Cheers! Jeers!

[dtmetalfan69]

Alright, here we go...

Cheers:
SEVENTH WONDER BABY. They blew me away
On a personal note- not having any major arguments with the people I was staying with.
Having a professional corset picture this year.
Micheal stepping in for Roy and doing a kick ass job.
Seeing two older men act like teenagers during Accepts set Thursday. (Curtis and Dustin)
Being blown away by the idea that SANCTUARY is going to be at Prog Power next year.
And of course Glenn being the master of the universe and blowing me away with the lineup for next year. You are a God man.

Jeers:
All the techinical difficulties that went during the festival. Not pointing the finger at anyone. Promise.
Damn Artomore giving me billing problems again. Double charging bastards.
The Fog Machine- It got so bad during Kamelots set that I could not take a decent picture.
Combination of the hot weather, wearing a skin tight corset on Friday, and trying to breath the entire night. lol
Wishing I could hang out with friends that I don't see that often more over the course of the week.
Chinease place that was 45 minutes late with our food the one day.
And the fact that most of the eating places close by 6 on the weekends left me with sleeping my hunger away during most of the week.

Stay Metal!

 

[booB]

Cheers:

*The cast and crew. Great as always!

*The audience. PPUSA is an elite show, and its attendees are truly an elite crowd. Thanks to all of my perennial homies who make me feel the love, and I hope all of you do too.

*Bands with a sense of humor. Every year there's one or two bands that really crack me the hell up. In previous years, it was Freak Kitchen, or Edguy, or Devin Townsend. This year, it was Tarot. Someday, it might be Morgana Lefay.

*The apparent increase in walking-distance food options over the past couple years. Didn't know about Tap, didn't know about Sausalito Grill, didn't know about Shout, didn't know about My Friend's Place, until this year. Kudos also to Vespucci's for staying open extra late on Saturday, and advertising the fact. The icing on the cake would be for someone to buy the old Gladstone Cafe and reopen it.

*Glenn.

*Everything.

Jeers:

*The smoke machine, for pretending it was a curtain. Damn you, smoke machine!!!!

*My feet, for being somehow against the idea of standing for practically twelve straight hours. Damn you, feet!!!!

*Me, for accidentally stepping on the feet of a small group of ladies on Friday night. (In case any of you are reading this, I humbly apologize again.) I've been to ten years of ProgPower; I should know better than to try to enter the floor from the extreme right side of the room during a crowded set. Damn you, ...uhh... er, ME!!!!

*Sunday, for showing up earlier than it was supposed to. Damn you, Father Time!!!!

*All of you lightweights who failed to stay up partying at the Artmore until almost 5am, so I couldn't say goodbye to you. But I understand... no one needs to be blamed for this one... it was a long and tiring weekend... HA! You thought you were going to get away with it, didn't you?? DAMN YOU, LIGHTWEIGHTS!!!! DAMN YOU TO TAROT BANANA HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yippee38]

Cheers to Norm for his impromptu narration of what we imagined happened when Paula and Shannon went back to the room to get a beer. It ended up being the narration of a lesbian porn movie scene. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time!

 

[Diamond45]

Kudos also to Vespucci's for staying open extra late on Saturday, and advertising the fact.

I thought they were open on Saturday night but was not sure. How late did they stay open? I'm glad that area businesses finally realize it's worth their trouble to stay open and cater to us. Kudos!

 

[booB]

I thought they were open on Saturday night but was not sure. How late did they stay open? I'm glad that area businesses finally realize it's worth their trouble to stay open and cater to us. Kudos!

I think they were open until 9, which is late for a Midtown eatery on Saturday.

 

[Diamond45]

I personally think that is extremely Fn cool.

I can't guarantee that everyone's sponsorship experience to be that great, but they certainly went over the top for us.

 

[JenniferLynn]

Cheers:

DGM - For being so much better than I hoped and for adding 'Away' to the setlist after I said how much I loved that song (and telling me afterwards!!). Very kewl, kewl guys..

Seventh Wonder - For Friday and Saturday's sets.. I'm an insta-fan!!! And to Andreas, Johnny and my Swedish teachers, Kyrt and Johan - you f'n rule. Saturday night went by too fast... I could type here forever on how much they kick ass on so many levels...

Vinyl - for free shot o'clock!!!!!! And for really knowing how to make a kick ass Stoli O and cranberry just right... You think it'd be easy but some people can still f it up...

The Rez - that hotel just freakin' rules...

Kamelot - for going on with the show.. As many have said, f those who complained about continuing the tour because now they're never going to know what an extraordinary thing they just missed out on.. MIke and Tommy were great but I gotta admit, Jake singing Karma - WOW.. just freakin' WOW

The Oceans of Sadness guys - not only could those boys drink, but the singer's explanation of his passed out keyboard player at the end of the bar ("his head is down because so much wisdom is going thru there right now... At some point he will suddenly sit up and begin to prophesize" or something to that effect.. I was LMAO)..

Danae and Jon - for the song Friday night... (sorry for the little to no sleep Wayne!!!!)

Massimo and Daniella - I've got a bigger italian family now!!!! Thanks for the intro to Seventh Wonder Maxx!!!

To all my PP 'family' new and old - it was a much needed fun filled, highly laugh concentrated PACKED weekend.. let's all do it again next year!!!

Jeers -

Me - for deciding to wait til Saturday to get Seventh Wonder CDs only to find all the vendors were sold out

Me again - for deciding to wait on the DGM shirt til after I got back from the hotel to change after DGM's set (it was flipping HOT!!!!)... only to find, by the time I got back, it was gone..

Folks acting like assholes then wondering why you're mad at them.. Hmmm let me think...

Time - was it me or did it seem to go by to freakin' fast!?!?!?!

 

[LunaTEKKE]

year!
[*]Artmore for only giving me and Dave a room with a single king size bed, despite us putting in a reservation for a room with two queen size beds. Cheer for at least getting us a cot, but still.

Unacceptable! You should have *demanded* that they re-book you in the Four Seasons again!

 

[Tenaris]

Hate to say it, but why didn't you say something to them, or tell security or Glenn? I saw a guy next to me recording on his iPhone. I said something, and he stopped. He said, "I didn't know." BS, but he stopped.

I wouldn't go that far. I know I would have flagged down security so Glenn would know, plus I think Glenn buys you a beer or something for the assist in keeping out the bootleggers. I'm all about a free beer.

I figured that going to security about something they'd only have my word on would get me laughed at, but apparently not. I've only lurked on here occasionally up until now, so I think I saw the camera policy once like, months ago. Please cut me some slack. Anyway, I'll definitely keep that in mind for next year. Thanks for the advice.

 

[sh0kr0k]

Hate to say it, but why didn't you say something to them, or tell security or Glenn? I saw a guy next to me recording on his iPhone. I said something, and he stopped. He said, "I didn't know." BS, but he stopped.

Same thing happened to me during... hmm... who was it? Whatever. When I said, "hey dude you can't record here. You'll get kicked out," to some guy fucking with his bright-ass iPhone for 10 minutes with the blinding video light right next to Nathan's head, he said he didn't know and stopped, taking only pictures for the rest of the set. BS too, I'm sure, but at least he stopped.. for that set. What bugged me about that guy aside from that was how the hell he thought a constant video spotlight wasn't the least bit inconsiderate in a dark crowded room.

:Shedevil:

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

Cheers:

Glenn, first and foremost, for thinking outside of the box for next year's festival... Between Eldritch being booked and the bass player from DGM talking about how awesome Annihilator is, maybe there is a chance!

The people coming by the Nightmare booth and buying our stuff! Thanks for bearing with me and knowing that I hate prog and therefore am not very knowledgeable about it.

David McBee, Ian (Dolemite), The Halcyon Way guys, John (J-Man), Sherry, J-Dubya, etc... for being funny as hell and making me laugh all weekend.

Accept. Best fucking band ever at the history of the festival. This extends to Shane too, you work wonders too bro, don't let anyone ever tell you differently.

Peter Baltes for laughing his ass off when I asked him to adopt me.

Mike, Matt, and the rest of the Exploding Ned guys for being so awesome and being closer to us at the Nightmare booth this year, so I could cut up with you guys from across the way.

Eric from Century Media for being cool as hell. We'll chat some more through email.

Matt (TribunalRecords) for actually being funny as hell and much different than I envisioned. I don't hate you anymore, rofl! (Your band still sucks though! )

Jeers:

People trying to save their seats by putting things on them again. I was close to just ripping the towels off of the couple of seats and telling them to go fuck themselves when they got back. Your ticket does not reserve your seat, so you can fuck right off.

NO SLEEP

The maid at the Day's Inn. I hate you with all of my being.

No Accept hoodies or vinyl

Hammerfall for playing the exact same set they did earlier in the year. Guys, I love you, but come on, change it up every once in a while.


I'm sure I'll think of more, but this is it for now.

 

[Diamond45]

Unacceptable! You should have *demanded* that they re-book you in the Four Seasons again!

I actually didn't like it there, believe it or not. They nickel and dime you for EVERYTHING there - even worse than the Artmore. At least the Artmore had vending machines (and with reasonable prices to boot!). The Four Seasons thought if you had enough money to stay there, you could get all the food you wanted (and pay through the nose) with their in-room food. No way Jose!

Also, it was such a long walk to the venue. The Artmore isn't the greatest - but it does have "Location, Location, Location" going for it.

 

[LunaTEKKE]

- Several people I talked to actually did agree that this may be getting too much of a good thing. Too many bands perhaps?

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I love that the festival is packed with bands that I just can’t see at home. However, I was absolutely *fried* by the time that Tarot took the stage. I remember at one point thinking, “did I nod off, or was Marco just talking about demon space aliens with big cocks?”

By Hammerfall, I was completely toast...although part of it was no doubt the fact that our SymX forum lunch was so early that day...and part of it was probably just because I am old. Also, oddly enough, I started *really* feeling run down during the long delay before Delain. Maybe it was due to technical difficulties, which certainly can’t be helped. But if bands take extra time just to be high maintenance, they definitely run the risk of losing some of the crowd.

P.S. We should have had the folks at Vickery's bring you a bowl of grits with a candle in it.

 

[Diamond45]

P.S. We should have had the folks at Vickery's bring you a bowl of grits with a candle in it.

My birthday is this coming Friday so that would have been a nice present. At least for next year my birthday will be on the Saturday show!

 

[JenniferLynn]

another Jeer and I don't mean to tick any of the vendors off by this BUT there were an INSANE amount of table top/ portable lights... Those little buggers give off alot of heat and it was as hot in Vinyl as it was in the venue...

Maybe next year cut down from a battalion of them to just a few...

 

[Palabra de Dios]

Cheers:

The vendors: You guys bring SOOO much quality stuff, I would spend thousands of dollars if I had them to spend! So much stuff I wanted to buy but couldn't, and that's a good thing!

Kamelot: Fucking killed it. I knew they would, and I'm so glad they still played despite the set-backs. What a class act, and holy SHIT they played "Nights of Arabia"!

Oceans of Sadness: I felt like one of very few people who loved this band going into the festival, and I think they easily were one of the best bands there. They did a great job of convincing people that they were a powerful, emotional, and very energetic metal band.

Tarot/Nocturnal Rites/StormWarrior/Seventh Wonder/okay, just about every band: AWESOME. Such great performances this year.

Ian, Clark, Adam, Justin, Jon, and Debbie: The people I stayed with--very fucking cool...we had a grill on our patio and used it, drank good beer, and had awesome metal conversations. I wish I could be around metal brethren and sisteren forever.

The announcement video: funny, well produced, with just the right amount of suspense. Well done.

Insider sale: really cool idea, and well executed. Don't know if the other vendors would have had a lot of Creation's End, Haken, Red Circuit, Arcturus, or While Heaven Wept CDs in stock.

FUCKING ARCTURUS PLAYING NEXT YEAR. HOLY SHIT ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

Jeers:

Time between sets. The female fronted bands were cursed it seems. I tend to think that most delays are band related, and I am uncertain that biggest delays being female bands was coincidence. Being too particular about the setup? Is it a prima-donna kind of thing? I don't know. It just sucked. Especially since, I'm not super into either of the female bands, and wanted to get through their sets as quickly as possible. Another negative externality of the long delay before Delain was that the Oceans of Sadness signing session actually happened completely through and during the Tarot set. I really wanted to meet those guys, and get a couple things signed. But my priority was seeing music and watching bands, so I had to miss out. The schedule was right on before Delain played, and their delay kind of mucked it all up. Oh well, it's but a tiny complaint in a sea of success. But I wish that next year the bands don't require quite so much set-up, as I am CERTAIN it's not dilly-dallying from the crew.

Lines at the signings: Nothing can be done about this, ever. And not that I want any action to be taken, but GOD DAMN! I only sat through Tarot's line. I can't imagine going through Kamelot's or Hammerfall's. Jeez.

Not having enough money to afford EVERYTHING I wanted to buy at the vendor area.

Hangover on Saturday morning. Thank you to Seventh Wonder for starting that special set acoustically!

No internet access at our condo. Oh well. It was great finding out that South Carolina beat Georgia on Sunday from another Gamecocks fan!

 

[LunaTEKKE]

The Rez - that hotel just freakin' rules...

Yep, all of the staff really went out of their way this year. When I checked out on Sunday, the gentleman at the desk said, "see you next year." (I guess my black Queensryche shirt with the Warning logo on it was a giveaway). Oh, and it was nice running into you in the elevator!

I will probably think of more, but here's my first pass...

Cheers:
* Glenn and Jen for all their hard work before and during the fest...and for making us feel so welcome.
* Glenn, Shane, Nathan, and Claus for their commitment to bringing us great music, despite the fact that the economy still sucks so badly.
* All the bands and the crew. Special props to the bands who flew in from Europe and still managed to kick ass and take names. I went to Europe in 2009, and when I got home, I slept for 3 straight days.
* Glenn’s Insider Sale. Hopefully, this tradition will continue. Sure beats going from vendor to vendor with my scribbled notes from the previous night’s announcement!
* Michael Eriksen for stepping in on short notice and *nailing* Friday night’s performance!
* The keyboard solo from Kamelot. (Even if it was prompted by technical issues). I usually watch keyboard players and think, “Bah! I could do that...if only I wasn’t such a chickenshit.” But...DAMN! That kicked ass!
* All the fabulous attendees. My friends and family at home don’t quite get my music obsession, so it is always a pleasure to chat with folks about bands like Symphony X, Savatage, Circus Maximus, and Vanden Plas.
* Whoever turned in that credit card.

Jeers:
* Not really a jeer, but surprised that none of the bands acknowledged the loss of Ronnie James Dio.
* Lead singers who overuse the “get the crowd to chant and fist pump” routine. C’mon guys. Once or twice per set is enough.
* The fakeout song ending. You know, where you think the song is over and start to clap...but then the song keeps going on and on until you get tired of clapping...then you have to start again when the song *really* ends?
* Attendees who think that the price of admission entitles them to heckle the bands. Do you REALLY think that Hammerfall is going to change their setlist because you are yelling at them to “play the old shit or I’ll leave?” (But CHEERS that the attendee in question finally *did* leave.)

 

[BlindPanzer]

Cheers:

- Kamelot for putting up a good show despite the circumstances.
- Oceans of Sadness. Great music. A revelation.
- There seemed to be less towels this year. Yay for open seats.
- Glenn. The man is running the show and still gives time to all the concerns the attendees might have. Bravo.
- The Oceans of Sadness light show. It goes to show that simplicity and synchronization is far superior to the (relatively) complicated yet completely generic light shows of others.
- The PA music this year was exceptional and extremely varied. Kudos.


Jeers

- Belgium, Germany. Really?

 

[Stardust2112]

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but here are some that spring to mind right away.....

Cheers:

• The crew for dealing with so many technical issues like the true pros they are. Those guys work their asses off, and I'm convinced they can do *anything.*
• Nathan for getting Ross the f**king Boss for Wednesday night. Metal 101 is now in session. Take notes, kids.
• The supercute bartender at Vinyl for serving those extra large drinks. And for showing me his nipples. Haha.
• Everyone who helped get me hammered on Wednesday.
• The Artmore for putting up with our shit til 5-6am.
• Michael, Jake and Tommy for filling in for Roy Khan. Fabulous!!

Jeers:

• I'm one of those annoying people who are always cold, but I gotta say that venue was flippin' HOT. The Vinyl, too, was brutal.
• The light show. I don't know who was running those lights, but it was awful. Coupled with that overactive smoke machine, taking pictures was nearly impossible. And even when I wasn't taking pics, it was hard to even *see* anyone on stage.
• Noxious clouds of body odor. I realize it's a long day, but maybe a little extra antiperspirant is in order, hmm?

~C

 

[metalprof]

* Lead singers who overuse the “get the crowd to chant and fist pump” routine. C’mon guys. Once or twice per set is enough.

Ha. That's a pet peeve of mine for a long time, but now I have a new one. It's when the introduction of the next tune begins with, "We're going to do another song for ya ... ". Like the band is there to do anything else! I mean, what else are they going to do? "And now we'd like to lead you in some calisthenics!" or, "Take out your pencil and paper, because we're going to tell you our recipe for chocolate chip cookies!"

Ken