Umphrey’s McGee, photo by Brian Stollery
On Thursday, August 21, Umphrey’s McGee brought their Cruising Altitude Tour to Richmond, Va.’s The National. In the final lap of an incredible summer tour, the pioneering prog ensemble have continued to fearlessly pursue new creative avenues, resulting in a recent wealth of debut covers. The band sustained that momentum in their performance last night with their first treatment of a Billy Joel classic.
Umphrey’s McGee stormed the stage in Richmond with a segued sprint through the setlist staples “Walletsworth,” “The Linear” and “The Bottom Half.” The band took a beat before proceeding into “Nothing Too Fancy,” complete with its tried and true tease of Van Halen’s “Aint’ Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” then cut through “Kimble” on the way to a set closer of Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River,” an oddball choice remade in their singular sound for only the third time since its debut in April…