Toss up between 15 and 16, but I’m leaning towards 16 myself
I would also throw in 6-26-15
Highs were great in 09, but the lows were… real bad. SCamp was meh. NYE run was meh. Halloween was… ok. But overall, a real down year.
It was for the time, for sure, the band was coming off arguably the best stretch of their career, but I think people are really underestimating how bad they were from 14-16. If 2009 happened now, people would love it.
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I was pretty much off that boat by 14, but I believe it. By 2013 they had really started to try to pivot to more radio ready rock and it lost me.
Can’t say I’ve even seen them since 2016, so my opinion here is not exactly sacrosanct.
12/29/09 was a great show, multiple high quality jams. Excellent show from an ok NYE run.
You really aren’t missing much. I still have fun for nostalgia purposes, and occasionally see glimpses of the band I fell in love with, but only real reason I still see the band is just for an excuse to see friends. That said, would love to wook it up with you again sometime. We use to be pretty good at fucking shit up on the dance floor.
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12/29-first set of 12/30 was great. Then it was all down hill from the 12/30 set 2 Wappy abortion > standard Spires
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2014 could never disappoint like that, since you never had the hope it would ever be that good.
One diamond in a sea of shit
this whole concept is invalidated by the fact that fall 09 introduced the S2 concept and as a result there were some great jams produced through the end of the year. Very creative stuff from the band at the tail end of 09.
That is a fair point. The reason 2009 felt like it had so many lows is because of the momentum the band had. You knew they were capable of magic any day of the week, and you were also at the point where the “bad shows” from the years prior still had 1-2 jams worth going back to. Then from 2014 on I just always assume the highlight of the show is going to be the beer I drink, and 9/10 I am right. Luckily for me, I really enjoy drinking beer and watching music, so the fun aspect is still there.
I think the last few years have had some real brilliant improv, the main problem is inconsistency. It really sucks to see a show of only 4 min cock rock jams when you know they’re capable of so much better. At least in 14-16 I saw fewer shows because I knew what to expect
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NEED IT.
I just want UM to know, they are a jamband, and when they actually jam they are the best jamband
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*puts on best AiT (2/14/09) and rocks the fuck out
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This is why I specifically highlighted the Mantis tour from early spring.
FWIW, I still saw 20+ shows on the 14,15,16,17 tours but 2007-2010 was my heaviest touring so for me 2009 stood out.
I would have made the thread about specific tours and just focused on Mantis Tour but I don’t feel like the discussion would evolve as well since not many of us can pull out of our hat the highlights from the Similar Skin tour lol.
Early 2009 had some gems and I would put the best jams of 2009 against the best jams of any year (go revist that Peoria Much Obliged if you want to remember and oh yes thanks for reminding me of the Madison run I always forget that was part of the Mantis tour even though the fucking poster for the run is as Mantis as you can get.)
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There were definitely some early 09 gems. 2/14 has been mentioned. 4/3 is a phenomenal show. I think one of the webcasted midwest shows the last week of March was excellent too.
I wasn’t aware that such things existed.
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Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom August 2014 8.8.14 produced two monster sandwiches (Tinkles>Higgins>Tinkles and 1348>Fuzz>1348) and was one of the best shows I’ve seen flow wise, right up there with 11.9.07, 10.7.09, 1.22.10, 2.3.10, 2.11.10 for a few examples of my favorite seen flowise shows.
08.08.2014 HAMPTON BEACH CASINO BALLROOM, HAMPTON BEACH, NH, USA
Set 1: Miss Tinkle’s Overture -> Higgins[1] > Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Made to Measure > Bright Lights, Big City, Mad Love, Kabump -> A Go Go > Proverbial, The Song Remains the Same
Set 2: 1348 > The Fuzz > 1348, Making Flippy Floppy[2] > Little Gift, All In Time > Kula > All In Time, Preamble > Mantis
Encore: Mullet (Over), Bad Friday
[1] with Masoka Tanga (The Police) jam
[2] with Divisions jam
Notes:
with You Really Got Me (Van Halen) and Every Breath You Take/Peter Gunn Theme teases before Preamble, during introductions
Also, the next week in St. Louis at the Fox had some amazing jamming:
08.15.2014 THE FABULOUS FOX THEATRE, ST. LOUIS, MO, USA
Set 1: Lucid State > Andy’s Last Beer, Words, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > Similar Skin > Blue Echo > FF > Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Mulche’s Odyssey
Set 2: Phil’s 7 Nation Money Farm, Resolution > The Message > Educated Guess, In The Kitchen[1] > Syncopated Strangers[2] > Nemo[3] > Syncopated Strangers > In The Kitchen, The Triple Wide[4]
Encore: Believe the Lie
[1] with No Comment teases
[2] with Jake on keys
[3] with Dance With Me (Orleans) teases
[4] with Jake on drums
Notes:
last Phil’s 7 Nation Money Farm 02.19.2009 (627 shows)
There are always diamonds in an Umphrey’s stool sample. Their shit is better than gold. 
Prime example of why 2009 is better than 2014-present. Wither the exception of 2019, I guess, before anyone gets triggered. The best of 2009 is still better than the best of 2019, though, IMO. Even if 2019 is better as a whole.