By Schyler Sanks
Staff Writer

MADISON, Wis. -- Suppose you're baking a cake. Nothing too fancy, just your average chocolate cake. All of the ingredients must be correctly proportioned and mixed thoroughly. But if for any reason they aren't, the cake would be somewhat comparable to road kill. The initial attempt was there, but in the end, it smelled rancid and tasted just the same.

Jam-band Umphrey's McGee is considerably comparable to baking a cake. The individual members of the group alone are mere ingredients to a recipe. When stuck together and jumbled with a large wooden mixing spoon, they produce the sweetest cake batter you ever did taste. At the Alliant Energy Center on Thursday night, the group proved in concert.

This six-piece band from South Bend, Ind., has been transforming the face of jam-rock during the past decade. Beginning in 1997, the combo has come quite far since then. Their concoction of jazz, progressive rock, funk, heavy metal and intricate improvisation makes the band unique from other such acts.

On Thursday, Umphrey's McGee performed with STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) as their opening act. Sound Tribe, an instrumental outfit, pre-heated the crowd for Umphrey's. While their songs are all instrumentals, the musicians compensate for lack of lyrics with the production of highly energetic, electronic music. While they presented well, the crowd's anticipation was focused on Umphrey's.

As the headliner sauntered onstage, the crowd emptied their lungs in full wail. The shindig was kicked off with "Wappy Sprayberry," a jam that couldn't be beat. Jamming, in an Umphrey's McGee sense, is more than improvisation. It's the flow and vibe of the music that keeps it stable yet out of control. Flowing from one song into the other, the music is nearly non-stop -- from "Wappy Sprayberry" into "Der Bluten Kat" to "Alex's House" and back into "Der Bluten Kat" -- the music was endless.

The concert was ended with "Higgins," a reggae-esque rock jam, but the climax was "Der Bluten Kat." Undeniable energy and pulsing vibes were flowing through the crowd. After the few moments of musical enlightenment, the concert began to wind down slowly, and the band members walked off with no encore.

Umphrey's McGee did bake a cake, a rich cake (let's say flourless chocolate cake). The only problem with such a concoction is that one piece is good, the second is alright and thinking about a third makes your stomach turn.

Although the group's performance was the sweetest cake, the outcome is always different. This isn't bad, I suppose, but it seemed as if Umphrey's McGee wasn't interested in an encore or didn't want play any of their hit songs.

The band only played one set, and it was a $30 ticket. Usually a $20 show will get at least two, maybe even three sets.

Overall, Umphrey's McGee played a great show, but it wasn't the show to remember.