The band sounds as good as ever...
tl:dr - Bayliss & Jakeless were fucking dope tonight, put your doubts aside and don't hesitate to go see them.
I've seen Umphreys 90+ times over the past 20 years and tonight they sounded fantastic.
Was there a little motor cross missing here and there? Sure. But you could tell they've been reworking jams, trying different setups and flow, and they absolutely nailed the jam segments. I was locked in from start to finish even without my favorite former member on the stage.
I happened to be at a show in Cincy a few years back where Jake didn't play due to a family issue or illness or whatever and it was a total bummer. The band wasn't totally prepared for his absence and the very heavy Bayliss setlist was full of effort but I left feeling underwhelmed.
Tonight was completely different. They played really well off of each other and you could tell they were having fun doing it. Bayliss played out of his mind, carrying a majority of the load but Joel and Stasik were both featured often. The mix was great, and the new additions to the light rig totally hit the mark for me.
I was very apprehensive about UM5 on this tour and moving forward, but tonight reinvigorated my love of this band.
Not to mention moe. put on one hell of a show also.
Sincerely,
PhilthyG