Heh. I thought Pagan's Mind was one of the weaker sets of the night. But this isn't a band that I was familiar with beyond about 2 songs. From what i heard, I liked the riffs, I loved the solos (yay for a metal guitarist who realizes they he doesn't need to sweep pick everything). What hurt me was mostly the singer. Yes, he can sing very well and strongly. But to me, the only thing that changed about his singing from song to song was the words out of his mouth. His style/approach/delivery remained the same. A few of us agreed (who weren't very familiar with the band going in), that its a band... or at least a singer... that is in love with a particular sound and that's just what they are going to do. That said... Osiris' Eyes just kicks ass.
Communic was also just alright for me. I thought they could have been better, and I like them on Cd, but live they did little for me.
Redemption was very good. Great song selection, excellent playing.
Sonata Arctica kicked some serious ass. Loved their entire set.
And co-sponsoring Virgin Steele was definitely worth it for me. I really enjoyed their performance, song selection and all. Talked to Dave a little bit after the show and he just kept saying how honored they were to perform at ProgPower, and how much they enjoyed the reception. I know the band isn't for all, but for those of us who love them it was just an awesome show.
Can't say much about Raintime as due to time issues only caught them at the end. They sounded great though and I hope to see them again. From the audience reaction at the end... I wouldn't doubt if it was next year at the showcase.