Umphreekend!

::This is the attempt at a recounting of the days dated March 12-14, 2009, in which I, and others, saw Umphrey's McGee 3 times at Royal Oak Music Theatre, and two nights at the Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis::

Now with two full UM weekends under my belt, I would have to say that there is no way in hell that anything can top it. This past weekend, Claudio and I drove from Okemos to Rochester to Royal Oak to Rochester then to Okemos then to Bloomington then to Indianapolis then to Bloomington then to Indianapolis then to Okemos. A lot of back tracking (my arch nemesis)! It would be almost impossible to recount this entire weekend by going straight through it. So I will split it up into categories: Music, drugs, road trip, friends.

Road Trip: The traveling to and from Indiana was about 18 hours total. This included the driving to and from Indianapolis from Bloomington twice (an hour and half drive). Thankfully, the ride down to Indiana was easy-peasy (lemon-squeezy) due to the rockin' UM tunes and the copious amounts of pot. Since Scott and I had to work on Sunday morning, after the show on Saturday night, we left right from the venue and accidentally stayed on the wrong highway for too long and ended up adding an extra 30-45 minutes. Boo that.

Friends: Along this journey, there were many friends. Besides me and my P.I.C.S.V.G, we met up with Jessie Francis, Pat O'Brien, and their friend Sarah at the Royal Oak show. It was sweet! It was the first UM show for all three of them. Frankly, they got a damn good show. For the next nights of rockin', JCottonmouth was hanging and tripping with us all day and night. It is always Glory-ous to see him. Jessy and Zach were also at the Murat shows, but we were not with them very much.

Drugs: As previously mentioned, Claudio and I picked up quite the large amount of [ommitted]. It was the perfect amount to keep us comfortably smizzing all weekend, including the end of the road trip. At the Royal Oak show, I did have a few beers and smizzed a couple bizzes, but was pretty much sober by the end of the first set. But on SATURDAY, Claudio, JC, and I decided to slip into another dimesnsion and eat some fungi. After THAT amazing experience, we asked ourselves the very important question...Do you want to do it again the next day? And we said yes. So as far as drugs stood, the weekend was a blur.

Music: This is the most important part of the weekend. The other things did make the weekend better, but the shows were off the chain!

a.) Royal Oak Music Theatre: We got to hear a couple of the Mantis tracks the first night, but nothing out of this world. Made to Measure did have a kind of jammed ending. The 2x2 is super extended and fleshed out and the Phil's Farm is banging, definitely highlights. And finally, my first Utopian Fir! It took 25 shows for me to see one of my favorite tracks. Rock!

b.) Murat Egyptian Room (1st Night): Opening with a strong Mantis track like Spires was a good idea and then they kept up the energy. The covers at this show were crazy awesome. They played Wings' Let 'Em In and a Thriller / Another Brick in the Wall mash-up. Killer stuff! I think my favorite part of this show was the Cemetery Walk II that went on for nearly 13 minutes. I could only describe what I was seeing as "light and sound being splashed around on stage." I really hope they play 2nd Self!

c.) Murat Egyptian Room (2nd Night): Hurt Bird Bath as an opening song was the coolest fucking thing ever. The lights were on point, the jams were tight and loose at the same time (somehow), and it all came together perfectly. During one of their jams, Nick Blasky came out on stage and conducted UM's jam. He would cut instruments, quicken the tempo, or even change the music style completely. It was hilarious! There is a tie for my two favorite songs of the night: 1348 and The Floor. Both of these songs really allowed me to let my long hair fly.

So I guess I am done rambling and bragging about my awesome weekend. I hope every is having a happy St. Patty's Day.

GOERG out.

PS: I am at 46 movies! So close!