Headliner Feedback Request

[AMBR]

I was in the process of putting in a long reply this morning when the thread crashed, must have been when you were deleting the poll.

Anyway, in short, it would be more exciting for you to go with option D to shake things up and give us the chance to see someone we haven't seen before. I doubt the festival wouldn't sell out, just might take a little longer.

That said, I'm a huge SymX fan and wouldn't mind seeing them again. I've also seen Sonata Arctica 3 times but would love an opportunity to see them at PP.

(BTW:

Granted Sonata has toured the U.S., but I would assume it was in a very limited capacity and there must be plenty of states that they missed.

They are in the midst of a 30-date North American tour, so obviously though they will miss some states, I wouldn't say they've toured "very limited". )

Anyway, I guess I'm not very helpful, because I'm really up for any of the options. It really depends on the band.

 

[Magius]

B 1st, C 2nd

 

[Jim LotFP]

Go for someone tried and true. We've seen what happens when on-paper headliners like Rage and Pain of Salvation, who deserved the spot, go on last. If it was a 4th band, I think there'd be more room for experimentation.

I'd say option C.

 

[King Lek]

Very hard to approach the question unbiased by personal taste....so....me being you, I would do what intrigued me the most, factored with, how much time I wished to spend above and beyond the time i had already spent, and the cost and feasability to be intrigued.

I have been to the last two PP's and know the past line-ups enough to know your choices are excellent overall.

Trust your instincts.

 

[MysticX9]

B sounds good to me but I also like
cool surprises, whatever works best
Glenn, I'm there regardless...

Neal

 

[Joel-RZ]

c. I could go after a true headliner that will be touring the States this fall around the festival. It would be similar to the Stratovarius/Therion situation last fall. I cannot name anyone obviously.

d. I could gamble and go after someone that doesn't fit any of the above options. The problem is that it is riskier from a financial standpoint because let's face it, I have already booked the sure things.
Glenn H.

What a bummer to have to deal with Glenn...always something eh?

I think these 2 options are the most exciting/enticing. I know the work involved will suck, but the end may justify the means. You know you can always book a few names that would undoubtedly play the fest, especially in a headliner slot. But you have built this festival by taking chances and its almost always paid off. This situation does open doors to something new...now that we're past the loss of Nevermore, I can't wait to see who will take their place.

Im also not against an established older act, and/or even a band that is not an exact match for the fest. A little change wouldnt hurt here and there and maybe offering an older act who is not getting as much attention, a special evening to showcase their stuff might be a cool way to mark the night. P
One of the cool things about the Nevermore booking, imo, was that I saw people talking about coming the fest that had never been before. That can't be a bad thing. So a curveball everynow and again will draw some fresh blood to the event and more than likely to the overall fanbase.

I dont think the sales will suffer from taking a chance either. You have a very loyal following and legions more waiting for the chance to go. I say have fun with your pick, its going to be work no matter who you choose, so why not try to have some fun with it?

By late sat night we are all tired and weary, barely able to stand and in need of some energy...so whoever it is, make them heavy as fuck

Joel

 

[manowarfan1]

a. I could go the safe route and book a repeat headliner that has gone over extremely well in the past.
This is alright with me as I haven't seen all the PP fests before - but for some it may be a bit stale. I dont think this has a negative impact on ticket sales as there are 7 new bands regardless, right?

b. I could go after a band that will have done some shows (some this year) in the States prior to the festival. The "special" feel will be gone, but people will know what they are getting.
I think you underestimagte the "special" feel that people get from being at & seeing bands at PP. I've only been to one and I'm hooked. Again - a lot of these bands can only afford to hit the main cities on the east coast and maybe a few on the west - leaving vast tracts of the country un-toured. This is fine with me also

c. I could go after a true headliner that will be touring the States this fall around the festival. It would be similar to the Stratovarius/Therion situation last fall. I cannot name anyone obviously.
I dont know if option B or C contains the "dio" or "Saxon" type of bands - but that is the option I would choose. Safer bet for you - and especially if they haven't played PP before (but may have been playing for years) - it's a kickass venue & event for them to play at.

d. I could gamble and go after someone that doesn't fit any of the above options.
I trust your judgement here - even though it would be "nice" to see a bonafide "headliner" in a headline slot - I think the strength of the festival is in it's depth, and in the people who put it on and who attend it. We WILL be getting a dose of debuts, some favorites etc - your taste is obviously aligned with the majority of the people who attend or who are on this board - so even if you pull out an unknown quantity for headliner I think the fest will be just fine. I'm showing up regardless.

So a summary of longwindedness goes sumthin like this: B/C, A then D - taking in to account it is your money being laid out there until we all show up or put our own on the line.
Thanks for all your (and the staff/crew) hard work on this - it'll be great no matter what.
Jeff

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Glenn,

If you wouldn't mind an observation from an outsider, someone who hasn't been to a PP and still is not planning to go (not because I don't want to, but because the timing of the event doesn't work with my schedule)...

You are preaching to the choir in this thread. Well, actually you're polling the choir, but close enough. Everyone on this thread is going to PP this year, no matter who you get. They are going to accept whoever you choose because they know you, appreciate your efforts, and understand that Nevermore placed you in a rather sticky situation.

So what it really comes down to is selling tickets to people who haven't already committed to attending the festival (and probably don't hang out on the PP boards). The question you need to ask yourself (rather than asking the choir) is: Am I going to sell out PP if I put Kamelot, Savatage or SX as headliner again? If the answer is yes, just play it safe, get them signed up, and start thinking about next year. No one is going to hold that against you.

If you think you might not sell out with a repeat band, then you should probably go after someone that hasn't played there before but has a strong following.

Plan D is the ultimate choice, but probably not the wisest. You are too limited in time. You don't dare spend two or three months trying to work out all the details with a DIO-caliber choice, only for it to fall through and leave you scrambling at the last minute. If you're not sure about selling out, plans B and C seem like the most logical choice to me.

So there you have it; observations from someone who has no ties or bias. You can take it for whatever you deem it's worth!

 

[Wayniac]

What a bummer to have to deal with Glenn...always something eh?

I dont think the sales will suffer from taking a chance either. You have a very loyal following and legions more waiting for the chance to go. I say have fun with your pick, its going to be work no matter who you choose, so why not try to have some fun with it?

By late sat night we are all tired and weary, barely able to stand and in need of some energy...so whoever it is, make them heavy as fuck

Joel

Amen brotha Joel !
Glenn - whoever you pick, have some fun with it. I know some of your criteria involves personal interest in a band - pick one you want to see. And just for the record - Buffet would NOT be heavy as f88k !

 

[ProgMetalFan]

D

Just do something crazy.

 

[Osiris' Eyes]

Glenn,

C...and here is why...

Remember back in school when we would have those multiple choice exams...the philosophy always was...when in doubt pick C. It worked for me as I used this wisdom on my ACT.

All kidding aside...B and C, IMO, are considered the happy mediums with a minimal amount of risk. I'm there no matter what and we will love you no matter who you bring in as a replacement.

Good luck...The Dude Abides

 

[Anakinnnn]

Glenn, it's obviously your festival and I think that most people here are going regardless of who you pick. The festival is also a sell-out for the most part and has made a name for itself in the world on the net and elsewhere. I think this could be a great opportunity for you to take OPTION D and provide a spot for a band that is very deserving or has been overlooked.
The one thing I want to remind you is that certain bands have radical fans and other bands have subdued fans with a smaller voice. Does it mean they are any less fanatical about seeing that band? No.....but it does mean they might not have the loudest voice. There are PLENTY of bands (100s even) that have never been invited to the show because of various factors....but I know of 3 MAJOR bands that would love to play the show but some may consider them more prog-rock than prog-metal.........which is not true IMHO. So think about giving a shot to some bands that have paid their dues and earned a place in people's CD collections as solid performers and musicians and let one of them in this year.......it might help attact some people that weren't initially interested and may even open up the door to naysayers on how HEAVY a prog-rock band could be.......

Everyone knows who I want.....

ANAKIN

 

[Big Al 2112]

I say go with choice A or B. I would love to see any of the bands that you mentioned. Of those, I would really like to see Brainstorm back as a headliner. Someone mentioned we need someone heavy to close it off and Brainstorm is HEAVY!! Plus we all love Andy!!! Also I wouldn't love to see Kamelot or 'Tage again. As far as option B goes I say bring on Gamma Ray or Sonata Arctica. I don't get to go see Gamma Ray because of location and timing. I would love to see them. This could be the only chance for me to ever see them. Anyway, you can't lose with A or B.

\m/

 

[Zingababla]

I would go with options A or B. Both would provide the show with someone who knows how to close, and would rock the place.

 

[Meteornotes]

I've always thought that this show is special enough to sell out every year as long as you don't start booking American Idol runner-ups or whatever. My preference would be Option D, but at the end of the day, it's your money, and if the choice is taking an Option D risk or going with one of the other safer choices to make sure the show continues every year, well then, I'd say go with one of the other choices.

If you're going to go with something a little "safer", I'd suggest getting a band that has played a little in the US (like Sonata), or going for something like the Savatage show two years ago, that was something we were likely never going to see anywhere else. I love Symphony X and Kamelot, but we've seen them before and will probably see them again. I like the idea of a non-repeat band for the headliner. Though I'd make an exception for Threshold...

dt

 

[Unca Kev]

a. I could go the safe route and book a repeat headliner that has gone over extremely well in the past. It would be a safer route for me despite the sure bitching over it not being someone new. Obviously, I'm a refering to bands like Symphony X, Kamelot, Brainstorm, Tage (in some form), etc.

I'd be perfectly fine with this! These are the bands that most of us love and have proven themselves here at PP! The bands that I had been hoping to get both headliner spots were repeat bands anyways!

b. I could go after a band that will have done some shows (some this year) in the States prior to the festival. The "special" feel will be gone, but people will know what they are getting. I refer to bands like Sonata Arctica, Gamma Ray, Iced Earth, or a classic band from the 80's/90's.

The special feeling being gone factor would be a moot point as long as the band kicks our asses! Sure people will bitch about it beforehand, but when they're watching them, it will cease to matter to any of them that are fans of the band in question.

c. I could go after a true headliner that will be touring the States this fall around the festival. It would be similar to the Stratovarius/Therion situation last fall. I cannot name anyone obviously.

This would be fine as well! Plus that would save you money on airfare too, if they're a European band, since they're already in the States.

d. I could gamble and go after someone that doesn't fit any of the above options. The problem is that it is riskier from a financial standpoint because let's face it, I have already booked the sure things.

I'd really love to see what you could come up with going in this direction! By not fitting any of the above options, would that possibly be a band that doesn't completely fit the format? Or would that mean that you would change your mind about bumping bands?

 

[Ascension]

New, fresh blood is always good...throw them on the stage & give them an opportunity.

 

[Greykiller]

d. I could gamble and go after someone that doesn't fit any of the above options. The problem is that it is riskier from a financial standpoint because let's face it, I have already booked the sure things.

a. I could go the safe route and book a repeat headliner that has gone over extremely well in the past. It would be a safer route for me despite the sure bitching over it not being someone new.

Glenn H.

You know the financial end more than any of us...but when the last concert sold out in what, 4 days, do you think that this year would be different? Your lineup is already rock solid IMO--I have a hard time believing that anyone other than a few Nevermore fanboys would change their decision to go no matter who you get for Saturday night.

That said, I would prefer a headliner that has already played before. (I would not try to break a rule and suggest a name.)

As far as point (a) is concerned...some people are going to bitch no matter what you do. FUCK EM if they can't take a joke.

 

[EDVANTASIA]

I personally would pick option B(in fact I would love to see any of those bands listed) I realize that most of thosebands tour the US,but they don't evvvver come to North Carolina, the closest thing I get, are King's X, who I love, but god they are freaking boring live.Which brings me to my second thought, I want to see a high energy Saturday Headliner.I want someone running around stage having fun, rocking the house. and getting the whole audience in a frenzy.Because even bands I have seen at Progpower that I enjoy, they don't all posess those traits, now granted those bands are excellent musicians and create great music, I don't want to see a clinic, I want to see a rock show.

 

[DoomsdayZach]

I know i don't post here much, but was looking forward to hitting the fest this year due largely in part to nevermore. I say get whoever you can, but only if they can do something special. Let me throw out examples. Symphony X has potential because they could play some rare songs such as Edge of Forever that never get pulled out. Bands like Hammerfall would not be good because they kick ass at what they do, but there's not a lot of room for something more than just your standard hammerfall show. Those are NOT suggestions of who to get/not to get, just to make the point.

I live in the seattle area, and Nevermore are the hometown boys. On the Enemies of Reality tour, i saw Nevermore at least 5 or 6 times within months because they played a lot of local shows (opening for Type O Negative for example). I have seen this band so many times, but i was prepared to fly all the way across the country on the promise that they would do somethign special that i haven't seen before.

To wind up my essay, i realize you are in a predicament where you only have about a month to get this sorted out before tix go on sale (and i assume you want to have everything in line before then, thouhg i know it'd sell out even if you didn't name a headliner before then). I know that a lot of people may be asking for a lot, including myself. My point is simply that there are bands that would work and bands that won't.

Oh, and even thouhg nevermore dropped out, am i still going to come regardless of the other headliner? Same answer as when nevermore was on teh bill... i will try my damndest!