--Chuck, Please don't think for 1 second that from moment one of PPUSA III we didn't learn 1000 things we could have done differently or better. Realize that each time we've done the even it has gotten 10x better in someway. Some things are completely out of the control of the promotor. Is Disney World really all we imagined it to be once we get there? Expectations and Improvements are 2 totally different things. I want to comment on some specifics that Deron did touch upon, but I want to further expand on.
"At the very least maybe on Saturdays only start at noon, bring some smaller yet decent bands from the states in. Two days worth with ten bands per day is not too much to ask for the amount of money the tickets cost. There are plenty of quality bands on the scene domestically that could be added for a decent price. "
--I understand the want for more bands, but with running the crew I can tell you, this is not going to happen without hurting the quality of the event. I don't want to get too negative, but it is difficult to get suggestions sometimes, when some have no idea what went into just making this event happen the last 3 times. I need to ask if you understand, how much it costs to fly a band in from Europe? How about with their crew in some cases? How much do you have to pay them to go through the trouble? How about if they are a headliner and this is a one-off show? Did you know that Ticketmaster does not pay a promoter until the show is over, in case of cancellations or riots(*see G-N-R in the news). Before speaking of how much you pay for a ticket and what that should afford, realize what you are getting. He pays the crew, hotels, travel expenses, the venue and the bands... including their food and drinks. Glenn lost thousands of dollars and probably some of his sanity for the first 2 festivals to maintain the quality acts that were there, as well as dished out thousands in advance of this show to make it happen. If you even began to delve into the costs involved with getting just the gear and the venue you would soon realize this is not a money making venture in the least. Cheap local bands making name for themselves starts at places like Powermad. I only know this from experience. Once they have built a steady following and somehow work into similar circles, then they might be ready for ProgPower. If someone wants to see bands from noon until 4, then they should rent a venue in Atlanta that weekend and do this event. I think they would find few would show up, because after a pre-party and a night of metal, they need a little rest. The reason things seem to run so smoothly and there is very little down time is because we do something almost no other festival attempts to do.... Line/Sound-checks during the day. We do this not only for the bands, but so that the crew can try to run into any big hurdles before the bands come out. This still is never going to be 100% and some bands put roadblocks in front of themselves, which only hurts the festival in hindsight. I would love to watch bands from 8am to 2am, but it just is not going to happen if you want a quality show that runs on time, appeases all the bands, appeases the fans and sounds good all at the same time. It's hard enough to get the headliner to show up at 11am to soundcheck and leave their egos at the door, now imagine telling them you want them in at 5am after flying for 19 hours straight from their country, because local or stateside bands play at noon. Let me state for the record that even though you might arrive at 3pm, the crew has already worked a full day and it has only begun. In 2.5 days we work somewhere near 40 hours and Glenn is there the whole time. I appreciate people taking the time to give their input, but
"I would never ask for a snafu like the Milwaukee Metalfest or any of his shows...I would not condone something like a curtain between bands, this would only be a doable option if the stages were separated enough for little to no sound bleed. The point I was making about Ozzfest was peoples endurance not the musical type or comparing it in any other way. "
--Which is really never possible unless you ran 2 venues next to each other. This is why it sounds good in one venue. There is way too much work that happens before a band hits the stage where the room needs to be heard.
"Other domestic metal festivals are struggling to be in Glenn's league I will agree. However from what I've seen metalheads are often long on heart, wear their metalhearts on the sleeves of their denim jackets (even if hanging in the closet or don't fit any longer) and short on cash. Maybe Glenn was luckier than others, maybe he tried harder, or it was a combination of both. Would you say Keith Menser didn't care enough or try hard enough with Powermad. I feel that his heart was in it, but not enough people came through attendance wise to take it to the next level. It was interesting no one commented (yet) on the idea for a fan poll or some sort of voting system for the bands picked. "
--First let me say that without Powermad there probably would not have been a ProgPower. It prompted the response of doing a show like this for this audience. ProgPower was a success, because we all attended Powermad and were able to learn from what we saw. We all gave Keith some suggestions and offered to help with our own time, but were never taken up on the offer. When Glenn decided to do this, those same people were the first in line to help him do it. About voting bands in, even if 25 bands were voted in, only 5 of those would be able to pull off the visas and travel plans that need to happen to not end up with a "no show". At the end of the day, this is Glenn's show, but he does work hard to please everyone and give some lesser known bands who have worked hard (**ahem**) a chance to play in front of an appreciative crowd. If you knew what a nightmare that side of things were, you would understand the only reason some of the bands were here was because Glenn liked them enough to jump through hoops of fire to get them or someone else helped him do the same. As a matter of fact, Dan Swano and Devin T were both at PPUSA, because of some very dedicated fans who put their money where their mouths were.
"Point is this. I would just like to see at least one other decent metal festival in the stages with excellent bands. "
--Cool, when do you start setting it up? These are very similar to the words that Glenn as a fan stated at Powermad over dinner wtih a bunch of us. He then made it happen. These events don't just fall together, it takes someone who is willing to put alot of thought into it (much like yourself) on how things could be better for fans like themselves.
"While I do love Power Metal (and what a wide open term that is), I am not a progressive music fan. I don't think less of anyone who is nor hopefully will I be bagged on for this comment, just my personal tastes. I would like to see another two to three day festival in the states that would book bands like Armored Saint, Udo, Rage, Running Wild, Grave Digger, and other true metal mixed with some melodic power bands that would not interfere and instead complement what ProgPower is all about."
--Get on it... Grave Digger's manager is also BG's manager, so good luck with that. As long as you are so sure about it, then you simply have to put money where your mouth is. Be ready to lose money on the first 2 festivals to build the reputation that Glenn has or you could end up with a big name festival that bands don't care to play. Glenn is so likeable that many of this friends offered their services to help make these shows happen. That is an important element to promoting that few understand. It is not about logic every time. It's easy to point out what we would like to see, but to make it happen is a whole new can of worms. I would absolutely love to see someone else do this and I'm sure Glenn would feel the same way. We would both love to go to a show of this caliber and actually be able to enjoy it, rather than run around the entire time putting out fires. It's kind of sad that this is his baby, but he cannot enjoy it like he would like to. I beg that you do a festival so that we both can go and get really drunk and stand around and talk with old friends without any stress, which neither of us have done at any of the PPUSA shows.
"I do think a lot of metal heads listen to a wide range of music. I could listen to Slayer and then Angra no problem, and a festival that celebrates our differences (if fans are openminded enough) would be a stick in the face to popular music. "
--Again... I can't wait. Let me know how this goes and where to be, I would pay $100+ for tickets for 2 days of 5 bands each with 80% of them being signed and at least 75% of those being from overseas that I would otherwise never see!! Cool! Just like you like Slayer (as do I) some will not, just like Progressive is not your thing. Remember, you cannot please everyone, so don't bother beating yourself up about it.
"I do think that yes it is cool to bring bands that don't tour the states as often, but look at the Euro fests. A lot of the bands that play also play on regular tours. For those of you who live in say a Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, whatever, you are lucky enough to see Iced Earth, or other bands who do small two week tours. Not here in the Midwest and I can't justify ten little $200 trips and days off to go see each individual tour. "
--Me neither, so let me know when and where to be and I promise to be there!! I will do my best to drag Glenn along as well!
Cheers,
Chris Roy:Smokedev:
Stage Manager Of ProgPower USA
& Singer of Reading Zero
The idea is simple, it's genius, and THAT (in my opinion) are the kind of "ADDITIONS" I'd like to see at PP. Nothing needs to CHANGE, but improvements seem to be what PP is striving for in order to bring us the best! 
