*First and foremost, my wife deserves all the credit in the world. Not only has she taken the social media to a level that I never even thought possible, but she puts up a lot of fires out up front that I’m not even aware of. Plus, she puts up with me while I’m at my most stressed before, during, and after the festival. That’s not easy. I love you dear.
*My entire crew may work for me, but they are family. I know they have my back when it comes crunch time. We will always have our ups and downs, but their drive remains the same; to make it the best possible show for everyone. They love the festival just as much as I do. I’d go to hell and back for each of them. A standing ovation to each of them:
a. The Stage Crew: Wayne P (manager), Shane (bass & lighting consultant), Rick (guitar), Jay-Dub (guitar), Rob (guitar), Harris (keys), Kelly (curtain, stage) Mike C (curtain, stage, runner), Mike, Don, & Bobby (drums)
b. Backstage- Tommy (manager), Lara (Driver), Jo (Catering), Matt (assistant), Taylor (assistant)
c. Lobby/Vendor- Keith (manager), Jim & Hoyt (Assistants)
d. Photography- Esa, Allen, & Stephen
d. Visas- Marc at www.playamerica.com
e. The gold badge crew- Su, Tracy, Dawn, Milton, Sis
f. Social Media Assistance- Matt
g. Website/Program/Sampler- Claus, Tess, & Annie
h. Graphics/Video- Wayne J.
*Milton (Mid-Week Mayhem) & Nathan (Kick-Off Show): Well done. They were two of the biggest pre-main event shows in ProgPower USA history.
*Center Stage staff: You folks have no idea how much leeway they give me & are there to meet my every concern in a total professional manner before, during, and after the show. I do not take that for granted. They do read the feedback threads and take possible changes into consideration every year. Special shout out to Josh, Nikki, Michelle, Kent, Garrett, Whitney, & Dylan.
*To address the main concern this year, I was made aware of various security concerns /issues on Friday evening. Those were addressed with Center Stage and Saturday should have been a much more pleasant experience. However, please be aware that they do have a job to do and you need to understand that they do not deal with a crowd like ours anytime of the year.
*There will be no issues with bringing in cough drops, skittles, or anything like that going forward. Medications need to either be in the prescription bottles or checked at the box office. 1-2 protein bars in your pocket will not be an issue as well. HOWEVER, a box of protein bars (or even several) or something like Subway bag will NOT be allowed in. There is no negotiating that. Please make arrangements accordingly.
*The signing sessions were the most popular in the history of the festival. Many of the returning bands wanted to stay and accommodate all fan requests. That caused some unanticipated delays that the lobby crew handled the best they could. However, I have made the executive decision to enforce the rules despite band requests in the future. That means we return to mandated 3 items only or 1 pic request. Those lines need to move quicker.
*I would like to please remind everyone that I cannot fix a problem until I know it is occurring. I was not aware of many of the situations until I read them online after the fact. Contrary to popular belief, do not read social media much during the festival. Jen cannot possibly keep up with everything as well despite working her ass off. If you have an issue, please report it to either my staff or the box office. They will follow-up with me immediately to prevent further issues.
Random thoughts :
*Chris Kinder- Thank you everything, including the conversation on Saturday night.
*Mikey Eriksen- Stage whore. Period.
* Oliva went for x-rays after he got home: two cracked ribs. That man is a soldier and sounded the best he has in years. Kudos to Bill Hudson as well. I was speechless during “Temptation Revelation.”
*The Divided Multitude gang worked their ass off to make that set work with rehearsals over several days with the replacement drummers. They were stressed to the max, but never lost their cool. Total pros.
*Divinci’s Restaurant: Awesome. Divinici’s at Center Stage: blah. This will be discussed in depth with Center Stage again next year. I have no idea if changes are possible, but all options will be explored within reason. Center Stage has absolute say on all of it.
*Funniest moment for me: Watching Bobby Blitz doing his Mick Jagger strutting on stage impersonation in the Overkill dressing room.
*Floating around during the weekend in addition to the Evergrey goobers: Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus), Shawn Drover (Megadeth), Thomas Youngblood & Sean Tibbets (Kamelot), Nick Van Dyke (Redemption), & Ken Golden (Old, Pretension Prog Rock Groupie).
*All of our shirts except for a handful of XXL were sold within a few hours on Friday. That’s awesome. If you need an extra XXL, please contact me.
*To the person that stole my ipod I was using for house music after Oliva ended, I hope you die a million deaths from every STD that you will contract in your sorry ass life from your palm
. *I still get goosebumps watching the crowd sing along with Seventh Wonder. Moments like that make it surreal.
*”We’re the progressive Overkill. All refined & shit.” – Blitz
* I lasted about a minute in the pit during Overkill. I would have gone a lot longer until some jerk through an elbow in my back.
*So I sit outside on Tuesday night drinking late into the night. Last Band Member standing: Steiner from Pagan’s Mind. It just seemed right.
*Some of you were wondering about the darkened televisions and delay with Leprous. Their computer took a shit on them at the last minute. It’s as simple as that.
Until next time….
Glenn
