Vanden Plas will not perform at the Showcase

[Shark83]

Vanden Plas was the only reason I flew 1200 miles to Atlanta. I work weekends but I was able to take off one day... Thursday. I flew in specifically for Thursday night and flew back after the concert. I was so mad I hated the first 4 hours... yup too mad for metal. Freak Kitchen helped, but still a complete and utter let down. If I had found out earlier I would have stayed home and not used a vacation day. 15+ hours of traveling, hundreds of dollars down the drain, AND no Vanden Plas. Worst day ever.

 

[Mr. Zane of HW]

Vanden Plas was the only reason I flew 1200 miles to Atlanta. I work weekends but I was able to take off one day... Thursday. I flew in specifically for Thursday night and flew back after the concert. I was so mad I hated the first 4 hours... yup too mad for metal. Freak Kitchen helped, but still a complete and utter let down. If I had found out earlier I would have stayed home and not used a vacation day. 15+ hours of traveling, hundreds of dollars down the drain, AND no Vanden Plas. Worst day ever.

Dude, that sux. i knew a lot of VP fans would be way pissed, and we didn't know until 10Am thurs. morning. I loved playing but the circumstances blew monkey chunks.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

so... yuma?

No, I don't think you can even consider Yuma boondocks anymore...certainly not during the winter months when it's a booming metropolis! I live about 15 miles south of Maricopa, just off I-8.

 

[metalprof]

I'm still debating whether or not to skip my 5-6pm Calculus III class.

Ha! I wish I had seen this sooner, but as a math prof, I absolve you from missing your Calc III class if that's what you ended up doing. If your prof gives you grief, tell him I said it was OK! Hell, I set up my own Calc III classes with an on-line exam to do on Friday (yesterday) to keep them busy while I'm down here!

Ken

 

[MetalRose]

We still love Shane and VP anyway. As everyone else said, sometimes shit happens. And I'm pretty sure we all know it wasn't for lack of trying (on either part.)

-Metal

 

[MetalRose]

Vanden Plas was the only reason I flew 1200 miles to Atlanta. I work weekends but I was able to take off one day... Thursday. I flew in specifically for Thursday night and flew back after the concert. I was so mad I hated the first 4 hours... yup too mad for metal. Freak Kitchen helped, but still a complete and utter let down. If I had found out earlier I would have stayed home and not used a vacation day. 15+ hours of traveling, hundreds of dollars down the drain, AND no Vanden Plas. Worst day ever.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but I think that's a little harsh. Had EITHER side known earlier, it would have been posted early. Yes it sucks that you had to travel all that way and use a vacation day. I'd be disappointed to, but considering the circumstances and how Shane worked his ASS off to try and do what he could to give us a killer set on what, a few HOURS notice, I'd say that Shane ruled the world.

My $0.02.

-Metal

 

[rms]

I dont think hes blaming anyone at all, hes just super-pissed and I would be to if I was him.

 

[halcyonwayband@aol.com]

You are entitled to your own opinion, but I think that's a little harsh. Had EITHER side known earlier, it would have been posted early. Yes it sucks that you had to travel all that way and use a vacation day. I'd be disappointed to, but considering the circumstances and how Shane worked his ASS off to try and do what he could to give us a killer set on what, a few HOURS notice, I'd say that Shane ruled the world.

My $0.02.

-Metal

Shane absolutely did kill himself to make the show go on when this came down. Props man. And thanks again for thinking of us, we really appreciate the opportunity to throw down again.

 

[Shark83]

Yeah I'm not trying to blame anyone here, especially not Shane. If anything it's those fuckers in Detroit I'm mad at. But I think some of the blame should go onto VP's agent, there should have been some sort of double checking going on... they're not the first foreign band to come to the US.

So yeah, my main objective isn't placing blame, I just feel like I have to express how upsetting it was and get it out of my system. And only the people here would truly understand. I can tell my friends here that they canceled and they'll say that sucks... but you guys will understand the best.

 

[Magius]

Yeah. It wasn't harsh at all. There wasn't a critical word directed at anyone that I read. Being upset is understandable.

 

[Pellaz]

Absolutely. And Shane offered full refunds to anyone who wanted them......not that it covers the travel costs, but it was the right thing to do.

 

[Bryant]

Buy the way Snowy... appreciate the updates from the Vanden Plas side. I'll see you over here and at FoG as well soon.


Bryant

http://www.faroffgrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2666#2666

 

[Bryant]

I'll do a CD and call my band "Homeland Security" and the title will be a Vanden Plas tribute entitled "Beyond Stupid."

Bryant

What a disgrace! I feel horrible for everyone involved. For the US Government to do that to Vanden Plas was beyond stupid.

 

[Mxgonzo]

What also sucks is that they were going to record the show for a possible DVD release. I was really looking forward to that.
Still, it was a great night for music in the form of Freak Kitchen, Cellador, Krucible and Halcyon Way. Cheers!

 

[BlindPanzer]

Isn't all this speculation at this point? From what we know, VP took the papers theythought were the ones required, and they weren't enough apparently. We do not know if the papers they had were the same ones all the other bands had. Yes Glenn and Shane tell all the bands what documentation to bring but that doesn't necessarily mean that they bring all. Any other discussion on the procedures of immigration are hypothetical at best since 1) we weren't there 2) I don't think we know exactly how or why certain people (or bands...) get stopped.

 

[Bryan316]

God damn my muthafuckin' hometown.

That fuckin' airport sucks monkey balls, from the horrible layout and design of the Smith terminal, to the filthiness and excessive grossness of it all. Carpets stained from rain leaks, bathrooms always bombed by God knows WHAT kind of filth and the destroyed pavement and unpainted lane markings. I hate my airport.

Ladies and gentlemen, I formally apologize on behalf of all Michigan ProgPower fans, for the farce we call Detroit Metro Airport. I am ashamed of my town and my state. Year after year, more shit happens that makes me hate this state. I used to be proud to say I hailed from Detroit Rock City, home of the allmighty Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, Kid Rock, MOTOWN... not any more.

So... which town wants to adopt me?

 

[Cheiron]

Baghdad.

 

[AMBR]

I was utterly heart broken. Vanden Plas was one of the bands I wanted to see the most. Absolutely no grief to Shane or the VP guys, just need to express what an extreme disappointment that was. While we don't know exactly what the circumstances were, from many recent stories I've heard about the customs authority, I'm leaning towards believing they were, once again, over zealous for no reason. I've heard of so many bands getting the same treatment and it serves no purpose. What are they trying accomplish? Seems like the agency is on a power trip and just likes to flex there muscles for no reason.
Check this out:
As many of you know, my son Ben was in Iraq. On the day he was to return home, I was waiting for him at the base in VT. He calls me to tell me he's in JFK. ?????? Apparently, despite the fact this was a plane leased by the Air Force full of only US troops who had just spent all their time overseas on a military base they were REQUIRED by customs to land in New York to fill out declaration cards. No shit. They made all 300 US military personnel fill out the little blue cards, get off the plane, turn them in then wait around until they could get back on the plane and continue to their base. Unbelievable.

 

[Bryan316]

Isn't all this speculation at this point? From what we know, VP took the papers theythought were the ones required, and they weren't enough apparently. We do not know if the papers they had were the same ones all the other bands had. Yes Glenn and Shane tell all the bands what documentation to bring but that doesn't necessarily mean that they bring all. Any other discussion on the procedures of immigration are hypothetical at best since 1) we weren't there 2) I don't think we know exactly how or why certain people (or bands...) get stopped.

You also have to consider, they have immigration officers and travel agents who help them get everything ironed out and correct, long before they begin to travel.

Here's my guesses.

1. American procedures for international travel change whenever the FUCK they wanna change em, cuz this country's paranoid over pindrops in the nighttime.

2. They didn't like where they flew in from. They planned some less expensive flights by avoiding the direct flight from Germany to Atlanta, and flew from Amsterdam to Detroit, then Detroit to Atlanta. Everyone knows that Amsterdam has a reputation, and that probably biased the hell outta those customs agents thinking they were drug dealers or something rediculous.



You can plan everything with flawless meticulation, but you cannot plan for someone else's retardedness in a shitty Detroit airport.

 

[BlindPanzer]

Exactly. They are guesses. It could have been the band's fault just as much as it could have been customs in the airport. I just think we are jumping the gun in this blame game.