I would be interested to see To-Mera, Visions of Atlantis, Benedictum, or Echoes of Eternity for next year.
How was the turn out for the festival this year I almost forgot to ask.
I am personally vying for Benedictum next year and am going to do everything in my power to help Nathan get them on the bill ... whether or not that will actually happen is another story. All of the other bands you mentioned are on my wish list as well (and I'm sure Nathan would welcome them with open arms, baring costs), but with this being a young festival, you have to be careful that you don't break the bank in the first few years if you want a fest like this to grow and continue as an annual thing. Benedictum is from L.A. so I think they could be doable, but only time will tell.
Many of the other bands you mentioned may also be doable, but I personally don't know what it would cost to bring them to the states or to the festival. Since Melissa Ferlaak was the emcee this year and she is originally from MN, I would imagine there is a possibility that her band, Visions of Atlantis, could play the fest in a future year.
The turnout was (I think) as good as can be expected for a first year festival. It did not sell out, but Nathan told me that he came close to breaking even. I'll leave it up to Nathan to provide actual numbers from ticket sales on here if he chooses.
Just to try give you an idea - DemonOfTheWoods told me that when Doro went on stage the main room in the venue was half-way full. That doesn't count folks who were in the second bar area or outside. The AC was broken in the venue and it was hot as shit, so I heard several folks say that they could not stay in that main room for long periods. It was also my first trip to Station-4 and I'm not certain what their max capacity is.
Nathan also confessed to me that he did not realize until after the show that this was the same weekend as Father's Day, which may have played into folks ability to travel for the fest that weekend. We also only had three months (as opposed to a full year) to promote this show, as the date was only announced mid-March. All-in-all Nathan seemed satisfied with the success of the festival, as did many others who attended and told us that they planned to attend next summer.
