Perspective from a PP virgin.....

[grogg]

This was my first year here and me and my girlfriend had an absolute blast...
We were amazed at all the new friends we met and how the bands would mill about out in the lobby and talk to everyone and get their pics taken with us. We met folks from all over the place this weekend and everyone was awesome.

And the bands were phenomenal (except we nearly fell asleep during the VS show). Personally, we both looked forward to the PM, Redemption, Threshold, and After Forever sets and weren't disappointed. It's hard to put one band on top of another - Primal Fear blew us away even though we weren't familiar with much of their music. And the Jam afterwards was totally awesome.

So thanks everyone for all the insight as to what to expect. We were well prepared and had a blast......and our bartender Josh took great care of us all weekend

Looking forward to seeing everyone next year!

 

[MetalRose]

Welcome to the family.

-Metal

 

[Diamond45]

You'll be back next year. Once you go to a PP, you'll want to go back next year. At least this time you know what most of the bands are!

Quote from SkiBumMSP: "Unless I'm dead or in jail, I'll be there next year."

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

hell yes.....thanks to everyone for making my first PPUSA an amazing and memorable experience as well....i really hope i can afford to go again next year (assuming i actually like enough of the bands once i get around to checking them out...haven't heard of or heard most of next year's bands before)

 

[See You In Hell]

Ah, here's the first-timers post I was looking for! This, too, was my first ProgPower USA.

In a word: AWESOME!!

Everything I was ever told before about the great bands, the great atmosphere, the great people -- all of it true and even exceeded my expectations which were already high. The only bad part about the festival is that it's already over! I can't believe how fast the time flew by!

Since this was my first festival I pulled out all the stops and got tickets for everything. The special Jon Oliva show was so much fun and the karaoke afterword was incredible. No one, and I mean no one, did a bad job at karaoke. You guys rock!

The Showcase was still excellent in spite of the whole Vanden Plas issue. I'm sure what went on behind the scenes was about as stressful as one could imagine but guys you pulled it off and it was GREAT! Halcyon Way were a pleasant surprise and I really enjoyed their performance. My compliments to everyone involved in the Showcase and for doing a tremendous job in going above and beyond the call of duty. Kudos to Freak Kitchen as well for stepping up with an incredible, incredible performance to cap everything off.

Friday and Saturday were beyond description -- the bands were great and the atmosphere was so full of energy and excitement. I enjoyed every single band! Of course there are bands I enjoyed more than others but that in no way diminishes my experience in any way. All the performances were very, very good and I'm happy to have been able to see bands perform that I thought I would never in my lifetime see!

Then there are the vendors, the signing sessions, the band members milling around here and there!

WOW!

ProgPower USA's reputation is indeed well-deserved! I'm hooked and I plan on making this a yearly ritual.

Thanks to everyone for making this such a great experience for me!!!