The 2023 Summer Camp Music Festival lineup has been announced, including traditional sets from both host bands moe. and Umphrey’s McGee, taking place May 26-28 in Chillicothe, IL.
The Summer Camp Music Festival first took place in 2001 to about 1,000 patrons with over 15 bands on two stages during the two-day event at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL. Now, the event is celebrating its 22nd anniversary, typically attracting around 20,000 visitors, of which between 8,000 and 10,000 arrive before the gates open. The festivities take place across Memorial Day Weekend and multiple stages with different genres. On top of all the live music, festival-goers have access to on-site camping, late-night shows, musician workshops, a non-profit village, unique arts & craft vendors and tons of great food and beer.
The current lineup includes Umphrey’s McGee, moe., Willie Nelson & Family, Vulfpeck, Mastodon, Boogie T, Badflower, Keller Williams Trio ft. Tye North & Dave, Watts, Andy Frasco & The U.N., SunSquabi, The Funk Hunters, Buku, Sierra Hull, Maggie Rose, Jennifer Hartswick Band, Bella White, Circles Around The Sun, and Balkan Bump.
moe. cohosts with Umphrey’s McGee.
Other artists scheduled to play include Aqueous, DOGMA, Eggy, Joe Samba, K+ Lab, Leah Marlene, Oh He Dead, Perpetual Groove, Roots Of Creation, Southern Avenue, The Sponges, Super Future, In Alphabetical Order, Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes, Cody Lee’s Last Detail, G-Nome Project, Old Shoe, Organ Fairchild, Jack Cloonan, LITZ, Manthom Phenace, Modern Drugs, Squeaky Feet, Still Shine, and Zentik.
A variety of ticketing options are on sale now, including 3-Day GA Passes, Sunday 1-Day GA & VIP, Volunteer Deposits, Thursday Pre-Party Passes, VIP Upgrades, & RV / Car Camping Spots. For more information visit here.
The Umphrey’s McGee UM 25th anniversary tour will continue into the Northeast this summer, with five shows slated across Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York.
Umphrey’s McGee will make their debut at Great Cedar Showroom at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and make return visits to Hampton Beach, New Hampshire; Hyannis, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and Buffalo at Town Ballroom.
With the exception of one show to be added on July 2nd, there will be no additional UM dates until mid-August so make plans now.
Pre-sale will begin Wednesday, February 22, at 10:00 am ET; public on-sale will begin this Friday, February 24, at 10:00 am ET.
Tickets for UM 25 shows and more are available here.
The band’s latest single, “Staircase,” is out now, with a Dolby Atmos mix of “Staircase” available on Apple Music, iTunes, & Tidal.
“Welcome to Hell” shouted Ryan Stasik from the stage as fans marched into Garcia’s directly following the Umphrey’s McGee show on Saturday, January 21st in Port Chester. It was a big night for the bass player. Not only was he celebrating UM’s 25th birthday, he was also throwing the official Death Kings after-party under the moniker ‘Bassik Stasik Presents.’
Ripping into original songs as well as classic 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s punk rock staples, the band obliterated the late-night crowd with an old school no-holds barred throwdown. Featuring guest sit-ins from members of the Trey Anastasio Band and Lespecial, the packed-out pub at Garcia’s was given the royal treatment.
Making a rare appearance, the punk/metal anti-hero trio Death Kings formed during the pandemic to pay homage to all things heavy. Comprised of Ryan “Little King” Stasik, Mike “Muerto” Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar/vocals and ex-Turkuaz drummer Mikey “OX” Carubba, the band debuted early last year and have only played a handful of live shows since, making each time out a special “can’t miss” occasion. Notable by his absence, for this show Carubba was replaced on drums by Jonathan Peace. While it remains unclear if the band will have a revolving cast of characters, what we do know is that every Death Kings performance is unique.
Opening the gig with special guest Jennifer Hartswick on vocals, the band launched into one of their signature tracks and the theme of the evening, “Welcome to Hell.” Hartswick, who had also lent her musical talents to Umphrey’s McGee earlier in the evening, was a pure badass in the role, shouting out lyrics like:
I can’t wait for my turn To ride the rails and send it down below Welcome to Hell Oh my God, it’s been a long time running Ain’t no use when the blood starts coming Feels so good to burn
Lyrics from “Welcome to Hell” by Death Kings
After reveling in the moment and exchanging hugs, Death Kings would continue with another original song “Fight!” before turning back the clock for our first punk cover of the evening, “Cyco Vision” by the legendary Suicidal Tendencies. Perhaps in a nod to an earlier Stasik/Gantzer collaboration dubbed Dookie, a pair of Green Day songs were chosen next. First was “Longview” which had everyone singing along, then despite the shows “Hell” theme, Death Kings flowed directly into “Welcome to Paradise.”
With the whole room feeling the vibe, it was time for another original banger in “March of the Kings.” From punk to metal, everyone was getting down to the cover of System of a Down’s smash hit “Aerials,” which more people seemed familiar with than the next cover choice, Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta” which fit into the “hell” theme nicely.
I’m not sick but I’m not well And I’m so hot ’cause I’m in Hell I’m not sick but I’m not well And it’s a sin to live this well
Flagpole Sitta Lyrics
Death Kings would channel some Cobain angst next with a sped up rendition of Nirvana’s “Breed,” before throwing it back to one of the original punk rock anthems “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Iggy Pop and The Stooges.
With the party now hitting a new level of rowdiness, the Kings called upon another special guest, Luke Bemand, bass player of Lespecial, to help out on vocals for the Camp Kill Yourself skate anthem “96 Quite Bitter Beings.” Popping off his shirt to throw on the now infamous “Hot Joel” tee, Bemand and the boys had quite the chuckle over the false start of the CKY song. On the second attempt, the Kings got it right and were clearly having a ball sharing the stage together.
While the after party at Garcia’s was scheduled to start at 11:45pm, when the Umphrey’s McGee show in the next room over ran well past midnight, things on the setlist had to be condensed. The band would joke, “25 years of Umphrey’s, 25 minutes of Death Kings.” With the curfew rapidly approaching, the band couldn’t call it a night without paying homage to one of punk’s original misfits, Glen Danzing, opting to cover the 1988 song “Twist of Cain.” With time for just once more, Death Kings let it all hang out on the final song of the night, the DK penned original “Disembodied,”which featured a huge guitar solo from Ganzter and Pony playing the bass behind his head. Check out fan shot footage of that song below.
A loud, sweaty, high-octane performance that was so much fun that even the devil himself would have got in the pit. With no upcoming Death Kings shows to speak of, those who were lucky enough to score a ticket to this sold-out night in Hell walked away from it feeling most grateful. It was still Garcia’s after all.
Setlist: Death Kings | Garcia’s | Port Chester, NY | 1/21/23
Setlist: Welcome to Hell [1], Fight, Cyco Vision (Suicidal Tendencies), Longview (Green Day), Welcome to Paradise (Green Day), March of the Kings, Aerials (System of a Down), Flagpole Sitta (Harvey Danger), Breed (Nirvana), I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges), 96 Quite Bitter Beings (CKY) [2], Twist of Cain (Danzig), Disembodied
[1] w/ Jennifer Hartswick [2] w/ Luke Bemand of Lespecial
Where does the time go? A lot can happen over the course of 25 years, but for a rock band, sticking together that long isn’t typically one of them. From the beginning, however, Umphrey’s McGee has never been a typical band.
Often considered “too heavy for the hippies,” or “too jammy for the metal heads,” UM has emphatically made a career out of bridging those two musical scenes together; a theme that would unveil itself throughout the final night of their silver anniversary run through New York. Playing their 2,644th show on January 21, 2023 at the Capitol Theatre, exactly 25 years after their first known performance, appreciative fans from all over the country made their way to “the original rock palace” to commemorate this milestone birthday bash.
Consisting of Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinniger on guitars, Ryan Stasik on bass, percussionist Andy Farag and drummer Kris Myers, improv-heavy prog rockers Umphrey’s McGee have come a long way since forming as students at the University of Notre Dame and the road to this historic night at the Cap hasn’t always been an easy one. Sticking together through untold sacrifice, overcoming tragedy and navigating through an ever-changing musical landscape, Umphrey’s McGee has remained one of the most colorful, innovative, and hardest working live acts in the business for a quarter century now.
After kicking off their birthday weekend with an intimate sold-out show in Williamsburg and then wow’ing The Cap crowd on night one in Port Chester with a plethora of heavy fan favorites like “Front Porch”, “JaJunk” “Higgins,” and an acoustic debut cover of “Helplessly Hoping” in memory of the late David Crosby, when the band members took the stage on Saturday night, you could just feel that something special was about to go down.
Starting the party with a bang, “Bridgeless” had the hyped crowd with their ‘horns up’ and dancing shoes on from the get-go. The band would leave the song unfinished and throw fans their first surprise of the night, shifting gears into “13 Days,” a song which had not been played since before the Covid-19 pandemic. From something old to something new, up next was a song dedicated to UM crew member Rachel who is moving on after sixteen years with band. “Escape Goat,” from the band’s most recent album Asking for a Friend would stretch out for nearly 19 minutes. Revisiting their roots some more, “White Man’s Moccasins” followed suit before Umphrey’s McGee jammed even longer on another new song, the tongue-in-cheek titled “Unevolved.” Played for only the second time since debuting last November, this version clocked in at well over 20 minutes and sent fans to intermission with plenty to smile about and discuss.
Prior to the start of Set Two, Capitol Theatre owner Peter Shapiro would lead the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” while presenting the band with a cake. In return Umphrey’s McGee then launched into an equally ‘sweet’ rendition of “Wappy Sprayberry” to get things going strong. ”Pure Saturation” came next and provided lighting director Ben Factor a prime opportunity to dazzle the audience with his impressive skills and tasteful color palettes. Following it up with another surprise was “Dear Lord.” An emotional nod to the bands earliest days, the rarely played song was first performed back in January of 1998. Another deep cut was next in the form of “The Other Side of Things,” which has only been play five times this century!
Jake Cinniger would join in on percussion with Andy Farag in a duel with drummer Kris Myers before bassist (and best T-Shirt of the night winner) Ryan Stasik would take over with his distinct riffage of the heavy hitting “Puppet String.” Another tip of the cap to the band’s early history was up next with the UM classic “Divisions” which was also played at their very first show.
Umphrey’s would then unplug for some candid banter as Brendan Bayliss took an opportunity to give proper shout-outs to his bandmates, the crew and the fans for making the last 25 years possible. Claiming he didn’t prepare a speech, so if he was speaking from the heart, it would have probably come out sounding offensive. “And if I did offend you,” Bayliss hypothetically joked, “go fuck yourself.” He then invited out special guest and frequent collaborator Jenifer Hartswick for an acoustic anything-but ‘Hartliss’ rendition of the rarely played “Bullhead City.”
Hartswick would stick around and play trumpet on yet another bust-out, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” an instrumental which has only been played 11 times ever. As if that wasn’t special enough, the roof would nearly come off the place next when Hartswick lead the entire theatre in a cathartic sing-along of the Queen and David Bowie’s classic “Under Pressure,” fading out of the set with everyone snapping their fingers in unison. A very neat moment to be a part of.
Now past the witching hour, Umphrey’s McGee returned to the stage one last time, soaking in the cheers with huge smiles before keyboardist Joel Cummins would lead fans into the “Den.” Finally the show would come to it’s high-octane conclusion the same way it began, returning to “Bridgeless” to complete one hell of a celebratory jam-sandwich. Genuinely thanking everyone for “letting them do what they do” for the last 25 years, Bayliss would confirm they’ll “keep doing it as long as you keep coming out.” The band then convened in the middle of stage for a group hug and bow, which received a well-deserved standing and sustained ovation.
Tying the bow on an epic birthday run through New York, Umphrey’s McGee honored their past with a carefully mapped out, career spanning setlist while simultaneously showcasing a glimpse of the greatness yet to come. Combined with an unmatched dedication to their fans and their craft, an astonishing improvisational and technical ability, and a mesmerizing light show, the future for this timeless band is looking bigger and brighter than ever. With the UMXXV Tour officially off and rolling and a number of major festival dates already announced for later this summer, the Umphrey’s McGee train shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | 1/20/2023 | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY
SetOne: Small Strides, Conduit > Day Nurse[1], FF-> Mail Package[2], It’s Not Your Fault > JaJunk[3] SetTwo: Front Porch > Resolution > Front Porch, The Linear > 2nd Self, Higgins Encore: Helplessly Hoping[4], The Weight Around[5] > The Floor: [1] with Workin’ Day and Night (Michael Jackson) teases [2] with Miss Tinkle’s Overture tease [3] with Top Gun Anthem (Harold Faltermeyer) tease [4] debut, Crosby, Stills, & Nash; just Brendan and Jake on acoustics and vocals, along with Joel on vocals [5] with Brendan on acoustic
Helplessly Hoping played in remembrance of David Crosby, with “Closing Time” (Semisonic) quote from Brendan just before
Setlist: Umphrey’s McGee | 1/21/2023 | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY
Set 1: Bridgeless > 13 Days, Escape Goat-> White Man’s Moccasins > Unevolved
Set 2: Wappy Sprayberry > Pure Saturation > Dear Lord > The Other Side of Things > Drums[1], Puppet String, Jam[2] > Divisions, Bullhead City[3], 1000 Places to See Before You Die[4], Under Pressure[5]
Encore: Den > Bridgeless
Footnotes: [1] with Jake on percussion [2] just Jake [3] with Jennifer Hartswick on vocals, and Brendan and Jake on acoustics [4] with Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet [5] with Jennifer Hartswick on vocals Show Notes: Before set two, venue owner Pete Shapiro and radio personality Gary Dell’Abate presented the band with a cake and led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” for the band
