Christ, this is long, but at least it's now off my metal list of things to do now! 
<EDIT: That was supposed to be "mental list"... I started to change it, then
realized the error was actually appropriate and let it stay!>
Wednesday
---------
My first time attending the metal karaoke. What started as an informal night of fun for the crew
before they start working their asses off on Thursday seems to have become an almost required
part of the week for many people! As someone said, Wednesday has become the new Thursday since
this is the night where it's easiest to catch up and talk with people. Al Rybka of Bavmorda is the King
of Metal Karaoke. Karaoke is no fair when the people who know what they're doing go up first
Celebrity moments included Andy Engberg singing something and Urban Breed going up for Holy Diver
and Aces High sometime after 1am.
All through the fest I kept trying to run into Andy Engberg to tell him how much I like the Section
A discs. But I never did; one of the PP Forum members (I was told it was TheWhisper) is a dead
ringer for Engberg, and so I never knew which one was which! Dammit!
I have the honor of being the last person to see Rod Rose before he left in the ambulance to go
get his appendix out. As I walked (wobbled, rather) back into the Residence lobby, he was
sitting calmly on a bench. He said, "Looks like my ride is here" as an ambulance pulled up
in front. For those who don't know, Rod had his appendix removed in the wee hours of Wednesday -
into - Thursday and was back at the venue Thursday night in time for Leatherwolf. THAT is metal!
I was wobbling back into the Residence because I figured out how much beer I should drink on
both Wednesday and Thursday nights, then proceeded to drink it all on Wednesday night
And thanks to Mom, I mean Teri, for the ziti dinner! That rocked.
Thursday
--------
Pre-party, eh? More like can't-miss-first-night! Kudos to Shane for doing what he does.
Theocracy - for a band still relatively novice at playing live shows, they did well. I love
their first CD, so I liked the tunes. The new song sort of took away a bit of momentum, though.
I hope the rest of the next CD has more uptempo and up-energy songs.
Circus Maximus - I wish they had more time! Oh well. I love their CD. I loved the new songs they
played. I don't know any of the titles, but the one Mike described as "a happy song" is already my
favorite song of 2007, assuming the new CD comes out next year.
Leatherwolf - I stayed for a few songs and got the idea. I like watching people who are clearly
having as much fun as Wade, but the set itself wasn't doing all that much for me.
Circle II Circle - Zak is such a strong live vocalist. I could listen to him sing all night.
Ending with This Is the Time was awesome, and highly appropriate, since this was indeed the time
and place to be!
Kyle's post-pre-party-party was excellent and relaxing. Thanks for the pizza. And Matt, watch
the final episode of Veronica Mars already! Jeez!
Friday
-------
Went to the vending room to spend my allotment of cash on CDs. I have a fixed CD budget on Friday. If I
spend less money on food and drinks, then I'll have more money to spend on CDs on Saturday. My haul:
Adagio - Dominate
Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth
Communic - Conspiracy in Mind
Mercenary - The Hours That Remain
Prymary - The Tragedy of Innocence
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress
Sonata Arctica - For the Sake of Revenge
Time Requiem - Optical Illusion
Of course, with my haul I felt like a beggar standing next to Bill Gates as I saw Kyle Rose with his
coffin sized cardboard box filled with CDs!
Pyramaze - Sounded great live! I wish they played The Journey. After the set, I decided Jonah is
my new favorite keyboard player - a reign that lasted until I saw Epica. Sorry Jonah, #2 ain't a
bad position either!
Savage Circus - I intended to hear a couple of songs then wander out, but ended up staying for the
whole set. Oddly, I still can't decide if I really liked them or not. Their material gets
very same-y after a while. The guitarist kept cracking me up, though. I saw their bass player
waiting in the security line at the airport on Sunday. He did not stick out like a sore thumb, no
sirree
Freak Kitchen - Enough has been said. Amazing live show. I don't know that I'll ever get one
of their CDs, because the songs just aren't something I think I'd feel like pulling out and
listening to at home, but would I go see them live again? In a heartbeat! "How can you get
a hernia here, there are no trees to cut down!" Priceless. You had to be there.
Mercenary - Last time, they worked for me and I liked them a lot. This time I made it through
about 3-4 songs. When they played Firesoul, my favorite track off 11 Dreams, and I didn't like
it much, I knew it was time to wander out. I guess I missed Kral on bass, the new guy didn't have the
infectious enthusiasm that Kral did. I'm mad I missed the Stage Dive Heard Around The World, though.
Evergrey - My favorite of the three times I've seen them. Great song selection. The chorus and
STRING QUARTET! STRING QUARTET! added a whole new dimension to the live show, and gave a much
fuller sound. Awesome. The marraige proposals were awesome, too! Hell, people (well, the
complaining people), stuff like this is what makes this fest so special. What, you mean you
had somewhere else to be at 2am? A business meeting to get to? Going to miss your plane if
Evergrey's set goes 15 minutes longer than it otherwise would? Come on, let four people share
something that they will never ever forget and be happy about it!
Saturday
--------
Realizing that I indeed had some free cash for more CDs, I bought
Arthemis - The Damned Ship
Power Quest - Magic Never Dies
Yes, you may go ahead and laugh at me now.
Zero Hour - It would be impossible for me to describe to someone how awe-inspiring it is to watch
Jason and Troy play, they are just phenomenal. Chris Salinas sounded great. Funny thing is,
though, that when the whole product is all wrapped together, the Zero Hour songs themselves don't
"lift me" any more than just observing the individual performances already does. I know that
doesn't make sense.
Vision Divine - It's a rare gift to elevate your material in the live setting to something more than
what it is on CD, but they do it. They also get the award for "Band whose appearance least matches
the music they make" With Olaf and the bass player being tall behemoths and the other guitarist
being built like a figure on a Manowar CD cover, it's funny to hear that melodic power metal coming
out of them
Thunderstone - About what I hoped, which made me happy. Great song selection from the recent CD, but
I would have liked more from the first two as well. I got goosebumps during the chorus from Land of
Innocence.
Epica - my suprise band of the fest. I was expecting to catch a few tunes then wander out. NOPE!
Their sound is so much fuller and, well, more EPIC than it is on CD. It was just an amazing set.
And I have never seen a keyboard player seem to have a more pivotal and central role in terms of
driving the band, getting into the music, and having a great time. He is now my favorite live
keyboardist. Now I am DOUBLY PISSED that I will be out of town when they're playing with
Kamelot in Chicago on the 30th.
Jorn - the man is a vocal machine. I was just stunned how solid he sounded and how effortless
he made it all appear, especially since I don't think he's on a regular touring schedule. To
come in and pull of two hours like that was inspiring. The songs themselves were hit and miss
for me. I mean, I l-o-v-e Out to Every Nation. But how the same guy can also sing about
being the "Duke of Love" is puzzling I'm definitely checking out the Allen / Lande CD now
though.
In the middle of the set I went to sit down a few rows above the sound board. The guys there (Jim
and Weebo) left shortly thereafter, but I think they were tired, it was not my B.O. Towards the very
end of the set, Glenn and Mrs. Glenn (at least I assume it was Mrs. Glenn came up and found the
empty seats in the row. It was nice to see The Man With the Balls of Steel (which also happens to
be the title of the next James Bond film) get to sit down and relax / enjoy himself for a few minutes.
It was also fun to see him get all excited during the big finale, which was a blast. I hope it
went off like he had envisioned.
People
------
I shouldn't even start this, because I'm bound to forget people I did talk with. But I always find it funny
that I spend more time talking in Atlanta to people I also see at Chicago shows than I do in Chicago!
Al (Met-Al) and Phil from Bavmorda, Samantha, Mike and Shannon (Yippee38 and YarleyBates), Chris Lotesto,
Pat (don't know if he posts or not, but his 14 month old walked for the first time while he was at
PP this year, missing out on that is DEDICATION!), etc. I also see other people that I'm pretty
damn sure are also from Chicago but didn't catch them. I think I saw Kaptain Krude this year too.
It is also funny that at PP, if you stick your arm out in any random direction, the odds of poking a
current or past member of Division in the eye are pretty large! Mike (and Malena!), Nick (and
his lovely wife who's name I've forgotten), Matt (and his lovely wife Beth who was not there this year,
because he forced her to stay home and work in the kitchen, Scott Stewart, and this year an old
Division bass player. They're like a fungus that keeps spreading! Ha!
Rather than attempting to rattle off a long list, I'll just say THANKS to everyone I have become
accustomed to seeing and hanging out with for continuing to make this so fun, and another HI to
people I met for the first time this year.
I am in negotiations to see if I can get Mrs. Professor to come next year, so y'all be on your
best behavior now.
<EDIT: That was supposed to be "mental list"... I started to change it, then
realized the error was actually appropriate and let it stay!>
Wednesday
---------
My first time attending the metal karaoke. What started as an informal night of fun for the crew
before they start working their asses off on Thursday seems to have become an almost required
part of the week for many people! As someone said, Wednesday has become the new Thursday since
this is the night where it's easiest to catch up and talk with people. Al Rybka of Bavmorda is the King
of Metal Karaoke. Karaoke is no fair when the people who know what they're doing go up first
Celebrity moments included Andy Engberg singing something and Urban Breed going up for Holy Diver
and Aces High sometime after 1am.
All through the fest I kept trying to run into Andy Engberg to tell him how much I like the Section
A discs. But I never did; one of the PP Forum members (I was told it was TheWhisper) is a dead
ringer for Engberg, and so I never knew which one was which! Dammit!
I have the honor of being the last person to see Rod Rose before he left in the ambulance to go
get his appendix out. As I walked (wobbled, rather) back into the Residence lobby, he was
sitting calmly on a bench. He said, "Looks like my ride is here" as an ambulance pulled up
in front. For those who don't know, Rod had his appendix removed in the wee hours of Wednesday -
into - Thursday and was back at the venue Thursday night in time for Leatherwolf. THAT is metal!
I was wobbling back into the Residence because I figured out how much beer I should drink on
both Wednesday and Thursday nights, then proceeded to drink it all on Wednesday night
And thanks to Mom, I mean Teri, for the ziti dinner! That rocked.
Thursday
--------
Pre-party, eh? More like can't-miss-first-night! Kudos to Shane for doing what he does.
Theocracy - for a band still relatively novice at playing live shows, they did well. I love
their first CD, so I liked the tunes. The new song sort of took away a bit of momentum, though.
I hope the rest of the next CD has more uptempo and up-energy songs.
Circus Maximus - I wish they had more time! Oh well. I love their CD. I loved the new songs they
played. I don't know any of the titles, but the one Mike described as "a happy song" is already my
favorite song of 2007, assuming the new CD comes out next year.
Leatherwolf - I stayed for a few songs and got the idea. I like watching people who are clearly
having as much fun as Wade, but the set itself wasn't doing all that much for me.
Circle II Circle - Zak is such a strong live vocalist. I could listen to him sing all night.
Ending with This Is the Time was awesome, and highly appropriate, since this was indeed the time
and place to be!
Kyle's post-pre-party-party was excellent and relaxing. Thanks for the pizza. And Matt, watch
the final episode of Veronica Mars already! Jeez!
Friday
-------
Went to the vending room to spend my allotment of cash on CDs. I have a fixed CD budget on Friday. If I
spend less money on food and drinks, then I'll have more money to spend on CDs on Saturday. My haul:
Adagio - Dominate
Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth
Communic - Conspiracy in Mind
Mercenary - The Hours That Remain
Prymary - The Tragedy of Innocence
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress
Sonata Arctica - For the Sake of Revenge
Time Requiem - Optical Illusion
Of course, with my haul I felt like a beggar standing next to Bill Gates as I saw Kyle Rose with his
coffin sized cardboard box filled with CDs!
Pyramaze - Sounded great live! I wish they played The Journey. After the set, I decided Jonah is
my new favorite keyboard player - a reign that lasted until I saw Epica. Sorry Jonah, #2 ain't a
bad position either!
Savage Circus - I intended to hear a couple of songs then wander out, but ended up staying for the
whole set. Oddly, I still can't decide if I really liked them or not. Their material gets
very same-y after a while. The guitarist kept cracking me up, though. I saw their bass player
waiting in the security line at the airport on Sunday. He did not stick out like a sore thumb, no
sirree
Freak Kitchen - Enough has been said. Amazing live show. I don't know that I'll ever get one
of their CDs, because the songs just aren't something I think I'd feel like pulling out and
listening to at home, but would I go see them live again? In a heartbeat! "How can you get
a hernia here, there are no trees to cut down!" Priceless. You had to be there.
Mercenary - Last time, they worked for me and I liked them a lot. This time I made it through
about 3-4 songs. When they played Firesoul, my favorite track off 11 Dreams, and I didn't like
it much, I knew it was time to wander out. I guess I missed Kral on bass, the new guy didn't have the
infectious enthusiasm that Kral did. I'm mad I missed the Stage Dive Heard Around The World, though.
Evergrey - My favorite of the three times I've seen them. Great song selection. The chorus and
STRING QUARTET! STRING QUARTET! added a whole new dimension to the live show, and gave a much
fuller sound. Awesome. The marraige proposals were awesome, too! Hell, people (well, the
complaining people), stuff like this is what makes this fest so special. What, you mean you
had somewhere else to be at 2am? A business meeting to get to? Going to miss your plane if
Evergrey's set goes 15 minutes longer than it otherwise would? Come on, let four people share
something that they will never ever forget and be happy about it!
Saturday
--------
Realizing that I indeed had some free cash for more CDs, I bought
Arthemis - The Damned Ship
Power Quest - Magic Never Dies
Yes, you may go ahead and laugh at me now.
Zero Hour - It would be impossible for me to describe to someone how awe-inspiring it is to watch
Jason and Troy play, they are just phenomenal. Chris Salinas sounded great. Funny thing is,
though, that when the whole product is all wrapped together, the Zero Hour songs themselves don't
"lift me" any more than just observing the individual performances already does. I know that
doesn't make sense.
Vision Divine - It's a rare gift to elevate your material in the live setting to something more than
what it is on CD, but they do it. They also get the award for "Band whose appearance least matches
the music they make"
With Olaf and the bass player being tall behemoths and the other guitaristbeing built like a figure on a Manowar CD cover, it's funny to hear that melodic power metal coming
out of them
Thunderstone - About what I hoped, which made me happy. Great song selection from the recent CD, but
I would have liked more from the first two as well. I got goosebumps during the chorus from Land of
Innocence.
Epica - my suprise band of the fest. I was expecting to catch a few tunes then wander out. NOPE!
Their sound is so much fuller and, well, more EPIC than it is on CD. It was just an amazing set.
And I have never seen a keyboard player seem to have a more pivotal and central role in terms of
driving the band, getting into the music, and having a great time. He is now my favorite live
keyboardist. Now I am DOUBLY PISSED that I will be out of town when they're playing with
Kamelot in Chicago on the 30th.
Jorn - the man is a vocal machine. I was just stunned how solid he sounded and how effortless
he made it all appear, especially since I don't think he's on a regular touring schedule. To
come in and pull of two hours like that was inspiring. The songs themselves were hit and miss
for me. I mean, I l-o-v-e Out to Every Nation. But how the same guy can also sing about
being the "Duke of Love" is puzzling
I'm definitely checking out the Allen / Lande CD nowthough.
In the middle of the set I went to sit down a few rows above the sound board. The guys there (Jim
and Weebo) left shortly thereafter, but I think they were tired, it was not my B.O. Towards the very
end of the set, Glenn and Mrs. Glenn (at least I assume it was Mrs. Glenn
came up and found theempty seats in the row. It was nice to see The Man With the Balls of Steel (which also happens to
be the title of the next James Bond film) get to sit down and relax / enjoy himself for a few minutes.
It was also fun to see him get all excited during the big finale, which was a blast. I hope it
went off like he had envisioned.
People
------
I shouldn't even start this, because I'm bound to forget people I did talk with. But I always find it funny
that I spend more time talking in Atlanta to people I also see at Chicago shows than I do in Chicago!
Al (Met-Al) and Phil from Bavmorda, Samantha, Mike and Shannon (Yippee38 and YarleyBates), Chris Lotesto,
Pat (don't know if he posts or not, but his 14 month old walked for the first time while he was at
PP this year, missing out on that is DEDICATION!), etc. I also see other people that I'm pretty
damn sure are also from Chicago but didn't catch them. I think I saw Kaptain Krude this year too.
It is also funny that at PP, if you stick your arm out in any random direction, the odds of poking a
current or past member of Division in the eye are pretty large! Mike (and Malena!), Nick (and
his lovely wife who's name I've forgotten), Matt (and his lovely wife Beth who was not there this year,
because he forced her to stay home and work in the kitchen
, Scott Stewart, and this year an oldDivision bass player. They're like a fungus that keeps spreading! Ha!
Rather than attempting to rattle off a long list, I'll just say THANKS to everyone I have become
accustomed to seeing and hanging out with for continuing to make this so fun, and another HI to
people I met for the first time this year.
I am in negotiations to see if I can get Mrs. Professor to come next year, so y'all be on your
best behavior now.
