In December of 2013, Umphrey’s McGee returned to Colorado for a highly-anticipated three-night NYE run at a packed Fillmore Auditorium. Tour Gigs was on hand to capture the action, and we are pleased to present the resulting documentation of the run, as DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD downloads available via Umphrey’s Merch and TourGigs.com, respectively.

Wasting no time, the band took the stage to Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” which set an energetic, funk-focused groove for night one. Highlights in the first set include “Out of Order” into “Partyin’ Peeps,” along with Jake Cinninger’s keyboard cameo with Joel Cummins on “Deeper.” Set two brought fans “The Bottom Half,” featuring a lyrical stew by Brendan Bayliss that was followed by a cover of the classic “Rock The Casbah.” On night two, the band kicked things off with the aptly titled “Flamethrower” before segueing into a “Mulche’s Odyssey,” dominated by Cinninger on the fire and brimstone. The great saxophonist Joshua Redman joined the band for all of night two, set two, making this one a rare gem in the UM catalog. Monster song after monster song interspersed with high energy improv made this one of the band’s favorite sets of the year.

New Year’s Eve proper features a range of Umphrey’s tunes: look for massive improv vehicle “Ocean Billy,” prog-monster “Wizard Burial Ground,” and the debut of dance-anthem “Bad Friday,” which featured the return of Mad Dog’s Filthy Little Secret and Jeff Coffin. The horns resurfaced and joined the band for much of set two, including a “40’s Theme” , “Booth Love,” and the debut of the Phil Collins hit “Sussudio.” As the NYE run nears, the question always circles amongst fans, “What will the band play for the ball drop?” 2013’s “Hurt Bird Bath” did not disappoint as the energy mounted to a pinnacle at midnight . Keeping with tradition , midnight brought a heartfelt but rocking rendition of “Auld Lang Syne,” complete with confetti and fantastic balloon drop. Appropriately, “Hit It and Quit It” by Funakdelic was the first song played in 2014, all setting up for the grand finale encore, “Resolution.” Another fantastic New Years Run is in the books!