff from Myers at the impromptu Limelight Eventplex as the riverfront venue was flooded out. You can watch my live stream of Triple Wide with tease here: (3X Wide) and view all the photos here: (Robert K. Recordings). You’ll also probably want to look over the Summer Camp Music Festival Snapchat (@summercampfest) clips from Peoria below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeRELPvZ8EY
The night concluded with Fugazi‘s “The Waiting Room” followed by “Mulches’s Odyssey” for what is always a kick ass encore from Umphrey’s McGee. With more of the tour waiting for me in Indianapolis the next night, I found myself quickly in retrospect over the night’s events. I have always enjoyed the Peoria gigs for a multitude of reasons. It is UM’s return to central Illinois post-SCamp, the proximity to Champaign and Chicago makes it easily available to lots of friends, CHEAP BEER, an outdoor riverfront show, and now the chance to see three other SCamp Counselors at one show… Personally, I couldn’t ask for more.
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