ProgPower 2011 - The good and bad

[noren]

GOOD!

* The weather was awesome
* Always great to meet my "second family", especially those that have been missing for a few years like Kenneth, Legana, Marlies & Nico.
* Finally tried the WOK. Good stuff.
* Subsignal. Love that band even if the guitarist didn't have one of his best nights.
* Schitzoid Lloyd - One of the surprises of the weekend. Loved it!
* Long Distance Calling - Best band of the weekend. And I had never heard them before. Love these surprise acts.
* Symphony X - Never been a fan of them, but they gave us a really good show and perhaps the best sound I have ever heard in that venue.
* Memento Waltz - Another great surprise. The singer was awesome!
* No extra drummer during the Andromeda Pre-listening session.
* DJ Christer headlining in the basement. Should be booked for next year as well


THE BAD

* R.I.P Mikko Laine
* Redemption didn't live up to my expectations.
* Barstool Philosophers - Only two songs from their album, rest new stuff. Baaaad move I must say.
* The brown water called coffe for breakfast. Not strong enough to wake you up after a late night of partying.
* People smoking in both the venue and basement. I'm not that annoyed by the smoke itself, but rules are rules, how hard can it be to read the signs?
* Not a single roadblock in Germany, but then got stuck in f**kin Gothenburg for over an hour.
* 3 days is not enough. I want a ProgPower week

See you again next year!

 

[Vengeful]

I'll end on a positive note, so first:

BAAAAAAAAAAAD!:

*R.I.P. Mikko Laine
*Only seeing 4 bands this weekend, of which I've seen only 1 full performance
*Being sick on saturday.
*Annoying Belgian guy who couldn't speak french and was bothering all the women.
*Redemption either wasn't as good as the first time I saw them, or I was way more drunk and enjoyed it more the first time.
*Having no sunglasses.
*The pepper in the chinese restaurant!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOD!:
*Finding annoying belgian guy who couldn't speak english and was bothering all the women passed out outside of the venue.
*Having to climb the castle again and being to drunl to pull myself up.
*Look, Juice!!
*Mekong Delta, finally got to see them after 12 years of wanting to see them.
*Both Schizoid Lloyd and Memento Waltz surprised me.
*Met some new people, got to know some people I've already met better. Love you guys.
*DJ Christer!!! \M/
*DEUJ TUKR JUBS!!

I'm coming a day early next year

 

[Ayreonaut]

a lot of before mentioned

Epic: Jonathan thanking Lykle for no playing Scooter, when we got back saturday. Eventhough we did and he was singing along with Hyper Hyper in his sleep...

 

[Vengeful]

a lot of before mentioned

Epic: Jonathan thanking Lykle for no playing Scooter, when we got back saturday. Eventhough we did and he was singing along with Hyper Hyper in his sleep...

What the hell? Hyper hyper in my sleep?

 

[wojtekk]

Good:

* Friends
* Meeting Dan Swano and feelin' like being 16 again
* Photos!
* Drunk bicycle ride
* Weather!
* Oh, and some music - three good bands (won't tell you, which ones

Bad:

* The accident, of course
* Beer bands
* My wet arse after the chairs in the breakfast room
* Darek snoring (I have recorded it on a dictaphone, rocks!)
* Mosquitos buzzing at night
* Sunday hangover
* No ladies in the mock-up swimming pool

 

[Kluffie]

GOOD:
The weather!
AWESOME:
Talking to surprise visitors Jørn Viggo Lofstad and Steinar Krokmo (Pagan's Mind), "pitstopping" on their tour with DGM and Symphony X, really nice laid-back guys.
BAD:
Again talking to surprise visitors Jørn Viggo Lofstad and Steinar Krokmo (Pagan's Mind), both guys were eager to play PPEU, but we all know they were not on the bill.
VERY VERY VERY AWESOMELY BAD:
Mikko dying in a stupid accident.

 

[Raimond]

Agree on almost all of the above!

May I add THE GOOD WITHIN THE BAD:

I wasn't there but reports told how good the family held together at the tragical accident.
The way you guys helped Dario through his shock and also your worried faces on Monday morning when looking after him, that sensitized my sleepy brain and made me watch out better for him on our trip back.

THE BAD


* The brown water called coffe for breakfast. Not strong enough to wake you up after a late night of partying.

I will switch from electric to gas-driven espresso maker next year to make it more mobile and accessible for all in the courtyard.

And of course: R.I.P. Mikko

 

[Blueprint]

GOOD:
- The weather
- Old friends
- New friends
- Underwhelmed shirts
- Long Distance Calling
- Mekong Delta
- DJ Christer

BAD:
- The tragic accident
- My stomach
- My lack of ability to watch full shows of traditional prog metal bands
- Missing the chance to rent a bicycle

 

[hammer83]

Good

-Friends! Great to see you guys again!
-The weather
-Subsignal
-Schizoid Lloyd
-In Mourning
-Long Distance Calling
-Sole Remedy
-Kingcrow
-Nice music in the Basement
-Icecream at the castle!
-ProgPower Schnitzel!
-The free stuff that we've got

Bad

-The accident
-The chinese food was very, very bad, next year a la carte again!
-The "coffee" at the castle
-Wet breakfast chairs
-Smoking weed was the end of the saturday after after party for me, zzzzzzzz
-Redemption, they should be supporting Kingcrow!

 

[Vengeful]

May I add THE GOOD WITHIN THE BAD:

I wasn't there but reports told how good the family held together at the tragical accident.
The way you guys helped Dario through his shock and also your worried faces on Monday morning when looking after him, that sensitized my sleepy brain and made me watch out better for him on our trip back.

Completely agreed, it is good to notice that even though this is just a festival, the bonds forged here are way beyond just knowing each other as beerbuddies, and that when necessary, we care for our own. I am still touched by that, and I don't think I will ever experience a bond so strong again.

 

[jimmyjoint]

The Bad: The accident.
The sound engineer who won't stop fiddling with it !. Next year I will remove his fingers if he keeps fiddling.
The Good: The people, the weather, the music (although I missed a fair few sitting outside the bar across the square) and did I mention the people ?.
The VERY good: The people of the PPE family, and the guys who organise it all. May all their sleeps be peaceful !.

 

[Caetera Desunt]

Good:

• Meeting a ton of new lovely people
• All of Friday night (including "Hey sombrero!", being on the roof, "Look, juice!", the Scooter spanking session and eventually falling asleep on the floor leaning towards a sofa)
• Schizoid Lloyd
• The late night walks back to the castle
• Chatting with my roommate in the basement
• Mekong Delta
• People headbanging next to me during hot concerts, creating some air flow
• Sunday evening conversations outside the basement
• The nice company during the breakfasts, lunches and dinners

Bad:

• Sunday night
• Only just failing my attempt to watch at least 10 minutes from each band of the festival
• The service at the schnitzel place
• Being dead tired most of Saturday and feeling ill Sunday afternoon
• The heat at the venue

The best thing of all has to be, as has already been said, the way everyone comes together as a community. I understood that there would be a strong sense of belonging even before I decided to go, but this has exceeded my expectations. It was the worst of situations but the best place to be to be able to deal with it and help each other. Thank you for letting me be a part.

 

[Hawk]

Good:

The weather
The people, amongst them Nico and Marlies visiting from Canada
Subsignal
White Walls
In Mourning (for me the highlight)
Long Distance Calling
Symphony X
Memento Waltz
Redemption

The bad:

The accident

 

[Deb H]

Good:

Amazing friends
Amazing weather
Pre Prog Power Meeting in Amsterdam
The whole of the Prog Power team
Perfect location and venue
Kasteel de Berckt (love the castle)
The walk to the venue
Dutch breakfast
Kwak Belgium Beer (one bottle was enough @ 8.4% proof!!)
Bands at the festival (before I went I had a list of bands from 1-7 that I wanted to see, the final verdict is)
1. In Mourning
2. Sole Remedy
3. Schizoid Lloyd
4. Long Distance Calling
the rest now I have no preference..........

Bad:

Goes without saying the terrible terrible tragedy

 

[fluffygutss]

I have to admit I've already pondered the idea of staying an extra day at the Kasteel before and after so we can keep partying! Would be pretty awesome!

 

[Deb H]

OMG! I forgot Mekong Delta really enjoyed them too, they will have to be number 5!

We are definitely thinking of booking at least one night before at the Kasteel instead of going to Amsterdam and then we can fly straight into Eindhoven.

 

[Vengeful]

OMG! I forgot Mekong Delta really enjoyed them too, they will have to be number 5!

We are definitely thinking of booking at least one night before at the Kasteel instead of going to Amsterdam and then we can fly straight into Eindhoven.

Joining you, of course. You and Paul are always enjoyable company

 

[KingChaos]

The bad:
- The accident
- Lots of bands who didn't really give me the feeling the audience where involved.
- Redemptions singer was absent (or at least the notes in tune where).
- Indeed, the coffee. Although we kinda solved that problem by going to the local cafe's.
- Looking back and see that we could've partied more!
- Running out of Flugel before arriving at the venue! (And you know the amount of road signs isn't the problem)
- The table didn't break
- Not enough Dragons & Fire

The good:
- Seventh Wonder Damn I love that band! And really awesome they took Jenny (and no guys, not just for the looks!)
- Long Call Distance, loved that one! Great surprise!
- Symphony X, better than the gig in Tilburg!
- The castle. The castle owns.
- Singing in the castle garden (I do hope you guys enjoy that as much as I do!)
- Dancing on the table. Pool. Table Soccer. Drinking Flugel on the way to the venue and take one at every road sign (walking backwards when the sign was backwards and double when... well you get it )
- Kim, Lene, Havar and Jana. You guys rock! Wish I could see you guys more than once a year!
- The way everyone supported each other after the accident, directly after and on Facebook. That really shows how good René has made this festival, we are all one big family. I realised I've enjoyed you guys and the festival much more than I thought I did, too much busy with the past and present and forgetting to live the now! The accident and you guys have shown me this. Carpe Diem! And I love you all

 

[Kirsty]

The good:
- No Kalle, Jari and Kenneth for a whole 4 days!

The bad:
- I missed PP 2011

I'm very sorry to have missed this year. You guys are a wonderful group of people that I truly miss seeing in the autumn. It somehow feels like the autumn can't begin until I've had a few big whiffs of the fresh, clear air in Baarlo

 

[acidrain08]

The good:

- Long Distance Calling (who needs vocals?)
- Schizoid Lloid (the biggest surprise this year)
- Kingcrow, Symphony X, Redemption, Sevent Wonder, Subsignal, Mekong Delta, sll great bands and performances.
- Joakim Svartheden, a new mate for life!
- The roommates, Kent and Joakim from Sweden.
- When I (finally) woke up saturday telling Kent and Joakim that Kent snore alot, Joakim replied that we all did Maybe beginning of a prog snoring band?
- The Chineese Restaurant (eventhough Ive heard several got Ill)
- All the good people at PPE, which means everyone

The accident turned everything upside down, and is hard to deal with. But we have many good memories of PPE11.

I can't wait for next PPE, for the great music, for the wonderful friends!

Br
Håvar