I must admit, going into the Umphrey’s McGee show at the Orpheum Friday night, I didn’t entirely get the hype. Sure, I knew jam band shows were fun and garnered a loyal following, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around the level of dedication the fans have.

They wore hats with pins signifying how many shows one has seen and homemade “Umph Love” stickers that were being passed out generously. Fans buzzed about what songs they had played recently and speculated about what we were about to experience. Everything felt different from just a normal show.

Surprisingly, the Umphrey’s super fans didn’t even have to wait for the band’s set to see them take the stage. After 35 minutes of their own set, opening band Dopapod announced they were bringing Umphrey’s onstage, a complete reversal of typical concert procedure.

Dopapod and Umphrey’s then went into an awesome rendition of Prince’s “1999.” Umphrey’s keyboardist, Joel Cummins, nailed the 80s vintage synth and the band accurately foretold the rest of the night with the chorus, “So tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1999.”

Umphrey’s then came out for their own set and opened it in amazing fashion. Starting it off with their own song “Educated Guess,” they then transitioned to “Example 1” from their 2000 release, One Fat Sucka. Without stopping, they went into a deep cut from the Beatles’ “Flying,” an unreleased instrumental track before going back to “Example 1.” Umphrey’s showed no signs of slowing down and continued their first set with widely varied jams.

A lot of the first set had a distinctively funky, danceable feel and the crowd loved it. The band has a power to change the sound and feel of their jams seemingly on a dime. Any given jam could go from funky to hard rock back to funky to aggressive to soaring, atmospheric guitars. Despite technically improvising, the band seems to know exactly where it wants to take the sound and the crowd.

Umphrey’s closed their first set with a cover not widely known that they haven’t played since 2012. Cummins was featured heavily on the key-heavy rendition of Chick Corea’s “Señor Mouse.”

After a half-hour break, the band returned to an amped-up crowd ready for more. The jams and general sound of the second set had a decidedly more punchy feel than the first. While there still remained a solid groovy, danceable aspect, there was definitely more of a hard rock feel.

Highlights of the second set include “Tribute to the Spinal Shaft” with a tease of The Meters’ “Cissy Strut” and a ridiculously good rendering of Iron Maiden’s “Trooper.” It was only the second time in 1,999 shows the band has played it.

Umphrey’s McGee to celebrate 2,000th show in Madison this weekend

If anyone has the authority to say how good or bad an Umphrey’s show was, it is Jefferson Waful, the band’s esteemed lighting director who has been with the band for almost five years and has seen hundreds and hundreds of shows.

The day after the show, Waful tweeted, “Last night’s #umphreys show was a rare instance of the band being locked in nearly 100% of the time. It was effortless to light. Pure bliss.”

Last night's #umphreys show was a rare instance of the band being locked in nearly 100% of the time. It was effortless to light. Pure bliss.

— Jefferson Waful (@jeffersonwaful) November 8, 2014

Umphrey’s succeeds at a feat that few others are capable of, playing a polished show without it feeling contrived. Having been together so long, the members are always on the same page, but everything is still put together on the spot and there is not one bit of sleekness lost to the spontaneity of the show.

Umphrey’s also succeeds in bringing together a crowd. Everyone in the room knew they were sharing a unique, once in a lifetime show. Strangers exchanged high fives and fist bumps that seemed to increase exponentially as the show went on.

I came into the show not completely understanding the ultra-loyal, cult-like following of Umphrey’s McGee, but when I lost myself in one of the numerous jams, I think it finally clicked. Not only are you watching six incredibly talented musicians put together music on the spot, you also know that it has never been played that exact way before and never will be again. And that’s pretty special.