A brief note on the roster...

[Harvester]

You can't please 'em all.

That's my motto these days. I have taken a lot of heat before on my rosters and I'm sure I will take some heat in the future. People have this preconceived notion of what ProgPower USA should be and disappointment hits them hard when it doesn't meet their expectations. That will never change. It's actually a compliment when that happens because it means they consider the festival something special.

Yes, the standard progressive & power metal bands are my bread & butter. However, if you don't step outside the box just a bit & build some diversity, you will begin to stagnate. I cannot count on the same fans to attend over & over because they want to see the same bands or styles again & again. New fans are the lifeblood of this festival and taking chances will bring them in, hopefully to stay once they experience things.

Now will I head down the death/doom/black/whatever road? Of course not. Prog & Power will always dominate, some years more than others. However, I cannot say that I may not dip my toes into the darker water whenever I feel it is appropriate and helpful with the roster.

This is probably my most diverse roster ever. Take a few days to explore the band before you dismiss them just because you haven't heard of them, only heard things about them, or it's not something you normally listen to. I'm not saying you will change your mind. However, it may make you appreciate what they are bringing to the table.

Glenn

P.S. I still like throwing you bastards a curve every now and then as well....

 

[Rider of Theli]

This is probably my most diverse roster ever...

QFT

...and a damn fine roster it is. Do I like every band on the roster? No. Do I ever? No. Will I give the bands a chance? Most of them, yes. There are a couple of them that I do not care for at all and probably never will. But you know what? There are others on the roster each night that more than make up for those.

I'm going to need a week of vacation after the fest just to recuperate from J.O.P. and Iced Earth! Holy Mother of God! Thank you Glenn! You have made this Savatage/Oliva/Iced Earth fanboy happy!

now... where's my Geritol?

 

[nailz]

This is probably my most diverse roster ever. Take a few days to explore the band before you dismiss them just because you haven't heard of them, only heard things about them, or it's not something you normally listen to. I'm not saying you will change your mind. However, it may make you appreciate what they are bringing to the table.

I couldn't agree more. However, you attempt to justify every year. You built this, it's yours. You have a legion of dedicated people at your disposal, and a host of new blood coming in every year. I can say for the first time in several years that I am terribly excited about no less than 5 of the bands playing, which is far and away the most bands since I've been coming. I am definitely NOT the HARDCORE METAL HEAD WHO KNOWS ALL BANDS. I've never been in a band, I don't run my own promotion company, and I've never picked up a real guitar to any end. If you can toss ME 5 bands I'm instantly excited about, I don't think you (or any attending) have to worry that this PP is going to go down in history as the "holy shit how did I not like ALL of these bands before this?" year.

You definitely can't make everyone happy every year. I, however, offer my sincere applause at a roster that may be a little risk-kay, but I think for those who attend, they'll admit it's going to pay off 100 fold.

 

[General Zod]

I'll say what you won't... people can be whiny little piss ants, who are never happy, and who feel the need to voice their displeasure over the smallest thing.

To hell with them.

This festival continues to be the best thing that has happened to the American Metal scene since the death of Metal as a commercially viable genre in the the late 80s / early 90s.

Never lose heart.

Zod

 

[rms]

This year isn't for me, but I like how you did go with the more diverse lineup, even though none of the bands tickled me the way last years did. I am interested to read the how it all happened post because I remember the powerfag in me got anxious for some power metal bands to headline

 

[SavaVIDude]

QFT

...and a damn fine roster it is. Do I like every band on the roster? No. Do I ever? No. Will I give the bands a chance? Most of them, yes. There are a couple of them that I do not care for at all and probably never will. But you know what? There are others on the roster each night that more than make up for those.

I'm going to need a week of vacation after the fest just to recuperate from J.O.P. and Iced Earth! Holy Mother of God! Thank you Glenn! You have made this Savatage/Oliva/Iced Earth fanboy happy!

now... where's my Geritol?

Holy Shit, Rider!! You took the words right outta my mouth!! Especially the Sava/JO/IE part!! Once again, IE and JO are my two favorite metal entities on the planet!!!!

Thanks, Glenn!!

Chris

 

[J-Man]

Glenn, this is your baby, and you can do as you please, and as you said you can't please all the people all the time, and that is okay by me, as you always tend to throw us a big looping cruve every now and then, and so far they have all worked out just fine.

As to this year's line-up, in my humble opinion it is the most diverse and complete you have ever had, will it please everyone, see above. But it sure as hell pleases me, and I salute you for taking a chance, especially with VOLBEAT, AMORPHIS, PATHOSRAY, RIVERSIDE and finally getting the unicorn ICED EARTH. So to you my friend, my hat is off to you, and by the way the paramedics said you need to stop messing with this old man's heart, J/K. Thanks again for making my dreams come through this year with this line-up.

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

Glenn, I really don't see the need for you to defend your choices basically every year. You picked the bands you wanted. Did the chasing, legwork, asskissing and whatever other deeds needed to get the job done. Fuck the whiners. I love having the opportunity to check out new bands I'm not familiar with. As the saying goes, "Thanks to all who wish us well...all the rest can go to hell." Excellent lineup and great work! Thank you as always, Glenn and your crew!

 

[Curufin]

Well Glenn, you've made a roster that comes very close to being my favorite PP roster. I didn't think it would be possible to come close, but I think this is the first time I've heard 11/12 bands prior to their announcement, and definitely the first time I've really wanted to see 9/12 bands. It's gonna be tough working in breaks this year for me (and a lot of others, I think).

I'm really glad you're keeping festival stagnation in mind when choosing bands; variety is paramount

 

[VenomGA]

I posted this in the Amorphis thread and wanted to cpy/paste it here:
most diverse lineup ever. Kudos to Glenn for putting this together. It is obvious he is stretching the boundaries of the festival, which is fine to me, to bring us the best show possible every year. This can not possibly be an easy job that Glenn does year in, year out. No 10 to 12 bands are going to make everyone happy. I do think the amount of bitching about Amorphis in this thread is unwarranted. Don;t base this band on one album or a few. Plus give the band a chance live. I was NOT a fan of Epica or After Forever on cd but live they both were awesome.

I look forward to the roster, festival and seeing you and Cindy again Glenn!!!

 

[MissMusicJunkie]

I always have a band or two I specifically plan to "take my break" during their set. Now I will never walk away from a band without at least giving them a chance so I have missed many "breaks" because the band I planned to break during I could not leave once they started playing!!! Admittedly I have a wide range of tastes but there are only two bands that ever played the festival that I did not enjoy in some way. (That's an extremely high percentage as I have been to every Atlanta show). I paid for Gold Badges in the past without knowing a single band and have never once regretted it - Glenn you never fail to please the majority. No one will ever be 100% in concurrence with the lineup anyone chooses but most never fail to enjoy the experience and YES you DO expand our horizons in the process

 

[adaher]

This is probably my most diverse roster ever. Take a few days to explore the band before you dismiss them just because you haven't heard of them, only heard things about them, or it's not something you normally listen to. I'm not saying you will change your mind. However, it may make you appreciate what they are bringing to the table.



But why? This is Progpower. We've always had oddballs, but the last few years half the roster has consisted of bands that would have been oddballs in previous years.

This is going to be my last bitch on this board. It's obvious the festival has changed and left me behind. Doesn't mean I won't continue posting, as this is probably the coolest place to discuss metal on the internet. And despite my lack of interest in the last few rosters, there's no question Glenn puts together the best festival in America. He's catering to a new audience now though, so there's no point in me being negative here going forward.

 

[Bryan316]

I sure hope CD Inzane has all these bands, cuz I need to start ordering! There's a LOOOT of catching up to do this year.


But I'm proud to say I won't be needing the lyrics booklets for ANY Iced Earth stuff. MOOOAAHAHAHA!!!!

Good job, Glenn, keep throwing them curveballs.

 

[BlindPanzer]

So Glenn, for which band are you going to be front and center when the curtains fall?

 

[Harvester]

So Glenn, for which band are you going to be front and center when the curtains fall?

Volbeat & Iced Earth.

 

[Perditions Ghost]

Now will I head down the death/doom/black/whatever road? Of course not. Prog & Power will always dominate, some years more than others. However, I cannot say that I may not dip my toes into the darker water whenever I feel it is appropriate and helpful with the roster.

...Enslaved for ProgPower X?

 

[Meteornotes]

This might be my favorite PP roster ever, at least on paper. I know I'm looking forward to watching every band's set.

Keep kicking ass, and ignore those that do nothing but bitch and complain, as you're never going to make them happy anyway...

dt

 

[PatrickHoyt]

If people want to see certain bands of their choosing at a festival they need to make their own damn festival and quit worrying about other people's masterpieces. I love the choices you make every year Glenn and if anyone has a problem with it I say "stfu and don't come to the festival".

Major props to Glenn for yet again making jaws drop and J-Man's heart stop over and over and over again just off this roster alone.

 

[Theandromedastrain]

P.S. I still like throwing you bastards a curve every now and then as well....

LOL

 

[Mosquito]

I'll say what you won't... people can be whiny little piss ants, who are never happy, and who feel the need to voice their displeasure over the smallest thing.

To hell with them.

This festival continues to be the best thing that has happened to the American Metal scene since the death of Metal as a commercially viable genre in the the late 80s / early 90s.

Never lose heart.

Zod

Should've said "Never loose heart". =)