There is no doubt that ProgPower is by far the best metal festival in the US, but IMO, it is also the best festival in the world for a couple of reasons:
1-Great Bands: how often do you see a festival with bands like Blind Guardian, Angra, Gamma Ray, Edguy (or Symphony X, Kamelot, Evergrey or Angel Dust last year) in one festival? At other festivals you often have to sit through many crappy bands while waiting for a band you like. Not here...all the bands, no matter if you like them or not, are top notch, accomplished bands that belong to the best in their respective styles.
2-Longer playing times: at big festivals such as Wacken or Bang-you-Head, except for the headliners, the rest of the bands don't get to play a whole much because there are so many bands. Therefore, fans of the non-headliner bands are only able to see their bands for a couple of minutes, while at ProgPower each band (except maybe for the two openers) get at least an hour to perform.
3-Great Venue: Earthlink is a great venue. It has great sound, a great stage, it is very comfortable (for those who like to sit during a concert...not me). It is clean and it is located in a very nice area of Atlanta, which is a beautiful city.
4-Up Close and Personal: I have never seen a festival where the crowd is so close to the bands playing. At Wacken and other major festivals, there is a huge space between the audience and the bands, which is understandable since there are 30.000 or more people.
5-Less people: it is much more enjoyable to attend a concert when there are around 1.000 instead of 30.000+ fans.
6-We are allowed to bring cameras: at major festivals they often don't allow the fans to bring cameras. That is bullshit!!! I want to have pictures to remember the concerts I have attended, just like any turist would like to take pictures of places he/she visits.
7-Meeting the bands: I have never been to a concert or festival where bands are so accesible to the crowd. I don't know how it is going to be this time, but last year at 2.0 I met every band except for Symphony X. It is great to hang out with such cool guys like Angel Dust or Evergrey!!!
8-Great crowd: the crowd at Progf Power 2.0 was great, and I'm sure it will be at 3.0 (since all of you guys in here who are going rule!) There are no mosh pits or crowd surfing (I don't really have anything against it...I actually enjoyed it when I saw In Flames - Iced earth - Jag panzer this year) but I prefer to enjoy the concert and not having to look over my shoulders to see if someone is going to land on my head. Although people drank alcohol last year, there were no problems at all at ProgPower 2.0. Also, the crowd was very supportive towards the bands and I'm sure they will be this year too. I think it is great to show support even though we might not like the band playing. Good support = happy bands = better show!!!
9- Lots of Merchandise: I don't really know how it is at major festivals like Wacken, but I'm sure it is much more enjoyable to shop at ProgPower than at a massive metal festival where there are thousands of people in line to buy stuff.
10-ProgPower is exactly what its name says: a progressive and power metal festival. People at ProgPower come to see either prog metal, power metal, or both (as in my case). At other festivals there is such a variety (which can be good) which means that a prog/power metal fan often has to sit through hours of death metal, black metal, nu metal, etc, while waiting for the next power or prog metal band. In other words, unless you are really open to every type of metal, you are not getting your money's worth. On the other hand. when you come to ProgPower, you know exactly what you are getting: the finest prog/power metal in the world. If you like these syles of metal you are totally getting your money's worth.
11-Bathrooms: I have never seen a festival with cleaner bathrooms than Progpower 2.0. Plus, you don't have to wait for hours to take a piss because there is not so much congestion as in other festivals.
12-Relaxing in the hallway: I just love the Earthlink. If you want to take a break you can go out to the hallway that goes around the stage and have a beer or just sit down for a moment. You can even find most of the bands out there and talk with them, etc. At other festivals and concerts you often don't have that lucury and thus you have to either stand for the entire time or go completely out of the venue to find a chair to sit down.
I could just go on and on.......
ProgPower is IMO the BEST FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD!!! I am graduating from college soon and I don;t know if I will reurn to Costa Rica (where I am from) or who knows what country (maybe Germany since I am German), or stay in the US. But wherever I will be, I will always try to go to the ProgPower Festivals in the US (the European one is nothing compared to the US version) because they are the greatest metal experience in the world.
Thanks Glenn!!!! You rule!!!!!! ProgPower rules!!!!!!!!! Metal rules!!!!!!!! All you metal fans rule!!!!!!!!!!
See you all in November!!!!!!!!!!! 
1-Great Bands: how often do you see a festival with bands like Blind Guardian, Angra, Gamma Ray, Edguy (or Symphony X, Kamelot, Evergrey or Angel Dust last year) in one festival? At other festivals you often have to sit through many crappy bands while waiting for a band you like. Not here...all the bands, no matter if you like them or not, are top notch, accomplished bands that belong to the best in their respective styles.
2-Longer playing times: at big festivals such as Wacken or Bang-you-Head, except for the headliners, the rest of the bands don't get to play a whole much because there are so many bands. Therefore, fans of the non-headliner bands are only able to see their bands for a couple of minutes, while at ProgPower each band (except maybe for the two openers) get at least an hour to perform.
3-Great Venue: Earthlink is a great venue. It has great sound, a great stage, it is very comfortable (for those who like to sit during a concert...not me). It is clean and it is located in a very nice area of Atlanta, which is a beautiful city.
4-Up Close and Personal: I have never seen a festival where the crowd is so close to the bands playing. At Wacken and other major festivals, there is a huge space between the audience and the bands, which is understandable since there are 30.000 or more people.
5-Less people: it is much more enjoyable to attend a concert when there are around 1.000 instead of 30.000+ fans.
6-We are allowed to bring cameras: at major festivals they often don't allow the fans to bring cameras. That is bullshit!!! I want to have pictures to remember the concerts I have attended, just like any turist would like to take pictures of places he/she visits.
7-Meeting the bands: I have never been to a concert or festival where bands are so accesible to the crowd. I don't know how it is going to be this time, but last year at 2.0 I met every band except for Symphony X. It is great to hang out with such cool guys like Angel Dust or Evergrey!!!
8-Great crowd: the crowd at Progf Power 2.0 was great, and I'm sure it will be at 3.0 (since all of you guys in here who are going rule!) There are no mosh pits or crowd surfing (I don't really have anything against it...I actually enjoyed it when I saw In Flames - Iced earth - Jag panzer this year) but I prefer to enjoy the concert and not having to look over my shoulders to see if someone is going to land on my head. Although people drank alcohol last year, there were no problems at all at ProgPower 2.0. Also, the crowd was very supportive towards the bands and I'm sure they will be this year too. I think it is great to show support even though we might not like the band playing. Good support = happy bands = better show!!!
9- Lots of Merchandise: I don't really know how it is at major festivals like Wacken, but I'm sure it is much more enjoyable to shop at ProgPower than at a massive metal festival where there are thousands of people in line to buy stuff.
10-ProgPower is exactly what its name says: a progressive and power metal festival. People at ProgPower come to see either prog metal, power metal, or both (as in my case). At other festivals there is such a variety (which can be good) which means that a prog/power metal fan often has to sit through hours of death metal, black metal, nu metal, etc, while waiting for the next power or prog metal band. In other words, unless you are really open to every type of metal, you are not getting your money's worth. On the other hand. when you come to ProgPower, you know exactly what you are getting: the finest prog/power metal in the world. If you like these syles of metal you are totally getting your money's worth.
11-Bathrooms: I have never seen a festival with cleaner bathrooms than Progpower 2.0. Plus, you don't have to wait for hours to take a piss because there is not so much congestion as in other festivals.
12-Relaxing in the hallway: I just love the Earthlink. If you want to take a break you can go out to the hallway that goes around the stage and have a beer or just sit down for a moment. You can even find most of the bands out there and talk with them, etc. At other festivals and concerts you often don't have that lucury and thus you have to either stand for the entire time or go completely out of the venue to find a chair to sit down.
I could just go on and on.......
ProgPower is IMO the BEST FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD!!! I am graduating from college soon and I don;t know if I will reurn to Costa Rica (where I am from) or who knows what country (maybe Germany since I am German), or stay in the US. But wherever I will be, I will always try to go to the ProgPower Festivals in the US (the European one is nothing compared to the US version) because they are the greatest metal experience in the world.
Thanks Glenn!!!! You rule!!!!!! ProgPower rules!!!!!!!!! Metal rules!!!!!!!! All you metal fans rule!!!!!!!!!!
See you all in November!!!!!!!!!!!
