Prog Power Headliners

[Jasonic]

Slam me, agree with me.....don't care, I just had to say something about it....this is one topic I just couldn't sit back and "watch" unfold without my 2 cents.

I agree with most of what you said.

The whole Prog Power mentality of "I will love ANYTHING that Glen books" is REALLY irritating. I have said it before. Come the time of the fest, not one attendee will have the guts to simply say, "I don't care for Amorphis" Just like there is no way 5 years ago the majority of their crowd would even touch a THERION CD.

It is cool that the Prog Power faithful are open minded and give things a shot, though it's almost like a mindless army at times.

I have never attended the festival myself, so I am basing my opinions solely on the posts I see at their forum. There seem to be some cool people there. I post there on occasion as well.

I find it funny when Glen posts about some upcoming Jimmy Buffet concert, and 10 people reply with, "Oh I always wanted to check him out. What CD do you suggest?" Can you ass-kiss ANY more??? Is it even possible?

That fest has had some INCREDIBLE line-ups! I look forward to seeing what they do with the fest in the future, esp now that they have stepped outside the box a bit and opened the fest to other genres.

Though I know what you mean. The attitudes of some of their attendees, calling the fest "our music", etc is a MAJOR turn-off that has prevented me from ever seriously considering attending. A metal festival should never even remotely be an "elitist" event.

 

[Diabolik]

I know I'm probably gonna get crap for this, but I have to say it anyway.....

My husband and I went to our first ProgPower last year.....we spent a TON of cash for the trip, hotel, tickets, and other various things....
Saying that, I, personally went to see two bands: Redemption and Vanden Plas. Got to see one....the other, well we all know what happened there.
Now this year Glen throws two bands out there that don't necessarily (IMO), meet the "prog power" requirements, one I really want to see (IE) and the other I have never heard of (Amorphis).

He writes in his post on "A brief note on the roster" thread:

"Yes, the standard progressive & power metal bands are my bread & butter. However, if you don't step outside the box just a bit & build some diversity, you will begin to stagnate. I cannot count on the same fans to attend over & over because they want to see the same bands or styles again & again. New fans are the lifeblood of this festival and taking chances will bring them in, hopefully to stay once they experience things."

The whole line that states he can't count on the same fans to attend over and over is utter BS......it seems, with the replies to the headliners, that most people have never heard of Amorphis, but will "hurry and go out and get the CD's so they can be ready when PPUSA comes around", were the same people who, in the past, have constantly said they were never going to listen to "growl type music" cause it just doesn't fit the "prog genre" they so love, and the fest they have come to know as "PROG power"....
Hubby and I went because we not only wanted to see the bands (he wanted to see way more bands last year than I did, so it was worth it to him), but to also see what all the hype was surrounding this fest, and why people were so eager to accept almost anything Glen said as "gospel".
Needless to say, we were not impressed, and no matter who plays, we won't be going anytime soon. We would love to see IE, but it's not worth the costs of travel, lodging, and other things, to hear that maybe...just maybe....the ONE band we want to see is going to pull out of the fest cause they got a better offer, or their back hurts or etc.
What I'm trying to say is that ProgPower just doesn't cut it for me....I'll stick with Powerfest.....the guys (Chris Rob and John)are way more fun, and the diversity of the music, much more appealing.

Slam me, agree with me.....don't care, I just had to say something about it....this is one topic I just couldn't sit back and "watch" unfold without my 2 cents.

WOW....I totally agree with what you are saying. It is called ProgPower for a reason....to see Prog and Power metal acts. Sure it is cool to have some diverse bands in the line up but to have one as the headliner is not the way to go. It is nice to have one or two different bands that are not the same to make it interesting. That fest will always sell out and any band that plays will sell tons of CD's due to the "sheep" mentality.

One day I would like to go but it would have to be a year when there is a load of bands I really want to see. I would love to see Elvenking and Iron Savior. this year but the fest has a very very weak line up this year for my taste. I like Iced Earth but seen them twice so there is little excitement for me there.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

I don't subscibe to that mentality of which you speak, Jasonic. I get irritated from time to time about it as well. I was bitching about it the other night in a phone call to a buddy.

I swear some of the folks that make up that board just wait for the announcement from Glenn, and then make that band their favorite. That's not the way I work .. I actively listen to lots of stuff, and then indirectly try to help shape the roster thru posts about certain bands, reviews, top 20 lists, etc.

Britt

 

[rms]

I just dont get why he said Power + Power/Prog headliner and really, didnt get either...

 

[Saladbar]

The attitudes of some of their attendees, calling the fest "our music", etc is a MAJOR turn-off that has prevented me from ever seriously considering attending.

+1

I'll give credit where credit is due, a lot of the bands that Glenn has brought over for the first time are doing pretty good in the U.S. The fest has had a big hand in opening the doors for some bands that haven't toured the U.S. before.
Like all festivals, a great part about them is being introduced to bands that on any other circumstance you would of never seen live before (I've said this on another thread not too long ago).
However, that doesn't mean you have to like it all. When statements are made like "Why didn't I hear this band before, they're awesome" they make me wanna puke because they've had the chance to do it, but until someone says it's ok they don't.
How shallow can you be?

 

[The Invisible Guest]

I just dont get why he said Power + Power/Prog headliner and really, didnt get either...

I don't understand that line you wrote. Explain it to me like I'm a 3rd grader.

Britt

 

[Jasonic]

Britt - Yeah, I certainly was not speaking directly to you, or any one person in particular. Just the overall perception I have of a large majority of the posters on that board......

From a business perspective, I totally understand what Glen is trying to do.

I agree with Bob though. I would have not used the Headliner spot to go "outside the box"

 

[Jasonic]

I'll give credit where credit is due, a lot of the bands that Glenn has brought over for the first time are doing pretty good in the U.S. The fest has had a big hand in opening the doors for some bands that haven't toured the U.S. before.

Agreed X 10000.
That fest is primarily responsible for the success of European power metal acts in the US, regardless if they have played the fest yet or not.

I think with finally getting Iced Earth this year and Sonata last year, he has gotten most of the bands on this primary wish list. I think he made mention of this a while back.

Not really much he can do to outdo previous lineups.

As I said before, smart move from a business perspective.
The man might be responsible for Prog Powerers becoming DOOM fans!!!!

 

[rms]

I don't understand that line you wrote. Explain it to me like I'm a 3rd grader.

Britt

What pate said ^^

 

[The Invisible Guest]

Glenn previously said that one headliner would be power and the other would be power/prog, and neither ended up happening. Or I think that's what he's saying.

I'd call Iced Earth a powermetal band. Amorphis is a weird mix of genres .. I wouldn't call them prog or power, but they have some of those qualities. It's possible that when Glenn wrote that original post he had another headliner in mind. Something may have fallen thru prior to Amorphis becoming his choice ... I dunno. Maybe that's something he'll discuss when he writes that "how it all came together" post?

Britt

 

[Harvester]

I enjoyed reading this thread. Anytime you have a bit of success, you lend yourself to becoming a target or being second guessed. Some of it is indeed 100% warranted and some of it is just pure bullshit. However, you take the good with the bad in the business and try to stay ahead of the curve, not in the middle of it. Otherwise, you stagnate and begin to slowly wither away.

Jasonic should take a bow. He is rather close with his assessements.

 

[Jasonic]

Jasonic should take a bow. He is rather close with his assessements.

:danceboy:

Thanks Glenn......
I try to understand the business-side of things, as best I can.
You have a locked-in audience.
You are trying to expand into new territories.
Makes perfect sense.
You aren't going to please everyone anyhow.

And as lots of us have said, there's a good number of folks who regularly attend the fest who will check out the "outside the box" bands and become big fans by the time of the fest.....

 

[rms]

I'd call Iced Earth a powermetal band. Amorphis is a weird mix of genres .. I wouldn't call them prog or power, but they have some of those qualities. It's possible that when Glenn wrote that original post he had another headliner in mind. Something may have fallen thru prior to Amorphis becoming his choice ... I dunno. Maybe that's something he'll discuss when he writes that "how it all came together" post?

Britt

Idk, I think once he saw Barlow he knew he would have to grab them, and I think he wanted to try and branch anew genre to the more power/prog mindsets...idk though we shall see(hopefully)

 

[skyrefuge]

Dang, you guys sound like a bunch of jealous bitches!

When statements are made like "Why didn't I hear this band before, they're awesome" they make me wanna puke because they've had the chance to do it, but until someone says it's ok they don't. How shallow can you be?

EVERYONE hears about new bands from other people. For even the most dedicated searcher, there are always thousands of bands out there that you might love, but are completely unware of, and you won't listen to them until someone gives you a reason to. If you like Glenn's festivals enough to be a repeat customer who hangs out at his forum, that probably means your tastes align quite closely with his. So for people who visit that board, he's an excellent choice to listen to for recommendations.

Everyone listens to recommendations from other people, so why is it puke-worthy when people there do it, and not when you do it? Unless you guys only find out about new bands by typing in "myspace.com/[sequence of random characters]" and listening to whatever comes up?

The whole Prog Power mentality of "I will love ANYTHING that Glen books" is REALLY irritating.

Why? I think evidence makes it quite clear that no one actually thinks like that, but even if it did, what skin is it off your back?

Come the time of the fest, not one attendee will have the guts to simply say, "I don't care for Amorphis"

That's utter nonsense. People have expressed displeasure towards every band in the history of festival, headliners included, and this year will be no different. It's only natural. Not only does EVERYONE not like everything, I would bet that there is hardly ANYONE who likes everything.

Just like there is no way 5 years ago the majority of their crowd would even touch a THERION CD.

So what? Why is this a negative thing? More people like Therion now. That's great!

I find it funny when Glen posts about some upcoming Jimmy Buffet concert, and 10 people reply with, "Oh I always wanted to check him out. What CD do you suggest?" Can you ass-kiss ANY more??? Is it even possible?

First, it's natural to seek recommendations from someone whose taste you align with. Second, "10 people" is an exaggeration. Third, even if it WAS 10 people, there are hundreds of people who post at that board. That means hundreds of them DIDN'T give a shit about Jimmy Buffet. Doesn't it seem natural that out of hundreds of people, 10 of them would just naturally like Buffet anyway, regardless of any desire to kiss ass?

The attitudes of some of their attendees, calling the fest "our music", etc is a MAJOR turn-off that has prevented me from ever seriously considering attending. A metal festival should never even remotely be an "elitist" event.

So some people who go say stupid things. So what? I'm sure you've gone to plenty of other concerts attended by people who say stupid things. It's not like their opinion is enforced, and they deny entry to non-elites like you.

Neil

 

[Saladbar]

EVERYONE hears about new bands from other people. For even the most dedicated searcher, there are always thousands of bands out there that you might love, but are completely unware of, and you won't listen to them until someone gives you a reason to.

I agree, but if someone says that they hate a certain type of music (i.e. Growl vocals) and 2 weeks later they say that Amorphis is the greatest thing ever just because they are headlining the fest, that makes me wanna puke.
Excuse me one second.........uke:

 

[booB]

I had a huge, half-hour-long post prepared, and I just lost the whole fucking thing. Luckily, Neil said almost exactly everything that I was going to say in my post, and more succinctly.

 

[booB]

I agree, but if someone says that they hate a certain type of music (i.e. Growl vocals) and 2 weeks later they say that Amorphis is the greatest thing ever just because they are headlining the fest, that makes me wanna puke.
Excuse me one second.........uke:

1) Amorphis hasn't been a "growl vocals" band for about ten years now.

2) Who exactly are you referring to? I think you need to be more specific, because it appears to me that you're just generalizing.

 

[Diabolik]

I think if Aquaria or Heavenly played ProgPower....that would really get me down there.

 

[Saladbar]

1) it appears to me that you're just generalizing.

I was.

 

[Jasonic]

I think if Aquaria or Heavenly played ProgPower....that would really get me down there.

You would never go and you know it.