Cheers 'n Jeers '12

[freakchylde]

Did it happen to be signed by Redemption/Kingcrow/Lanfear?

Not when it was on my van. It was my rear door "back off" sign, dumbass didn't think to take an actual festival magnet (hence the future one as a reward). If it got signed, I want the head of whoever took it (but Keith was on the lookout at the signing sessions).

 

[Diamond45]

CHEERS:
This was the first time in 7 years of attending where I haven’t had that moment at some point on Saturday where you can literally *feel* the fatigue as it settles into every single cell in your body. (Of course, being jacked up about seeing Symphony X probably helped as well…)

At the beginning of their set I was on the verge of giving in. But by the end I was wide awake!

Speaking of marriages, the proposal during the Beyond the Bridge set. We haven’t had an onstage marriage proposal since what…PPVII? Long overdue!

Totally forgot that one. We need more of that!

Agree with the other comments about security’s inconsistency on outside food, the super bright lights (I have eye issues and they were especially troublesome for me), and the Residence Inn’s downward spiral.

The stage lighting is always an issue, though this year it was more tame than in year's past. The "light bars" on either side of the stage were good for the most part, but sometimes you did have lights shining directly upon you.

 

[KristoferX]

Cheers:

-Glenn, Jen and the crew. I don't know how you do it every year. You work so hard I can't even imagine you have time to enjoy the show. It is appreciated so much.

-Seeing friends that I only get to see once a year.

-Amaranthe & Symphony X. My two favorite performances of the fest this year.

-Tower Liquors. Because without them the chocolate cake vodka White Russians never happen (though I still think The Dude would NOT abide by anything other than a traditional White Russian).

-Talking to Alan from Primordial about football/soccer. Even if he is a ManUre fan.

-Metal Cupcakes! Thanks Jodene (and Ernie who "quality tested" of course). They were fantastic.

-The Silver Skillet. Why have we waited until this year to go there? Phenomenal.

-Marshmallow sauce. And the waiter at the Vortex for talking me into getting it with the sweet potato fries.

Jeers:

Again to the people who think that 'saving blocks of seats' is somehow their right in a general admission venue. The hotel towels is a nice touch. I had to maintain some perspective when engaging a person with regard to this concept. Next year, Until your 'invisible friends' come back to sit down from being on the floor for 4 sets, I'm taking a load off. Be an ass about it, and I'll unleash one too.:Shedevil:

-Perfectly said. Blocking off an entire row of seats with hotel towels is beyond obnoxious and absurd. One person by us decided to rope off an entire row by stringing a scarf across the seats. Very creative.

-Seeing fewer and fewer people I recognize. It's great that there are new faces but dammit, there are some people that I really miss.

-Vomit guy and ambulance guy. People were cursing out the Artmore but let's not forget that this was new management and vomit guy was the first they saw of us. Not a great first impression. Then you add a guy passing out in the front yard and needing the paramedics to take him away and we'll be lucky if those two jackasses haven't completely ruined it for us for next year. And I do have to say that night manager guy was a great dude with a great sense of humor. Oh, and did the birthday party they booked really bother people that much? It took place while we were at the venue for the most part and was long gone by the time Symphony X were done. Yes, it would have been nice if the entire hotel was ours, but this year it wasn't and I don't blame them. They're a business. They have to make money some how, though it's hard to believe they don't considering...

-...the continental breakfast at the Artmore was 10 bucks? Really? 10 dollars for dry eggs and greasy grits? And parking was what, 17 dollars a day? But hey, at least our toilet almost worked.

-Drinking too much the first night. I could not get to breakfast at The Flying Biscuit the next morning. Almost didn't go to The Vortex for lunch either but I was starting to feel better by then and it did feel great to get something in my stomach at that point.

-Not driving from NJ. Look, I'm an airplane geek and I love flying but the drive to Atlanta with Evil has become part of the experience this year and I missed it. Turns out flying doesn't save as much time either. Between driving to the airport and security and renting a car and all that, a 1:30 to 2:00 hour flight turns out to take only 5 less hours than a 13:00 hour drive door to door.

-Getting older. I've never been this exhausted at the end of a PPUSA before.

-Lufthansa. For losing Amaranthe's stuff. Didn't they also say that in addition to the backing tracks they also lost their merchandise? That really blows. This is a huge opportunity that they will never get back to make some solid $$ off of merch sales. Such a shame. I plan on ordering a t-shirt for sure to make up for it.

 

[SkiBumMSP]

-Getting older. I've never been this exhausted at the end of a PPUSA before.

Tell me about it. I was EXHAUSTED when I got home. This is why I DO fly, I don't think I could've dealt with a 9-10 hour drive back to Fredericksburg after that. When I got home, I went to sit down to watch a football game. I fell asleep before the first play was completed. When I woke up again, it was nearly 1 AM, so I missed the entire game! Went straight to bed and did not get up until around 10 AM this morning. So glad I took off work for today to just relax. Was listening to some of the haul I brought back as well as checking out the forum!

 

[miel]

Lastly, a jeer to the entitled photographer that managed to annoy in the double digits of people (including multiple security guards). Between the phone calls, talking so loudly that people could not hear bands and grabbing a security guards ass, your behavior was annoying. Like I said, every security guard was rolling their eyes or complaining about your behavior. Also many fans up front had become aware by the behavior too. “oh yea, that person that was talking so loud I could hear them over the band”

Oblivion Ocean i just read your comment wow we thought like about the exact same about people being the rude thats funny

Thank you for letting us know about this. We will investigate.


~Jen

 

[Valarien]

Cheers - Finally having Symphony X back as a headliner at PPUSA and playing Divine Wings of Tragedy in it's entirety!
(There better be a video of their performance)

Jeers - Not making it this year and having to miss the above...
...my tickets still haunt me, but at least the $ went to a good cause.

 

[KristoferX]

I forgot one jeer:

-Noodle dancing girl in the red Dixie Dregs shirt. And no bra. *shudder*. What the hell was that? I don't know what music she was dancing to, but it wasn't the music that was happening in the venue. And she was screaming so loudly you could actually hear her over the music. "DRUM SOLO!!!! DRUM SOLO!!!!!! DON'T YOU WANNA SEE A DRUM SOLO!!!!!!!!!" Lady, I play drums. Nobody has ever, in the history of concerts ever wanted to see a drum solo. Shut the hell up. This is what happens when you're on acid I guess (We were discussing it with the security guard at the front of the stage. We thought it was ecstasy but he said as a security guard he's seen both ecstasy and acid and he felt this one was likely an acid trip).

 

[thedelicateflower]

cheers ~
thank you
*glenn & jen for another awesome time <3
*wayne & all of your crew for all of the work you guys do to put on this amazing festival
*wayne for all of your amazingly awesomely yummy hugs! xoxoxo
*wayne joyner for a great video
*circus maximus for the best pp video
*all of the photographers for the great pix and for taking the time for our corset pix <3
*heather thank you for another beautiful corset! and i loved the cookies! xoxo
*jdub for the chocolates that need to be eaten...(why am i slacking on that...it's so not me) xoxoxo
*jodene/truly great cupcakes...which is what they were/are <3
*su for the yummy gummy bears (i can't wait for the raspberry vodka ones) <3
*the fried shrimp at the steamhouse <3
*whitney for the best scooby snack (it's a drink)
*seeing all my friends again! i love you guys! xoxoxo
*for all of the many hugs & kisses
*making new friends <3

*loved seeing nightwish & i loved anette! great stage presence & so bubbly & cute!
*serenity really nice to chat with and super amazing on stage <3
*kingcrow~ i loved them & they were so sweet and nice to hang out with <3
*lanfear was a fun band..the singer has a great sense of humor
*loved seeing kamelot & symphony x again <3
*pretty maids were a blast! so much fun <3
*the guys from solution 45 were such nice guys (rode with them on the train to the airport)<3
*remembering to cut/paste when i went to post this (because i forgot to do that last year and i lost everything i wrote because i took too long and was logged out)

jeers ~

*always having the tallest/bobble-headed guy(s) in the venue stand right in front of me
*not going into detail because it's already been complained about
*the door into the venue for being too close to me and giving me a nice bruise on my shoulder...grrr
*bad hair days
*having to wear two different pairs of glasses (close-up & distance) because i can't wear contacts...grrr (and then forgetting to take them off when i was involved in any picture taking) grrr again

umm..i guess that's it for now...i'll probably think of more

 

[kellsco]

I forgot one jeer:

-Noodle dancing girl in the red Dixie Dregs shirt. And no bra. *shudder*. What the hell was that? I don't know what music she was dancing to, but it wasn't the music that was happening in the venue. And she was screaming so loudly you could actually hear her over the music. "DRUM SOLO!!!! DRUM SOLO!!!!!! DON'T YOU WANNA SEE A DRUM SOLO!!!!!!!!!" Lady, I play drums. Nobody has ever, in the history of concerts ever wanted to see a drum solo. Shut the hell up. This is what happens when you're on acid I guess (We were discussing it with the security guard at the front of the stage. We thought it was ecstasy but he said as a security guard he's seen both ecstasy and acid and he felt this one was likely an acid trip).

And she dropped said acid Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. If she was there on Friday, she was somewhere else. She was beyond distracting to enjoying the bands being right up at the rail like that...waving her arms around and yelling. Couple of us girls took to the floor during MaYaN's set and chased her off... For a while. sigh.

 

[esa]

The fried foods n' nuclear waste air quality in the vendor's room.

Kinda like stage smoke!

 

[Finn Mac Cuhal]

Maybe it can be attributed to this being my first ProgPower but I have only one jeer and countless cheers. The festival smashed every high hope I came with and elevated me instead to a Metal Valhalla. Indeed, I am now suffering endorphin withdrawals as I re-enter the blandness of everyday life. But there is XIV next year!

Every band was great but the highlights for me were Serenity, Beyond the Bridge, Amaranthe, Epica, and Symphony X sending us off with The Odyssey.

The biggest surprise for me? MaYaN. I am not a big fan of extreme metals bands predicated on heavy screams and grunts. I cam expecting to be unimpressed. Instead, their enthusiasm and energy captivated me. Every second of their performance secured my attention.

The only jeer was the dang parking deck at the law school. I left the Thursday night from Nightwish/Kamelot and when I typed in the code it prompted me to do so again and then informed me it was a duplicate code and to see an attendant. Right. What attendant? Not even a darn telephone number to call an attendant! I got out eventually as did another young couple in the sane fix but if the law school wants all the money they are due, they really need a mechanism for getting assistance to people glitched by their exit terminal. Spending the night in their parking garage is simply not an option!

 

[manowarfan1]

Cheers:

- to the best overall line-up in festival history. Even the 2 bands I assumed I would skip (Primordial and Mayan) were enjoyable. It's amazing how much money I DIDN'T spend in the vendor room because I was stuck in the venue for every damned band!

- to the fact that I can stand at or near the rail without getting crushed.

- to the guy sitting behind me who picked up my cell phone after I dropped it on my way out to grab some dinner and held onto it until I returned. I still owe you a beer or three!

Jeers:

- The only one worth mentioning is the lack of Pretty Maids merch.

Jim (the one who held your phone) doesn't get on the forums much but we will be in the same area next year as it provides him a place to be able to get up and stand every once in a while without having people directly behind him who would be obstructed otherwise. See ya next year
Cheers
jeff

 

[nailz]

*taking icky pix...(someday i will find a camera that loves me)....

Bah, it's less about how they look and more about how they feel. Some of my favorite shots are from people in the stands, because I miss certain moments while shooting on stage, and I get to say, "oh yah, that was awesome!"

 

[esa]

I have a self-jeer:

I was late for the Serenity band shot after their autograph session, and in my rush to the scene I blocked another person's shot and she probably didn't get another. I owe her a high-res copy of this image but neglected to get her contact info or give her my card, adding further insult to her injury. She did say that she isn't a forum member but her husband is. Husbands, anybody with a wife who is a Serenity fan and had unflattering things to say about me?

If you know who I'm referring to, please PM me, or contact me via email -- my email address is at both website and FB page in my sig.

 

[Wandrail]

Cheers:

- Reading that Pretty Maids brought it.


Jeers:

- Not being able to go to either night. My printed tickets are still staring at me, taunting me.

Dude, what the deuce?!

 

[RiffDaemon]

Dude, what the deuce?!

The joys of being a programmer on-call 24/7

Crap went down in the office both nights, and I wasn't able to leave. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased. Also needless to say, I had Maids cranked in my office the entire time.


(HCAF sidebar: Have you tried a THR-10 yet? I just picked one up a week or so ago, and this thing is titties for headphone practice and recording)

 

[Oblivion Ocean]

I have a self-jeer:

I was late for the Serenity band shot after their autograph session, and in my rush to the scene I blocked another person's shot and she probably didn't get another. I owe her a high-res copy of this image but neglected to get her contact info or give her my card, adding further insult to her injury. She did say that she isn't a forum member but her husband is. Husbands, anybody with a wife who is a Serenity fan and had unflattering things to say about me?


If you know who I'm referring to, please PM me, or contact me via email -- my email address is at both website and FB page in my sig.

I believe that was my wife, and she had nothing unflattering to say at all. In fact when she told me, she was excited that a professional photographer got the picture because the cell phone camera was really struggling with the lighting around the signing area. So no need for apologies, she will be happy when I show her this picture.

 

[No Username]

Cheers: (Beyond the normal, that Glenn and Jen rock like nobody else, the crew worked harder than anyone else, and the show was just awesome)
1. Seen a lot of these bands before, and was very happy that they were on the top of their game:
Kamelot: Best set I have ever seen from them.
Nightwish: Best set I have ever seen from them.
In fact, if you take out last year's Thursday night event, THIS year's pre-party was the best ever, IMO.
Symphony X: top two performance from them.
Serenity, BTB, Amaranthe! you all went well above expectations this year. Kudos!

2. Band Availability: Best ever IMO. It seemed that you ran into EVERYONE this year that you wanted to find, and some bands were hanging out for hours. It was special.

3. Mazda, for making the CX9 that we rented and drove from WPB. That car is a TARDIS...fitting more than we ever thought we could bring.

4. Marriott rewards VISA card: I got this card, bought a pack of gum with it, and got enough bonus points to pay for our stay at The Residence Inn. Next year, one of my compatriots will apply for the card and we will stay for free in 2013.

Jeers:
1. The group of people that acted like total dicks on Friday night, (the guy with the cheesy vest pushing through the crowd like he owned the place, one of the women with him smoking a "smokeless cigarette" and blowing it all over the people behind her, and the other women who got on the wrong side of the rail directly in front of the guard during Epica's set and recorded the songs). The "smokeless" cigarette woman started jumping up and down wildly and fell into me so hard that I thought she was going to break my brand new camera, so I lost a great spot due to her being an ass. I was standing at the edge of the rail and one of the other guys in this group came out of nowhere and tried to step directly in front of me to watch the set! When I stopped him, he got right in my face and I thought we were going to get in a fight...which I am sure the guard would not have stopped since he was uninterested in stopping anything else. Why do some people think that their ticket is a license to do whatever they want when they set foot in the building?

2. The dancing woman...she smelled so insanely bad that I had to move...I first saw her when I got on the floor at the end of Pretty Maids...and hoped like hell she was a "one and done" fan who would leave after PM finished...how wrong I was.

3. The security...training was spotty. Some of them were really on their game, and some of them clearly were brand new to this stuff.

4. Can we all agree that an official NO SEAT SAVING policy needs to be expressed for this show? Print it on the tickets? Leave a pile of dog shit on every seat that has a hotel towel across it? This is a GA show...that means if you are not sitting in a seat, YOU DON'T OWN IT. When I see a group of really nice seats go empty for a couple of sets because someone "reserved them" I want to go up there and soil the seats in a way that would get me banned from the show. Obviously the people who do this sort of thing do not read the forums...otherwise they would be shamed into not repeating themselves...

 

[Wandrail]

The joys of being a programmer on-call 24/7

Crap went down in the office both nights, and I wasn't able to leave. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased. Also needless to say, I had Maids cranked in my office the entire time.


(HCAF sidebar: Have you tried a THR-10 yet? I just picked one up a week or so ago, and this thing is titties for headphone practice and recording)

Hey I understand, I used to work in e-commerce development and I can recall crap like getting called up in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner...although I think missing Serenity and Primordial would piss me off more.

(Haven't played one of those little toasters yet, but I'd like to check one out! I gave into the inevitable and got a 6505 to do the final recordings for Bardagh...yes even sold the HT-5 )

 

[sava_freak]

Cheers:
-Seeing Friends from all over
-Seeing Kingcrow-Tech problems and all
-Being able to spend some money in the merch room (thanks to friends covering other cost for me)
-Gleen/Jenn-ALWAYS
-$1 bin At cdinzane
-Amaranthe

Jeers-
-Too many drunk people who could not control thier "fun"
-tech problems during Kingcrow