Lame, I know. But, a combination of lack of sleep, fluish symptoms carried over from a weekend illness and general feelings that can only be described as “ugh” and “blah,” I couldn’t make it to this one. But, where photos are concerned, it’s most likely similar to their last show in Urbana.

Since we’re on the topic, though, I got a text message from a friend in another town that he received 40 free tickets to one of Umphrey’s’ shows later this week. (I’m refraining from mentioning the venue name or market, just to keep him uninvolved.) The town he lives in has a HUGE fanbase, so much so that I assumed he won them off a fantastic radio contest instead of as a handout from the venue because sales weren’t doing well. Which is weird.

I’m not sure if the Canopy show sold out, but one thing’s for sure — there were tickets available way closer to showtime than usual. Two shows within one week that have question-raising sales is odd, especially for Umphrey’s, who have a cult-like following and for the first time in a while, a lot of new material.

Could it be the recession reaking $25-ticket-price havoc on college budgets? Could it be people are moving away from the long prog-rock songs in exchange for short electo-pop quips? And, though there’s a new disc on the way, could fans decide to sit this one out since they’re always on tour? Chime in or let us know how the show went last night by commenting below.