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Asbury Park & Umphrey's McGee: A City - and a Band - On the Rise
In the summer of 2002, Bruce Springsteen's CD release party for The Rising was a major media and musical event. The Rising was a response to the tragedy of 9/11 but the record was also about Asbury Park - the city on the New Jersey shore that had been in decay for decades.
 Jake Cinninger - on the rise in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The party started at night at the renowned Stone Pony and ended the next morning with Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band playing a set at Convention Hall that was aired live and on location by the Today Show. Thousands of people converged on the city for that event that underscored Springsteen's commitment to his adopted hometown which helped launch his legendary music career. For years, Bruce has been an advocate for Asbury Park encouraging fans to come explore the shops and shores of the one-time resort mecca. Springsteen and many local supporters have been steadily building Asbury Park back up to her former glory days and in 2010 it seems that effort is paying off mightily.
 Scenes from the boardwalk and Cookman Avenue region of the city on the rise! Umphrey's McGee (UM) is not a Main Street band. Their compositions are lengthy and complex and not necessarily geared towards radio play. Yet, they have grown a fervent fan base and are well respected in the jam band community. Umphrey's McGee has been on the rise since their inception in 1997 and they have appeared at many prestigious festivals including Bonnaroo and Gathering of the Vibes. Since we were going to see Umphrey's McGee perform at the Stone Pony's Summer Stage we decided to head down early to see the progress of Asbury Park. As fans of Springsteen and the city's ongoing redevelopment we have been watching AP's headway for years and are happy to report it is on the rise.
 Brendan Bayliss - on the rise in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Parking in front of the Shoppes at the Arcade we perused antiques with a stop at Flying Saucers - a retro kitchenware and collectibles store with Judy Feinstein at the helm. Feinstein was friendly and upbeat about the advancement of Asbury Park despite the nation's continuing economic woes. "The restaurants are fantastic and it's becoming a family and a couples place again," enthused Judy. She also reported that Bruce and Patti have shopped in her store and had only accolades about the couple's work in the community.
 Great shops, the Stone Pony and "first night" are now major attractions in A.P. Judy also advised us that every first Saturday of the month the town hosts a theme night in which the cafes and stores stay open late and people linger on the closed to traffic thoroughfare. In addition to these regular "first nights" Asbury Park will also be holding a two-day Oysterfest on September 11th and 12th, 2010. Walking further down on Cookman Avenue, we wandered into Words - a book store with new and gently read books ideal for the beach. Scott Asalone was the outgoing owner with positive comments about the city. Scott is also a management/leadership consultant and author whose self-published book "Pathways To Greatness" was on sale. We could not resist the title and picked it up.
 Ryan Stasik - on the rise in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Suzi Kandel of Allan and Suzi (Home of Retro Fashion) was a familiar face who has been on Cookman since the early days of its redevelopment. Suzi emphasized the creative element of the city commenting that young people are drawn in by the creativity of Asbury Park. Suzi also shared a Springsteen story. Recently she acquired a denim jacket with a rendition of Springsteen's first album, Greetings From Asbury Park hand-painted on its back. Seeing him on the street one day Suzi asked Springsteen to sign it - which he graciously did. The jacket is currently in her shop on Amsterdam Avenue in New York and Suzi promised The Boss she would donate half of the proceeds to one of his favorite charities. Next we walked the boardwalk which was brimming with beach goers, food, music and shops. A number of stores on Cookman such as ShelterHome (housewares) and Ralph's Famous Italian Ices have satellite outposts on the shoreline also. We had dinner outside at Siculiana's Italian Bread & Pizza serenaded by a soundtrack of Springsteen songs. "There were twelve people inside the first time we played here (The Stone Pony)," commented Umphrey's McGee during their second set. "Out here with all you people means a lot".
 More scenes from the boardwalk and Cookman Avenue region of the city on the rise! Yes, UM has come a long way from a dozen in the Pony to the steady stream of thousands of fans dancing and digging the music on Saturday, August 7, 2010. Umphrey's McGee opened with "Sociable Jimmy > Walletsworth" with its chunky chord progressions melding into more concise tones before heading back to dense rhythms and a meandering dreamy sequence. UM was all about transitions. Their compositions moved through many speeds and styles with constant changes flowing freely as one track bled into another. Intricate interactions and intensity were also part of the live experience. In our case, we were up against the stage in front of a line of sub woofers so the rhythms were a rush of variety and vibrations. The dueling guitars and keys ran the gamut from graceful to galloping.
 Joel Cummins, Andy Farag and Kris Myers - on the rise in Asbury Park, New Jersey. "Thank you, what a beautiful day, love you guys... what a great place to play music," stated Umphrey's McGee before performing "Eat > Nemo > Eat" that melded moments of metal with melody and lyrics for fans to sing along to. Since the band was playing the tri-state area they paid tribute to New Yorker Billy Joel and Springsteen. UM's rendition of "The Stranger" stayed within the main structure of the song with some additional jamming. It melted into a moody instrumental version of Bruce's "I'm On Fire" that segued into some intense instrumental interplay with talk sing vocals for the fans to join in on. After a short break, UM returned with "Dump City". Beguiling bass lines propelled the piece that had elements of jazz as the keys floated to the top of the mix to meander through more meters and moods.
 The Asbury Park beach and boardwalk were teeming with visitors on Saturday, August 7, 2010. The music was mesmerizing and the use of fog and lights added to that effect. The sets were a sonic and sensory overload. Umphrey's danceable grooves and dynamic digressions included another cover - this time The Who's "Eminence Front" - that gushed into "The Linear" and "Kimble". For a different perspective we observed the encore from the boardwalk. Even late at night Asbury Park was still bustling and UM could clearly be heard as they brought their animated concert to a close. We observed many visitors who may not have been the band's target demographic taking in and enjoying the unique sounds of the progressive jam rockers from Chicago. After a long day at the shore town and its famous beach-front nightclub - two things became clear. Both Asbury Park and Umphrey's McGee are on the rise!
Umphrey's McGee - Stone Pony Setlist:
Umphrey's McGee
 Asbury Park, New Jersey has once again found its own path to greatness built on sun and fun! Related Links: For more information on UMPHREY'S MCGEE and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- Umphreys.com | AsburyParkChamber.com | StonePonyOnline.com
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