The sound of two guitars locked in a dogfight, ducking and weaving, two helix-tails of smoke wrapping round the stage. The methodical finger-walk of an organ prods the pair forward, as a hippopotamus backbeat slinks from a five-string bass. But parachuted pilots aren’t ejecting all over the place. Turns out, this isn’t a breakneck air show, or bestial snapshots taken at a three-ring circus. It’s just jam-scene legends Umphrey’s McGee at it again.

With their latest release, Live at the Murat, Umphrey’s has successfully captured the chaos of their live aesthetic. Recorded over two nights in Indianapolis, the tomfoolery herein threatens to climb through the headphones and slap you about. Loaded with genre-bending goodness, Umphrey’s blazes through staples like “In the Kitchen” and “Higgins,” even breaking out fan-favorite “Pass the Pig.” Those who aren’t believers when the album kick starts will be by the time it purrs to a stop.

“That’s what’s cool we can do a lot of different things in a fairly short amount of time. Depending on what were in the mood for, we’ll do a prog-rock show, or a dance number like ?Miss Tinkle’s Overture,’ sometimes an acoustic. All kinds of different genres pop up at different times,” said organ player Joel Cummins “Depending on the show, our music can be all of those things.”

But if this record marks Umphrey’s McGee’s coming-out party, then the pre-game’s been a sight to behold. Take their late-night set at the 10,000 Lakes Music Festival this summer?surrounded by the crystal-clear Detroit Lakes, billowy layers of fog unrolled in the craggy mountain valley. Strangling their instruments through a show comprised of piecemeal jams and vague-idea chord changes, Umphrey’s did what they do best: improvise. A rainstorm of glowsticks floated through the night sky, arcing upward then succumbing to gravity?a grassroots laser-light show.

“I absolutely cannot describe it. It was like a neon light opera in the clouds for two and a half hours,” claims Corey Harbison of Brentwood, who attended the set. “Umphrey’s owned 10,000 Lakes.”

Sadly, the members of Umphrey’s Mcgee can’t always just hit the stage and wing it. There’s some method to the madness, sometimes. Many fans mistake Umphrey’s jams for structured songs, neglecting the reality: they’re a combination of both. Improvisational parts function as an ever-evolving math problem where one bass plus one drum-set plus two guitars plus an organ doesn’t always equal five.

“If they [the fans] are listening, then we go on a journey together,” explains bassist Ryan Stasik. “We take a lot of risks, do a lot of improv, so the audience generally doesn’t know what’s going on, sometimes we don’t know what’s going on. But whatever’s going on, we’re together.”

As carefree as this sounds, the jams can develop in three specific ways.

“One: We’ll leave it open, just say whatever happens is going to happen. Then we’ll throw keys back and forth to each other during the set,” Cummins explains, referring to the array of hand-signals the band uses during jams to initiate chord changes. From a toothy smile to a tug on an earlobe, each arbitrary gesture marks a significant musical shift.

“Second: we talk backstage about a general idea, maybe a change of keys with a vague outline, and go from there. Or third: sometimes, we write composed sections then use them as springboards for sessions onstage. If these hold up, maybe they get recorded, and turn into something like ?In the Kitchen.’”

Umphrey’s spends more than 123 days out of any given year playing live shows. One calendar day out of every three is partitioned off for the fans. Notorious for spending time with their followers before and after shows, it’s why Umphrey’s McGee tours as the most humble group in the business.

“The whole excitement of playing in front of receiving fans, our fans, that’s Umphrey’s McGee. For me, it’s the mix of shows that makes it so enjoyable,” Cummins brushstrokes the group’s dynamic. “Every day I’m onstage, I think how lucky we are to be there.”

But go see the Circus for yourselves. The hippos and hipsters and wookies and umphreaks all come out of the woodwork Friday, Nov. 16, when Umphrey’s McGee heats up City Hall in Nashville.