Music festival goers: How much of the lineup typically appeals to you?

johnfrank1970

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I always end up frustrated over metal festival lineups, as they usually consist of 10-20% bands I'd love to see and the remaining 80-90% is uninteresting to me. I'd love to see Cynic, Psycroptic, and Gorod at the Maryland Deathfest, but I can't justify wading through the 22 crappy goregrind bands to get to them. I'd love to see Atheist, but I could care less about the rest of the bands on the roster of the horribly named Los Angeles Murderfest Version 3.0.

I go to Chicago Powerfest every year because it's convenient, Rob and Chris usually book at least one band I'd like to see, and I have a lot of fun hanging out with fellow metal nerds. I am going to PPUSA this year for the same reasons, except, of course, for the convenience.

I am wondering if I am too picky for fests. Maybe I am not enough of a genre fan. Maybe I am not enough of a fan of live music in general.

Anyway, for the festivals you attend, how do the lineups stack up for you? It will be interesting to see how you approach them.
 
ProgPower is about the only 'real' fest I've ever attended, due mainly to convenince as you said. And through the years, I would say that only about 50% of the lineup - at best - has ever appealed to me. But also over the years I've come to know so many fellow metal nerds at the fest that it's just as much a part of the weekend to reunite with old friends as it is to see the bands!

:headbang:
 
I am wondering if I am too picky(snip) Maybe I am not enough of a genre fan.

We already know that much John :lol:

Meanwhile, to answer your question - I'd say somewhere between 35 - 45% of the band lineups appeal to me on average.

But seeing the bands in general accounts for maybe 30% at most of why I'd want to go to PP (the other 70% has to be the friends you only get to meet like once a year)
 
I always end up frustrated over metal festival lineups, as they usually consist of 10-20% bands I'd love to see and the remaining 80-90% is uninteresting to me.
I'm about the same. The first ProgPower I attended (PPII), 60% of the line-up were bands I really wanted to see. The last few years, it's been 20% to 30%.

This year's line-up is pretty solid for me. While the only band I really, really want to see is Redemption (and Vanden Plas... if you count the pre-party), there are a number of bands I'm interested in; Pagan's Mind, Virgin Steele, Freak Kitchen, After Forever, and to a lesser extant, Communic, Firewind and Raintime.

Zod
 
It really depends. At some larger European festivals, it's usually a mix of a few bands I really want to see amidst a bunch I have no interest in, whereas in situations with less bands, like Progpower, I usually like a larger percentage of the lineup but to a lesser extent than I enjoy the "big" bands that I would sit through 20 bands I don't like to see at the larger festivals.
 
I always end up frustrated over metal festival lineups, as they usually consist of 10-20% bands I'd love to see and the remaining 80-90% is uninteresting to me. I'd love to see Cynic, Psycroptic, and Gorod at the Maryland Deathfest, but I can't justify wading through the 22 crappy goregrind bands to get to them. I'd love to see Atheist, but I could care less about the rest of the bands on the roster of the horribly named Los Angeles Murderfest Version 3.0.

I go to Chicago Powerfest every year because it's convenient, Rob and Chris usually book at least one band I'd like to see, and I have a lot of fun hanging out with fellow metal nerds. I am going to PPUSA this year for the same reasons, except, of course, for the convenience.

I am wondering if I am too picky for fests. Maybe I am not enough of a genre fan. Maybe I am not enough of a fan of live music in general.

Anyway, for the festivals you attend, how do the lineups stack up for you? It will be interesting to see how you approach them.

Well, I'll be honest. If its live and its metal or prog music and I have nothing better to do, I'm pretty much going. Life is too short to bitch. Concerts are almost always social events for me. Its an backdrop to hang out with my friends and have a good time. And what better backdrop could live metal music be? Festivals like Prog Power, however, usually have me excited as all hell to see every single band. This is the first year, however, where there are more than 1 or 2 bands that I could care less about. Still, I'm going. Good times are gauranteed at this place.

The Michael
 
Anyway, for the festivals you attend, how do the lineups stack up for you? It will be interesting to see how you approach them.

At the start of the fest to date I have been familiar with (or was interested in) a combined total of: 14% of the bands, but yet I keep going. I usually end up "discovering" a band there that I really enjoy. If not 2-3 bands that I end up falling in love with.

Upong attending 3 fests I have become familar and HUGE fans of at least 6-7 bands combined.

You have to remember no promoter is ever going to please everyone with every single line up/ show/ venue/ genre/ slots/ times etc.

-Metal
 
In the outside world I'm not very social. If I don't know you I probably won't go up and start a conversation with you. At least not too often. But I'm not conversation shy either. I'm not a huge partier. I.E. I don't go to a concert for social anything. But that is a bonus I guess at times.

I've gone to the last to ProgPowers based on the fact that I love power and progressive metal, and its near where I live. I have a hard time travelling for metal. But some of the festivals this year entice me greatly due to lineup.

As for the factors. They will be: Is the lineup attractive for the lady in my life to join me? How much will it cost to go? How much do I like the bands (I have liked every band on the PP roster for the last few years. I'm easy to please I guess. But only a few have I totally loved. -But- I tend to love to just seeing people perform live), how much time do the bands I love most get to play, am I interested in staying for the whole thing, what else is there to do in the area of the venue during non-concert times?

I'd say this. Nearly the whole roster must be enticing. With only one or two at most that I would not wish to see. But as long as there are one or two I'd love to see, and the rest is 'okay' then I'm willing to go.
 
I don't attend too many festivals. I've attended PP the last 3 years and this will be my 4th. I also plan on attending Chicago Powerfest this year and I've attended Ozzfest 3 or 4 times in my life.

I usually decide to attend a festival for about 20-40% of the bands (bands I knew of and enjoyed prior to the festival announcement), but by the time the event rolls around I'm usually up to anticipating at least 40-50% of the bands that will be playing, sometimes more, sometimes less. It really depends on the festival - PP usually more, Ozzfest usually less.

ProgPower is, however, the exception to the rule for me when it comes to deciding to attend. Although I doubt it will ever come to this, I would attend even if I didn't like/know a single band on the bill. That's probably due to the fact that, overall, attending a festival for me is often alot about the atmosphere and not just which bands are playing. I'm attending Chicago Powerfest this year for the first time and that is solely based on the fact that Benedictum is playing (and a little bit due to what I have heard about the fest from others at PP or on the forum here).

All in all, I love metal and I love going to shows. If there is a metal show with at least one band that I know and like on the bill, than there is a good chance I'll go (within reason concerning cost, travel and other event details). :headbang:
 
You have to remember no promoter is ever going to please everyone with every single line up/ show/ venue/ genre/ slots/ times etc.

-Metal

Oh, I know. I just wish there was a fest for my tastes that I could count on year after year like PPUSA is for many of you. A classic thrash fest or thrashy/melodic death fest would be awesome. A complex/tech metal fest would be brilliant, but it does not seem feasible from the research I have done.
 
Have you researched all the Europe fests? Its sometimes cheaper to go to those than some of the distant ones (though you fairly near the center of the US) from ya.

Start your own John!
 
Have you researched all the Europe fests? Its sometimes cheaper to go to those than some of the distant ones (though you fairly near the center of the US) from ya.

Start your own John!

I can't imagine a Eurofest being cheaper than PPUSA, and PPUSA is a significant stretch for me. This will only be my second trip to Atlanta.

I did explore putting on a complex/tech fest in Chicago. I was surprised at the amount of private investment I was pledged (several thousand $), but it was not nearly enough. Plus, that type of music does not draw well, and Chicago does not seem to be that hospitable to metal fests. Maybe I will look into a thrash fest next, but I think the startup costs for that would be even higher. I am not willing to sacrifice the money and personal issues Glenn endured to establish PPUSA.
 
depending on miles to venue, cost of ticket and whether or not a few bands playing the festival are doing any other shows. California gets quite a few festivals and often there are at least 5 bands I'd like to see but logistically speaking I just cannot make it. Then there's been the festival where I only want to see one band, but they're amazing and not doing any other shows so I go.

Progpower has been absofuckinlutely hands down the best fest and I hope to continue to go because yes we get amazing bands (50%) for me on my trips. But mostly because the whole fest staff, venue and you..yes you! Best bunch of nicest metallers one could have the pleasure of meeting and partying with!
 
We attend three festivals every year. Here's how it breaks down:

ProgPower - I've only ever skipped one band's set (Nightwish), and there were two more that I probably should have skipped (not naming them to keep whining to a minimum), so that's a pretty damn good track record for attending ever PP but one. In general, the line up pretty much always appeals and/or it's bands that I'm not really familiar with, and I look forward to checking them out live. I'm more of a prog fan than a power fan, but many power bands put on excellent live shows and are a ton of fun to watch, even if I wouldn't normally listen to their CDs at home. Remember, we rarely leave the auditorium during a PP show, except for the bathroom or food, so I feel we get an amazing value for our money here.

RoSFest - I've been to every one of these. I've never skipped a band, never walked out on one (though it was tempting for Tiles), and have only seen one horrible performance (Satellite, who despite recording an amazing CD really had no business being on that stage, let alone being a headliner). Most of the time, I am only familiar with at most 50% of the bands announced for this show. However, since they're all usually neo or symphonic prog, and I generally enjoy those styles, I am often entertained. Every year there's at least one band that comes out of nowhere and kicks your ass (last year it was Magic Pie, the year before it was Magenta and Cryptic Vision).

Nearfest - There is always at least one band we'll skip, usually a headliner (to date, the only headliner we've watched was IQ a few years ago). I often feel this show has way more interesting bands in the lower slots anyway. Again, like RoSFest, if I am familiar with half the bands playing before the show I am amazed. I've gotten some surprises here over the years (Kenso, Hydria Spacefolk), and seen some things that were not to my tastes at all. While the long gaps between bands can be a problem if you're skipping someone, a car and a trip to a local bar or restaurant easily kills the time.

So overall, I'd say that PP is the show that best matches up with my musical tastes and delivers the best bang for the buck. Just my dumb opinion, of course...

dt
 
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Generally speaking, there either has to be a couple of bands that I absolutely MUST see, or several that at least interest me. Either that or it has to be relatively inexpensive. PP is the one exception - I will go no matter who gets booked. I have complete faith in Glenn...he's got a great track record so far. There have been only a few bands I wasn't interested in, but that just made time for shopping/drinking/socializing/whatever. And there have been several pleasant surprises. So I'll go regardless. And I'll LIKE it :)
On the other hand, this year's lineup for Powerfest isn't doing much for me. If I still lived in Milwaukee I'd most likely go anyway since it would be a lot cheaper to drive the 2 hours to Chicago. But being a good bit further away, I need more incentive than I'm currently getting. I do see myself heading down to the Texas Madfest (but for chrissakes, Houston in JULY?? lol). That's looking to be fairly affordable, as I've found some cheap flights and I hear the hotels are quite reasonable. Plus, I should have quite enough vacation time saved up by then (always an issue, dammit).
Glad to see you'll be joining us this year at PP, John! The more the merrier :)
 
Hmmm, it seems like Glenn's rosters typicaly run about 50% for me, but my tolerances might be a lot lower than average. Even if I flat-out don't like a band before the fest -- which has hardly ever happened -- or I'm not familiar with a band beforehand, I'll still check them out, because Glenn and his crew typically wring out good shows and good sound from the bands......the greatness of the venue helps, too. But as with most here, maybe 40% of my PPUSA anticipation is based on the bands.....the other 60% is based on the attendees. Yes, you! And you, and YOU, and YOU over there. (But not that one guy over there. :lol: )

I haven't attended any other fests aside from ProgPower Europe in 1999, which had several bands that I reallllly wanted to see (and some of them, like Superior, Lemur Voice and Mayadome, were friends' bands from online, so.......)

I'm planning on attending Texas Madfest, though. "Come for the seemingly endless barbecue.....stay for some bands that happen to be playing." :heh:
 
My first fest was the first BW&BK show. Some friends were really psyched about the lineup, but I only knew a couple bands. I went along just to take a metal road trip with my pals and had a great time. I also came back a fan of a bunch of bands I'd never heard of before the trip.

My next fest was ProgPower IV. I came to that solely to see Circle II Circle while my friend I went with was only there to see Symphony X. I left PPIV a fan of Nightwish, Evergrey and Vanden Plas.

The following year's lineups for PPV and BW&BKII both had a bunch of bands I was familliar with and wanted to see ... BW&BK - Primal Fear, Doro, Grave Digger, Brainstorm, Metal Church, Seven Witches, Shok Paris ... PPV - Savatage/WoMD, Edguy, Tad Morose, Brainstorm and Kamelot

I enjoyed Tad Morose so much that I went with some friends to Chicago PowerFest to see them, Morganna LeFay, Warmachine and Ion Vein.

PPVI I mainly came for Pink Cream 69, I would have came even if they were the only band on the bill I liked! Seeing Stratovarius, Circus Maximus, Symphorce, Conception, Stride and D.C. Cooper too was just icing on the cake. I also thoroughly enjoyed Therion and Orphaned Land - 2 bands with styles that normally fall outside my tastes.

Last year I came to see Jorn, Thunderstone, Savage Circus, Circle II Circle, Circus Maximus, Evergrey, Epica, Pyramaze and Theocracy. I left a new fan of Vision Divine and Freak Kitchen.

This year I'm excited to see Sonata Arctica, Primal Fear, FireWind, Threshold, After Forever, Redemption, Vanden Plas and Freak Kitchen. I expect one or more other bands will also make a new fan out of me.

I guess I must be easy to please because nearly every fest I've been to has been a bargain. Especially considering that I will travel just to see just ONE band if I really like them. I traveled to Chicago for Edguy/HammerFall, Minnesota for Gamma Ray/Avian and Denver for Helloween/Jag Panzer.
 
I always end up frustrated over metal festival lineups, as they usually consist of 10-20% bands I'd love to see and the remaining 80-90% is uninteresting to me. I'd love to see Cynic, Psycroptic, and Gorod at the Maryland Deathfest, but I can't justify wading through the 22 crappy goregrind bands to get to them. I'd love to see Atheist, but I could care less about the rest of the bands on the roster of the horribly named Los Angeles Murderfest Version 3.0.

I am wondering if I am too picky for fests. Maybe I am not enough of a genre fan. Maybe I am not enough of a fan of live music in general.
Maybe you need to expand your interests in metal genres. This is just my opinion, but I don't find that there is enough really talented truly death metal bands here to fill out fests rosters nationwide. You will always end up with an inordinant amount of crappy goregrind bands, and there are sooo damn many of them! I've endured far too many just at club shows.

You didn't mention other genres, but if you go to PP you must have interest in more. Expand even further on those and get educated on the bands. This forum is a great place to find those that are really good, and sometimes nearly unknown! Then you'll have more to look forward to especially at fests with a wide variety of bands.

I couldn't believe how many people went to Sweden Rock last year and were only interested in a handful of bands. I couldn't stop running from one stage to another enjoying everything from Firewind, Evergrey, Kamelot, Porcupine Tree, Edguy and Vanden Plas to Whitesnake, Celtic Frost, Venom and Metal Church as well as Deep Purple, W.A.S.P. and Journey. Even Molly Hatchet was fun to watch. The more bands you know, the more you'll have to enjoy.

ProgPower for the money and number of bands easily has the highest percentage of bands I already like or am interested in learning more about. It's rare that there is more than one band that I have no interest in. I still give every band at least a three-song chance.

Well, I'll be honest. If its live and its metal or prog music and I have nothing better to do, I'm pretty much going. Life is too short to bitch. Concerts are almost always social events for me. Its an backdrop to hang out with my friends and have a good time. And what better backdrop could live metal music be?
The Michael
That's my MO exactly. :headbang:
 
If there's ONE band I know, then it's worth it to me. The rest is a learning experience/wonderful suprise.

I was planning to come to ProgPower NO MATTER WHAT. Glenn might as well just set aside three tickets each year, with Bryan, Roger and Jeremy written on them. Then they announced Vanden Plas and Freak Kitchen, and that was good enough. As soon as Primal Fear was announced, I felt a great satisfaction and many horns were thrown. :headbang:

The Chicago Powerfest, honestly, didn't excite me until they announced Mystic Prophecy, then I was REALLY ready to commit again! I'm hoping for the second headliner to really stick the branding iron on me and guarantee a trip to the Windy City again. Not to say that the bands announced aren't gonna entertain me, or the names aren't impressive enough for me, it's just that I know NOTHING of those bands yet. So I need to do my research, do my shopping, and find out which other bands I'll make sure to get ready for.


I guess that's the thing about a festival for me. If there's even one band I wanna see, and maybe two other bands immediately get my attention after doing the research on them, then that's a sold ticket.