Umphrey’s McGee has teamed up with Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism organization, for a sweet, sunny ode to their hometown, called “Chicago.” Umphrey’s will perform the song, which also features fellow locals Buddy Guy and Chicago, at tonight’s sold-out HUG Chicago 2012 ‘thank you’ concert. HUG Chicago 2012 is the first-ever hospitality industry effort dedicated to the beautification and protection of Chicago’s structural assets visible to and accessed by visitors. Produced by Choose Chicago, the organization launched by Mayor Rahm Emanuel with the goal of attracting 50 million visitors per year by 2020, HUG Chicago 2012 is the city’s official kick-off to National Tourism Week.
The song, bolstered by Guy’s howling licks and Chicago’s legendary horns, is an ode to all things Chicago with singer/guitarist Brendan Bayliss declaring to prospective visitors, “Every corner holds a new surprise, this city shines/ There’s no limit to how high with no comparison, don’t try/ Always a smile so come see why.”
Listen to “Chicago” on USA Today Online here: http://usat.ly/JIhnNE
“We love the city of Chicago and all of our amazing fans here, so this was a complete no-brainer for us,” Bayliss said. “For a city that’s given us so much over the years, writing this song felt like something that was meant to happen, and we hope it will help others recognize everything that Chicago has to offer.”
Following HUG Chicago 2012, Umphrey’s, “the “most innovative improvising rock group” (Relix), will continue to wow Chicagoans at UMBowl III, their interactive tech event that was just profiled on Mashable, Hypebot, and in the Chicago Tribune. The sextet will then embark on a summer tour that includes top billing at the inaugural Catalpa NYC Music Festival, alongside The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, and TV On The Radio. They will also perform at Bonnaroo, return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado for a co-headlining date with Railroad Earth, and hold their first-ever sUMmer school in Big Indian, NY, August 6-10. Umphrey’s recently released their sixth studio album ‘Death By Stereo’ on ATO Records.
HUG Chicago 2012 and Choose Chicago Details:
HUG Chicago 2012 is the kickoff to National Tourism Week hosted by Choose Chicago. Mayor Emanuel launched Choose Chicago, a new tourism organization for the city of Chicago, with the goal of attracting 50 million visitors per year by 2020 resulting in nearly $4 billion a year in additional annual revenues for Chicago’s economy. Choose Chicago will promote Chicago as a leading global destination and will ensure that while in Chicago, visitors enjoy the city’s vibrant cultural offerings, numerous attractions, and diverse neighborhoods to the fullest extent. The economic benefits of a healthy tourism industry are vast, including job creation, improved retail, restaurant, cultural attraction and hotel commerce – all contributing to increased tax revenue, according to Welsh. At the current rate of 40 million visitors annually, Chicago’s visitor industry supports 124,000 jobs, $11.1 billion in direct spending and $616 million in tax revenues.
