Thank you once again for all of your support this year and in the past. It’s time for my annual sabbatical. I will lurk on the forum occasionally and check email infrequently over the coming weeks. I will only post when I feel it absolutely necessary. Also, please anticipate at least one week before you receive a reply to any email sent. Detox is essential to my mental health. Jen will be around to handle things in my absence.
Thanks to Chris, Wayne, Don & the rest of my stage crew for pulling off one of the most seamless festivals we have had to date.
Thanks to Hoyt & Keith for handling things up front. It’s nice to know that I don’t even have to think about it during the fest.
Thanks to Esa, Allen & Chris for all their work with the photos and security. It’s damn near impossible to keep up with everthing, but I know you guys do your best.
Thanks to Marc for watching my back and going above and beyond with helping out with the visas.
Thanks to Lara & Patrick for being the drivers from hell. You two sacrifice more than most as you are on the road during some of the sets. You are truly appreciated.
Thanks to Wayne for the amazing work on the video & Deron for the media side of things. I work these two just as hard during the year as I do everyone else at the festival.
Thanks to the Gold Badge & Shirt crew. You folks are awesome.
Thanks to Jax for going above & beyond every year with the gold badge stuff.
Thanks to Christina for keeping up with the PPUSA MySpace.
Thanks to Tommy for taking care of the bands backstage. I couldn’t do this show without you, bro.
Thanks to Jen for keeping up with the PPSUA Facebook fan page. There will be no tweets for a while.
Thanks to Bill, Zod & Milton for their work on the program.
Thanks to the Center Stage staff and security. Everyone did their job and did it well. I always get compliments on how cool everyone is and that says a lot considering how many hours we are in there.
Thanks to Hoyt & Shane for Wed/Thurs. It’s nice to relax and know you guys can handle anything thrown your way.
Thanks to Pamela Moore for being one of the classiest and gracious ladies I have met. I still felt like a dork when I met you as the only thing running through my head was “You’re Sister Mary!”
Thanks to Circus Maximus for doing what I asked on Wed. night….just making it fun. “Hold the Line” ruled.
Thanks to Mindcrime for an amazing show. I still cannot believe what I heard from Chris (and neither could Pamela). If I had my wish, they would return for an encore performance on the big stage at the Showcase next year.
Thanks to all the bands that performed on Fri & Sat. I want to give mad props to the two headliners this year. It was a totally different vibe with you guys backstage and it just made me smile. Thanks to Crimson for pulling off organized chaos. Thanks to Fates for inviting me on stage and giving me a moment I will not forget. I also want to acknowledge Jim for going above and beyond in our attempts to get John down for the show. He tried like hell folks. For that alone, he deserves a standing ovation.
More thoughts…
Sabaton = Future Headliner. ‘Nuff said.
I’m glad that folks noticed that I did try to improve on the complaints from last year. The smoking was vastly improved as well as the lighting issue. Yes, there were a few hiccups on that during DSO, but I was able to straighten that out with the light guy in a hurry.
As with any LIVE FESTIVAL, the sound is never going to be perfect . Between a million changeovers, multiple sound men, dvd recording, equipment troubleshooting, etc, etc.., it’s amazing we are able to pull it off. Obviously, there is always room for improvement. However, I was pleased with most of what was within my control. For every person that complains, there is one person that compliments. That said, I do want to mention once again that this is a LIVE FESTIVAL. We line check equipment during the day and familiarize band/crew to each other. We do not do sound checks. We have to adjust on the fly to the best of our ability. Please remember that when comparing it to a band that has had five hours to soundcheck and does not have to share lines. Btw, did I mention this was a LIVE FESTIVAL??
The reason you could not find someone to purchase the past ProgPower USA dvds from on Saturday night was that Lucid Lounge’s merch person had a medical emergency. They did not have a back-up. Once I hear from them, I will post the news to the site.
For those wishing to see the Mike Baker tribute video, please email Shadow Gallery via their website with your request.
The PPUSA XI video will be online within a few days. We will go back to one page while we wait on the redesign from Deron on the new site.
Tickets for next year are indeed on sale now through Ticketmaster. I was honestly rather surprised at the number we sold over the weekend. Gold Badge information will be sent to current owners in a few weeks.
I believe the Artmore did an outstanding job this past weekend in not only hosting us, but prepping for next year as well. For those that bitched about having to get up early, please get over it. David ("Don't piss this Queen off!" & his staff came in on their own time as a favor to us and to make sure nothing goes wrong next year. I will also repeat what I said earlier about why gold badge holders did not get advance notice this year...I had to thank EVERYONE for coming in a down economy. If we sell-out again next year, then you will get the dates in advance of everyone else again.
I sold out of t-shirts this year rather quick. I had to go conservative based on the number of tickets sold. However, ordering sizes is still a crap shoot. I brought home 30 Large/XL last year. I brought home 10 small this year. I have had a lot of people come by the table and say they wanted to order one if I do another print. My plan is to take pre-orders in a few weeks and see if there is enough interest to actually do it. People change their mind a lot once the show is over. Stay tuned.
I welcome discussion of the PP USA XI roster. I do want to say that I totally understand those that are disappointed based on personal taste. You have every right to voice your opinion. For those that question my logic, I just have to laugh and stay quiet. I’ll put my 10 years of experience of building this festival, picking rosters, balancing nights, looking at sales numbers, gauging interest from all around the net (not just our forum), speaking with U.S. labels (not just vendors or distributers), checking out concert numbers from both the U.S. and abroad, AND my gut feeling vs. whatever you want to bring to the table to argue with. There is always a method to my madness. Stay tuned for an interview Mark Gromen is conducting with me on this very topic.
(Pellaz) Paul Cashman is the winner of the “Guess the Roster” VIP contest. Paul scored 41 points while the next highest came in at 38. Thanks to Kenon for the Excel sheet with formulas.
I'm sure I left someone out. I reserve the right to kiss their ass and edit this post later on.
And finally…to Jen. This was the most stress free festival I have ever had and that is thanks to you. Muah.
Thanks to Chris, Wayne, Don & the rest of my stage crew for pulling off one of the most seamless festivals we have had to date.
Thanks to Hoyt & Keith for handling things up front. It’s nice to know that I don’t even have to think about it during the fest.
Thanks to Esa, Allen & Chris for all their work with the photos and security. It’s damn near impossible to keep up with everthing, but I know you guys do your best.
Thanks to Marc for watching my back and going above and beyond with helping out with the visas.
Thanks to Lara & Patrick for being the drivers from hell. You two sacrifice more than most as you are on the road during some of the sets. You are truly appreciated.
Thanks to Wayne for the amazing work on the video & Deron for the media side of things. I work these two just as hard during the year as I do everyone else at the festival.
Thanks to the Gold Badge & Shirt crew. You folks are awesome.
Thanks to Jax for going above & beyond every year with the gold badge stuff.
Thanks to Christina for keeping up with the PPUSA MySpace.
Thanks to Tommy for taking care of the bands backstage. I couldn’t do this show without you, bro.
Thanks to Jen for keeping up with the PPSUA Facebook fan page. There will be no tweets for a while.
Thanks to Bill, Zod & Milton for their work on the program.
Thanks to the Center Stage staff and security. Everyone did their job and did it well. I always get compliments on how cool everyone is and that says a lot considering how many hours we are in there.
Thanks to Hoyt & Shane for Wed/Thurs. It’s nice to relax and know you guys can handle anything thrown your way.
Thanks to Pamela Moore for being one of the classiest and gracious ladies I have met. I still felt like a dork when I met you as the only thing running through my head was “You’re Sister Mary!”
Thanks to Circus Maximus for doing what I asked on Wed. night….just making it fun. “Hold the Line” ruled.
Thanks to Mindcrime for an amazing show. I still cannot believe what I heard from Chris (and neither could Pamela). If I had my wish, they would return for an encore performance on the big stage at the Showcase next year.
Thanks to all the bands that performed on Fri & Sat. I want to give mad props to the two headliners this year. It was a totally different vibe with you guys backstage and it just made me smile. Thanks to Crimson for pulling off organized chaos. Thanks to Fates for inviting me on stage and giving me a moment I will not forget. I also want to acknowledge Jim for going above and beyond in our attempts to get John down for the show. He tried like hell folks. For that alone, he deserves a standing ovation.
More thoughts…
Sabaton = Future Headliner. ‘Nuff said.
I’m glad that folks noticed that I did try to improve on the complaints from last year. The smoking was vastly improved as well as the lighting issue. Yes, there were a few hiccups on that during DSO, but I was able to straighten that out with the light guy in a hurry.
As with any LIVE FESTIVAL, the sound is never going to be perfect . Between a million changeovers, multiple sound men, dvd recording, equipment troubleshooting, etc, etc.., it’s amazing we are able to pull it off. Obviously, there is always room for improvement. However, I was pleased with most of what was within my control. For every person that complains, there is one person that compliments. That said, I do want to mention once again that this is a LIVE FESTIVAL. We line check equipment during the day and familiarize band/crew to each other. We do not do sound checks. We have to adjust on the fly to the best of our ability. Please remember that when comparing it to a band that has had five hours to soundcheck and does not have to share lines. Btw, did I mention this was a LIVE FESTIVAL??
The reason you could not find someone to purchase the past ProgPower USA dvds from on Saturday night was that Lucid Lounge’s merch person had a medical emergency. They did not have a back-up. Once I hear from them, I will post the news to the site.
For those wishing to see the Mike Baker tribute video, please email Shadow Gallery via their website with your request.
The PPUSA XI video will be online within a few days. We will go back to one page while we wait on the redesign from Deron on the new site.
Tickets for next year are indeed on sale now through Ticketmaster. I was honestly rather surprised at the number we sold over the weekend. Gold Badge information will be sent to current owners in a few weeks.
I believe the Artmore did an outstanding job this past weekend in not only hosting us, but prepping for next year as well. For those that bitched about having to get up early, please get over it. David ("Don't piss this Queen off!" & his staff came in on their own time as a favor to us and to make sure nothing goes wrong next year. I will also repeat what I said earlier about why gold badge holders did not get advance notice this year...I had to thank EVERYONE for coming in a down economy. If we sell-out again next year, then you will get the dates in advance of everyone else again.
I sold out of t-shirts this year rather quick. I had to go conservative based on the number of tickets sold. However, ordering sizes is still a crap shoot. I brought home 30 Large/XL last year. I brought home 10 small this year. I have had a lot of people come by the table and say they wanted to order one if I do another print. My plan is to take pre-orders in a few weeks and see if there is enough interest to actually do it. People change their mind a lot once the show is over. Stay tuned.
I welcome discussion of the PP USA XI roster. I do want to say that I totally understand those that are disappointed based on personal taste. You have every right to voice your opinion. For those that question my logic, I just have to laugh and stay quiet. I’ll put my 10 years of experience of building this festival, picking rosters, balancing nights, looking at sales numbers, gauging interest from all around the net (not just our forum), speaking with U.S. labels (not just vendors or distributers), checking out concert numbers from both the U.S. and abroad, AND my gut feeling vs. whatever you want to bring to the table to argue with. There is always a method to my madness. Stay tuned for an interview Mark Gromen is conducting with me on this very topic.
(Pellaz) Paul Cashman is the winner of the “Guess the Roster” VIP contest. Paul scored 41 points while the next highest came in at 38. Thanks to Kenon for the Excel sheet with formulas.
I'm sure I left someone out. I reserve the right to kiss their ass and edit this post later on.
And finally…to Jen. This was the most stress free festival I have ever had and that is thanks to you. Muah.
I'm so happy to have found such an amazing woman that enjoys the same music as I do. 
