Umphrey’s McGee Set ‘Blueprints’ Album Premiere at Garcia’s Chicago

Umphrey’s McGee, photo by Brian Stollery

Umphrey’s McGee have announced a premiere event for Blueprints, the genre-bending jam quintet’s 15th studio album and first since 2022’s Asking for a Friend. Umphrey’s McGee’s release show is set for Monday, Sept. 8, just before the record’s release on Sept. 12, at Garcia’s Chicago, the intimate and acoustically refined new venue, restaurant and jam haven in the heart of the band’s Windy City stomping grounds.

The Blueprints unveiling will begin with a full listening session of the highly anticipated new album on the venue’s innovative Meyer Sound speaker array, coupled with special Umphrey’s McGee-themed cocktails and a gourmet menu of Garcia’s “Spain meets San Francisco” cuisine. After the debut, the band will perform an intimate live performance, then lead a Q&A session of fan-submitted questions on the complex process behind the album’s production. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase a Garcia’s-exclusive vinyl variant, with signing opportunities from the band at the stat of the evening.

Blueprints was guided by Umphrey’s McGee’s time-honored commitments to shapeshifting live composition and community feedback, assembling a new collection of originals entirely from stitched-together onstage inspiration. All six of the expansive entries on the album were debuted at the band’s annual UMBowl events, where they divide their stage time into quarters and embrace their wildest musical instincts. The tracks can be traced specifically to the recurring “Raw Stewage” section, which invites fans to vote on their favorite next-level jams that veered into wholly original creations–affectionately termed “Jimmy Stewarts”–to be cut down and recombined to form new songs. These composite cuts were recorded during the Top Note Sessions in December 2024, set on the fourth floor of Chicago’s Metro.

Tickets for Umphrey’s McGee’s Blueprints premiere event will go on sale this Friday, Aug. 8, at 10 a.m. CT. After the special staging, the band will stage two fall mini-residencies in Indianapolis and Brooklyn. Find tickets and more information on the band’s full live itinerary here.