On Friday July 17, The Stone Pony Summer Stage was packed and ready for the funk driven 75 minute set from Lettuce to begin the night ahead of Umphrey’s McGee. Chicago’s finest took the stage just after 8 p.m. opening their 2-hour set with “Le Blitz” followed by “Educated Guess.” The crowd was energized and showed their appreciation with the band’s signature two hand rock signs raised high. Outside and along the venue, fans were standing in the back of pick-up trucks trying to catch a glimpse of the show while others without tickets scattered blankets in the grass nearby.
There’s nothing like a gorgeous night at the Jersey Shore, walking along the boardwalk, hearing the waves crash gently against the beach. One of the true icons of the Garden State, the famous wooden planked avenue is a place where children play and couples walk hand in hand, sneaking a kiss as they take in all that Asbury Park and its rich history has to offer. What was once a booming boardwalk complete with a casino, The Palace Amusement Rides, The Convention Hall and the renowned Tillie, still serves as home to the famous music venue The Stone Pony which has given rise to many local musicians, most notably Bruce Springsteen. While just a whisper remains of what Asbury Park once was to New Jersey, remarkably, The Stony Pony has remained while expanding their repertoire of musical acts and creating an outdoor Summer Stage to bring some energy and enjoyment back to a once sought after New Jersey beach destination.
On this gentle evening, Umphrey’s brought out the hard jams with “Push the Pig,” “Dump City” and “Mulche’s Odyssey.” Another jam filled selection entitled “Conduit” had a slight twist to it which was greeted delightfully by an appreciative audience as the band added a small cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls On Parade” before transitioning back to the song. This was not the only cover of the evening either with Ween’s “The Grobe” making an appearance as well as a lengthy four song encore which began with the iconic guitar riff and impeccable performance of Led Zeppelin’s, “The Song Remains the Same.”
Setlist: Le Blitz. Educated Guess, Deeper > Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Final Word > Push the Pig, Eat, Similar Skin, The Grobe, Conduit > Dump City, Mulche’s Odyssey
Encore: The Song Remains the Same, Ocean Billy > The Triple Wide > Ocean Billy
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