Thanks to all @ Prog Power IX

[Spock]

Spock here
On behalf of J.O.P. & MIDNIGHT -
I wanted to thank all involved w/ Prog Power IX!
At this point I need to thank Hoyt, Glenn, & Claus @ Intromental Productions,Jerry our Sponsor, & the prog power crew, they along with Chris Kinder & Manticora all made our 2008 Hell Van Tour happen! Also thanks to Lara & Patrick for running us around! Pat is also the singer for Eclipsed By Sanity who opened the show - very good performance! & Sirens! It was extremely cool having Zak come up! CIIC gave a rousing kick ass show.
As to the Midnight show on Wed. night -
Plain & simple those who saw Midnight with Crimson Glory from 1986 - Strange & Beautiful tours saw one of the most amazing singers ever!
Midnight has always had demons primarily the bottle! After Crimson Glory he fell. The bottle took over & combined with a special sort of madness to almost eradicate the man. Now only the desire for the bottle & madness remain.
My good friend Matt LaPorte took it upon himself & recruited Lee Harrison from Monstrosity to resurrect the dead Midnight. They recorded Midnight & all his new mad ravings & constructed songs from them. I was brought in after most of the work to add icing to a very strange cake. What is recorded is f**cking brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a labor of love from all involved.
However there is a price, Midnight doesn't see reality. He sees a very strange world w/ Painted Skies.
Matt LaPorte fought hard to bring this unique world to the stage after conferring w/ Glenn he created the acoustic set idea w/ the only prop a black draped table. Lee played acoustic guitar, Matt mandolin, & autoharp, add me on keys.
From that point everything revolved around Midnight & his ability to remember & present his new music.
Well as anyone who was present can tell you Midnight wasn't aware of any of this, he struggle through words & couldn't hear & relate to the music flawlessly performed by Lee & Matt I might add! His search for unknown bottles of beer didn't help either. Granted somewhere in that soul there are glimpses into the amazing, there were moments of complete rapture & beauty, unfortunately they were fleeting.
But Midnight is a brilliant mad unrecovered alcoholic. The fact that he was onstage at all is a f**king miracle! MY hat's off to Matt & Lee for braving through the most haphazard set in history! Seriously buy the Midnight cd! The music is brilliant even if the man has gone down the Syd Barret Highway.
To those who were there & enjoyed the show our thanks!
To those who only saw the flaws remember this was a labor of love.
We thank all of you!
PEACE MIND MUSIC
Spock out

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Er... no. The worst thing an artist can do is create apathy and that's what happened in Atlanta.

But I'll buy the next JOP cd without hesitation.

 

[nailz]

Well as anyone who was present can tell you Midnight wasn't aware of any of this, he struggle through words & couldn't hear & relate to the music flawlessly performed by Lee & Matt I might add! His search for unknown bottles of beer didn't help either. The fact that he was onstage at all is a f**king miracle!

The fact that he was onstage at all is a fucking trainwreck. I started to wonder, about halfway through your post, exactly what is going on, because as someone who doesn't know anything about the situation, it certainly READS like a lot of people are trying to capitalize on Midnight's obviously horrendous condition.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[rockyracoon]

Based on Midnights recent track record, I would be shocked if the bottle, and the bottle alone, is the only substance coursing through his body. No doubt alcohol can make you act like him, but typically only when mixed with various other narcotics.

 

[AMBR]

<sigh - gonna do it>
Ok. I saw Midnight's performance and it was all that weird, BUT... I have to say I really enjoyed hearing he still has the "voice," though he uses it too oddly, too often. I know I'm not the only one who felt that way. He has a remarkable vocal talent that has not completely fried. It's really cool to hear it, unfortunately, sporadically throughout the night.

I also admit to being one of the brave (foolish?) who paid for the next Midnight album - and it is really incredible. I've received the email installments and they're, well, fascinating. KMA but it really is awesome to hear this ecclectic, crazy stuff sung in this amazing, mesmerizing voice. Yea, I see and hear the scariness, but OMG, take a step back and hear the beauty. He almost reminds me of an autistic savant. Well, you just gotta hear it. Maybe this is one time that internet free sharing is warranted? Dunno, I'm hanging on to it and hope someone can help Mid capitalize on it. It's frighteningly that good.

 

[OrbWeaver]

The original post sounds more like an excuse. I know that's blunt, but that is the truth of my perceptions. He was "off" because he was fighting his demons? That's not okay. Midnight needs to pull himself together before he gets on stage again. He needs to stop drinking (and potentially doing other drugs) and get back on any psychiatrically perscribed medications he may be on, and STAY ON THEM. If he's not recieving counseling on top of this, he probably should be.

If he's not at least oriented x3 (day/month/year) he has alot of work to do, and I can only hope he's willing to do it. Mental illness can be a vicious beast, but in most instances it can be made manageable, and I believe Midnight can manage his illness, if he's only willing to do the work involved.

When that day finally happens, however near or far it is, I will be happy to see him on stage again.

 

[AngraRULES]

Sure, Midnight had a great voice back in the day with Crimson Glory and such. But I don't care what anyone says, if you're in the state he currently is, I think his closest friends and family shouldn't try to put him on a fucking stage to play his "brilliantly weird music." You're just making it worse! He clearly can't do that anymore. It seems to me that Midnight needs rehab, and he needs it fast. Psychological help, medication, you name it. What he doesn't need is more people looking at him and saying "What a pathetic loser."

The idea of "resurrecting" the old Midnight seems great on paper, but let's be real here. He will never be the same, seems that he's past the point of returning. If Matt Laporte and co. wanted to really help him, they should've taken him to some serious professional help, and not throwing him on stage!!! All they did was contribute to make Midnight look like a fool in front of some good three hundred people. I mean seriously, he didn't even know where he was at that point!! Don't you get it??

I give credit to the band for putting up with that on stage on Wed. night in Atlanta. At the same time, it seems that part of that band is responsible for the trainwreck (for simply throwing him up there). While I believe that recording the album was a labor of love, I think common sense was not available the day the "Let's resurrect Midnight by throwing him onstage" idea came up.

 

[freakchylde]

Spock-

You are very welcome. Thank you so much for being flexible and giving Patrick and me enough advanced notice that we could accomodate your schedule.