Coming off a month-long break, Umphrey’s McGee took the stage at Brooklyn Bowl for a three night stint during the last weekend of October and needless to say, these midwestern madmen were itching to shred. It’s been a pivotal year for the band as they now enter the Scotty Zwang (former drummer of Dopapod and Sunsquabi) era after the departure of legend Kris Meyers. Umphrey's has been melting faces since the late 1990s – their origins date back to early college days at Notre Dame and they quickly became one of the most popular acts in South Bend. Now after over 25 years of touring, Umphrey’s has clocked well over 2,500 shows, playing almost every concert venue in the US. As the band has evolved, members have left and joined but what remains the same is that Ryan Statsik (bass guitar) still needs a shower, Brendan Bayliss (guitar) doesn’t like you drinking and driving, Andy Farag (percussion) is the hardest working man in show biz, Jake Cinninger (guitar) is a stunt double on guitar, and Joel Cummins (keys) is the sexiest man on the planet earth… but what’s to say about Scotty Zwang?

In true Umph fashion, the boys began their set playing some progressive rock heat with "There's No Crying in Mexico,” one of their many intro tracks, to kick off a wild night ahead. The tension in the room built as Stasik swooped in to make a smooth transition with the baseline intro from “Puppet String.” You really never know where this band’s going to take you, whether it’s on a rocket ship into a heavy rock jam or gently floating on a feather into a sea of dreamy melody, Umphrey’s always keeps the audience on their toes. We saw this continuously throughout the first set as the band progressed into a soaring and uplifting jam, “Glory,” into the more contemplative cosmic blend of psychedelic jazz in “The Linear,” which evolved into a labyrinthine slow-burner improvisation section.

The music didn’t stop as they transitioned into their newer song, “Hiccup,” from the album Asking for a Friend ,where cosmic ranger Daniel Donato sat in for a tear-shedding axe harmony to end the track. Daniel stayed on for one more lick, “Bell Bottom Blues” by Derek & the Dominos, a heart wrenching melodic narrative that had the whole crowd swaying. Umphrey’s thanked Donato and then got back to their roots with a math rock jazz number, “Push the Pig,” an absolute classic with an extra healthy scoop of spooky scary jam. Barreling towards the end of the set, the sextet launched into a spiraling progression to finish “Puppet String” with Brendan playfully using Scotty’s name in the closing lyrics which he of course welcomed with a smile.

It’s almost impossible to define Umphrey’s into a single genre as their songs are interwoven tapestries with multiple sonic threads making their performances truly one of a kind. To start the second set the audience got taken on a journey from the alternative and symphony style rock of “Staircase” to the genre bending path of “Out of Focus” from their newest album Blueprints, where heavy progressive rock riffs morphs into alt-rock, evolves into funk, transforms to disco jams and then returns back to heavy rock. Never knowing what’s coming next kept us locked in and what else would make sense for their next track but of course “I Wanna Be Your Lover” by Prince, which included the groove maestra bassist Blu DeTiger who brought the absolute funk. With a brief break, Scotty came in with a couple of quick drum rolls to dive into Umphrey’s most played live song, “All in Time.” A litany of arpeggios, crowd screaming lyrics, and an incredible improvised jam build made this one of our favorite songs of the night as the whole crowd was raging in unison.

To end set two, the boys busted out a short jazz rock number from Jake’s Ali Baba's Tahini days, “Pork Chop Pie,” and cranked up the party with synthwave prog arrangement “Wappy Sprayberry,” where Stasik had us standing on the ceiling with a nasty bassline during the jam section. Ross Bogan from Doom Flamingo sat in to play keys for the last song of the set, “August,” which was a classic, high flying, euphoric jam that had us smiling from ear to ear. But they weren’t done yet – the band came back out for an encore with Scotty showing his true colors during “Got Your Milk (Right Here),” absolutely wailing on the drums while also perfectly playing the band back into the end of “All in Time.”

Time has a way of reshaping everything it touches: people, relationships, even the bands we think we know by heart. As years stack and seasons shift, the artists who endure aren’t the ones who stand still, but the ones willing to tear down their own blueprints and build something new. Few groups embody that relentless reinvention quite like Umphrey’s McGee, a six-headed force that has never stopped recalibrating, redefining, and reimagining what they can be. As loyal fans, we’re excited to see how they recreate themselves and how Scotty Zwang plays a role in one of the most creative bands of all time. If you get the chance, go check out Umphrey's McGee, you won’t regret it.

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