As always, Glenn runs the best festival in Metal. I will continue to buy my Gold Badges blind, as I have every confidence that Glenn will continue to put together killer shows.
The crowds at ProgPower couldn't be better. Every person I've ever run into (this was my 4th year), couldn't be cooler. It's such a blast to be able to talk music with people who know their shit.
The bands:
Into Eternity - in a word, disappointing. They weren't bad mind you, they just weren't as good as I was expecting them to be. I've been waiting to see these guys for a while now, and they just didn't pull it off like I thought they would. Largely, I attribute this to two factors; too many new members and a limited sound check. I thought the new singer did an excellent job.
Dreamscape - their CD bores me to tears and I had no interest in hearing their music live.
Tad Morose - f**king amazing! These guys kicked my ass from one side of the venue to the other. IMO, the band of the festival.
Kamelot - solid. After seeing their PPII performance, I was expecting more. They are a good band, who sounds tight live, but just lacks the raw energy and intensity that's required to be a great live band.
Savatage/Taj Mahal/WoMD/A Night with Jon Oliva - yawn. Easily the worst performance I've witnessed at PP since Dan Swano sat down with his lyrics on a stand in front of him and performed Nightingale music with all the energy of a dead trout.
Adagio - when they were first announced, I was excited to see them. The loss of their vocalist tempered my excitement dramatically. I watched the first 1.5 songs and then headed to the bar.
Wuthering Heights - see Dreamscape.
Brainstorm - f**king amazing. These guys, along with Tad Morose, made the festival for me. Andy is one hell of a front man.
Pain of Salvation - their performance at PPIII was lackluster. At the time, I attributed this to the fact that they had to follow Blind Guardian's 1st NA appearance, the venue emptied out after BG, it was freezing in the venue, and Daniel had just flown half way across the globe to perform and was a little under the weather. As it turns out, this music just isn't what I want to hear live. I respect what these guys do, but their music (in my opinion) is better suited for CD than it is for concert.
Edguy - I wasn't feeling all that good at the beginning of the night, and was feeling that much worse by the time Edguy took the stage. I tried to tough it out (I was third row when they took the stage). But about half way through their set, I needed to bail and watch from the seats. That being said, it seemed like Tobias lacked the energy that he displayed at PPIII. I also felt as though the constant audience participation, the drum solo, the mic/voice problems, the forgetting of lyrics, a less than spectacular set list and having two different guest vocalist, kept the show from ever building the momentum that their PPIII performance built. That being said, I'm just so impressed with Jens Ludwig. This guy is total energy on stage. He's relentless. He's also a fantastic showman and a heck of a guitar player.
I'm sure plenty of folks will disagree to some degree or another with some (or all) of my perspective. That's cool... different strokes for different folks. See you all next year.
Zod
The crowds at ProgPower couldn't be better. Every person I've ever run into (this was my 4th year), couldn't be cooler. It's such a blast to be able to talk music with people who know their shit.
The bands:
Into Eternity - in a word, disappointing. They weren't bad mind you, they just weren't as good as I was expecting them to be. I've been waiting to see these guys for a while now, and they just didn't pull it off like I thought they would. Largely, I attribute this to two factors; too many new members and a limited sound check. I thought the new singer did an excellent job.
Dreamscape - their CD bores me to tears and I had no interest in hearing their music live.
Tad Morose - f**king amazing! These guys kicked my ass from one side of the venue to the other. IMO, the band of the festival.
Kamelot - solid. After seeing their PPII performance, I was expecting more. They are a good band, who sounds tight live, but just lacks the raw energy and intensity that's required to be a great live band.
Savatage/Taj Mahal/WoMD/A Night with Jon Oliva - yawn. Easily the worst performance I've witnessed at PP since Dan Swano sat down with his lyrics on a stand in front of him and performed Nightingale music with all the energy of a dead trout.
Adagio - when they were first announced, I was excited to see them. The loss of their vocalist tempered my excitement dramatically. I watched the first 1.5 songs and then headed to the bar.
Wuthering Heights - see Dreamscape.
Brainstorm - f**king amazing. These guys, along with Tad Morose, made the festival for me. Andy is one hell of a front man.
Pain of Salvation - their performance at PPIII was lackluster. At the time, I attributed this to the fact that they had to follow Blind Guardian's 1st NA appearance, the venue emptied out after BG, it was freezing in the venue, and Daniel had just flown half way across the globe to perform and was a little under the weather. As it turns out, this music just isn't what I want to hear live. I respect what these guys do, but their music (in my opinion) is better suited for CD than it is for concert.
Edguy - I wasn't feeling all that good at the beginning of the night, and was feeling that much worse by the time Edguy took the stage. I tried to tough it out (I was third row when they took the stage). But about half way through their set, I needed to bail and watch from the seats. That being said, it seemed like Tobias lacked the energy that he displayed at PPIII. I also felt as though the constant audience participation, the drum solo, the mic/voice problems, the forgetting of lyrics, a less than spectacular set list and having two different guest vocalist, kept the show from ever building the momentum that their PPIII performance built. That being said, I'm just so impressed with Jens Ludwig. This guy is total energy on stage. He's relentless. He's also a fantastic showman and a heck of a guitar player.
I'm sure plenty of folks will disagree to some degree or another with some (or all) of my perspective. That's cool... different strokes for different folks. See you all next year.
Zod