In anticipation of the Umphreys McGee show on August 7th at Waterfront Park, Keyboardist Joel Cummins looks back at their first ever show in Burlington at Battery Park in 1999. Needless to say, theyve come a long way since then, and we couldnt be more excited to be hosting them 15 years later! Back in the summer of 1999, Umphreys McGee embarked on our first real tour. Gas was less than $1 a gallon and in general, things were simpler with just 7 of us on the road together flying by the seat of our pants throughout the Eastern US. Our friend from college, Sean Cain, lived in Burlington and offered to set up a rental of Battery Park ($25 for residents at the time) so we could play a free outdoor show and hopefully make an impression in Burlington. Why did we choose Battery Park over other venues? Oh, right, there were no other options - its hard to get a gig with no track record! As we set up in the afternoon, we received an unsolicited vocal audition for the bands lead singer position that left an indelible memory for all of us. This rather unique looking dude - multiple piercings, shaved head & plenty of tattoos - did his audition from the front of the stage. He left us with memorable lyrical gems such as A rose in bloom is a thorn in disguise…..Welcome to Hell! Welcome to Hell! that were presented in a sort of spoken word / scream technique. After a minute or so he proceeded to lose consciousness and fall to the ground. We then watched as his friends picked him up and removed him from the park. Needless to say, he didnt get the gig and Brendans vocalist duties remained safe that day. At Battery Park in 1999 we performed for about 50 people and sold 2 or 3 CDs to help cover the cost of the rental. Here we are 15 years later now performing outdoors in Burlington for just the 2nd time. In between weve done countless shows indoors at the wonderful local music venue Higher Ground and for every show it seems our love for Burlington has grown. And while it wont be a free show at Battery Park this year, I can assure you that 15 years later, the outdoor Umphreys McGee show on the beautiful lakefront at Maritime Festival will be well worth the wait. Tickets for the show: lcmfestival.frontgatetickets/choose.php?a=1&lid=93309&eid=104347
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 20:00:38 +0000
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