Umphrey’s McGee Stew Art Series

Umphrey’s McGee has taken fan interaction to the next level with its Stew Art Series. While some bands offer fans the chance to vote on the lineup prior to special audience request shows, this series gives the crowd the opportunity to direct the band’s jam session moments before the progressive rock band does its thing on stage.

The Stew Art Series events are very exclusive affairs, limited to just 50 fans. The hour-long events, which obviously sell out very quickly, take place in the early evening before already scheduled shows. Tickets are sold separately to both the Stew Art Series events and the more traditional shows.

Here’s how the series works: The 50 fans text “descriptive words, phrases, and pop culture references (pretty much whatever [comes] to mind), to the Umphrey’s Mozes mobile interface. The suggestions are then filtered by the band’s long time Sound Caresser Kevin Browning and projected on a screen for the band to digest and turn into the next phase of the jam.”

Examples of fans’ text messages and subsequent jam inspirations include phrases such as “an afternoon bus ride in Jamaica” and “drinking piña coladas…in a hurricane.”

Photo: Jeff Ufberg

House of Blues, New Orleans.

Umphrey’s McGee keyboardist Joel Cummins says he likes how the series keeps the band on its toes.

“The S2 experiment is just that, an experiment. The improvisational elements of our show have always been one of our favorite parts about playing together – and we think the audience feels that way, too. That’s our inspiration for the S2 series. It’s also a great way to stay on top of our chops.”

The series includes a Q&A session with the band in addition to two neat souvenirs – the ticket is actually a custom laminate and each fan goes home with an autographed CD of the Stew Art Series they just attended.

The next sold out Stew Art Series event takes place Nov. 21 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Umphrey’s McGee plays a two-night stand at the venue Nov. 20-21.

Previous Stew Art Series events have taken place at Milwaukee’s Eagles Ballroom (Oct. 3), the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Ore. (Oct. 24) and the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington, Vt. (Nov. 13).

A fan who attended the Milwaukee show called the experience “the coolest thing I have ever been a part of. It’s always been a dream of mine to meet the band, and the opportunity to participate in leading the Jam for the band was a dream come true as well.”

Umphrey’s McGee is currently touring the U.S. with shows lined up in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. In December the band heads for Jamaica to take part in the “Caribbean Holidaze,” followed by three shows in Chicago. In March the guys perform March 21-23 in “Jam in The Dam” in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Click here for Umphrey’s McGee’s website.