My friend Steve (SkiBumMSP) had heard that Stratovarius was playing at ProgPower VI in 2005. At the time we thought it was going to be their only US date and figured it would be the only we'd ever get to see them. He told me he was going to go and asked if I wanted to go with him. I thought it would be a good idea to see some bands I had never heard of before, and an added plus was that it was my birthday that weekend....
Little did I know that it was the first in a long journey into ProgPowers. We've been attending ever since and have been sponsors since PP X in 2009. Things came full circle for us at PP XV in 2014 when we were co-sponsors for Stratovarius.
Dave here pretty much summed it up for us. Let me elaborate a bit here.
In the late 90's, early 2000's, I started exploring the more independent, underground music scene via the old MP3.com site. I did not like the direction that the mainstream music that I was hearing on the local FM radio stations was going and wanted to try to find the kind of music that I wanted to actually here. I did not know what it was really called at the time, but I knew the sound. It was that very melodic, almost symphonic sound ala thinks like Styx, Pink Floyd, Yes, as well as something heavy sounding ala Iron Maiden, Ronnie James Dio, and even bands like Def Leppard. After much exploring around, I discovered bands like Blind Guardian and even Amorphous on MP3.com. What really got me was when I heard a song that just absolutely blew me away on my then brand-new DirecTV setup via the old MusicChoice channels (I had the "metal" station on). Turned out it was Stratovarius "One Million Light Years Away" from their
Infinite album. I was like "THAT is the kind of music that I want to hear!!". Hell, I even immediately jumped in my car and ran over to the nearby Best Buy to see if they had the album, and much to my surprise, they actually DID! I also bought up any other Stratovarius albums that they had (they also had
Destiny and even the classic
Visions as well! At that time, I also just installed my current Klipsch HT rig and those albums just sounded friggan UNREAL on the setup. From that point on, it completely opened up this whole new world of music that I was not even aware of, as well as finally figured out it was called Power and Progressive Metal. It did not take to long for me to want to look into actually finding if any of these bands played anywhere nearby as I wanted to actually see some of them live. It was also that time when I discovered that there was a heavy metal club only 45 minutes away in the form of Jaxx and where I got to see Sonota Arctica for the first time. I really wanted to see Stratovarius and after searching, I found about this festival in Atlanta. I was thinking if I really wanted to go all the way to Atlanta but decided to bite the bullet. At the same time, Dave was taking a real interest in this music that I had discovered and was asking me to supply him with some samples of the music and the names of these bands that I was discovering, as he also was getting very jaded with the direction in which the mainstream music was going like I was. While working out at the local YMCA with him after work one evening, I mentioned that I thinking about and wanting to go to this festival in Atlanta in the middle of September to see Stratovarius and a couple of other bands that I was not really familiar with at the time. He mentioned that was his birthday and kinda dropped hint at how cool that would be to celebrate it. I asked him if he really wanted to go, and mentioned that it was probably not going to be cheap, considering that we would need hotel and airfare as well. He said he wanted to go, so I told him I get the tickets when they go on sale as well as found the flight and hotel (the old Hampton Inn that since has been demolished - sucks as that place was actually pretty nice).
Needless to say, when that fateful weekend finally arrived, I was just blown away at what I saw. Holy crap the bands and music was just so friggan awesome. Not only that, here was this whole crowd of people that were into the same kind of music that I was. In the vendor area, I was like a kid in a candy store - so many friggan CDs and so many friggan bands, of many that I never heard of but soon discovered! I knew, by the end of the first night, that I was going to come back. I just had to. After I got back, I learned that Stratovarius was playing at Jaxx that very next Monday. I almost didn't go, but since I had to leave work early that day due to a doctor's appointment I had at the time, I decided to go and glad I did. I got some awesome pictures and actually got to hang out with the band. I never thought in a million years that I would get to actually see these guys, let along actually HANG OUT AND SHARE DRINKS with these guys! Now that I think about it, if I HAD known that Strato was going to be playing at Jaxx before knowing about ProgPower, I may have never even bothered with going to ProgPower, and to think how things could've turned out different for me! By the same token, just at ProgPower 13, I never thought, in a million years I get to meet and see Luca Turilli, but holy crap, there I was EATING DINNER with the guy!!!
Now, here 9 plus years later, now one of the sponsors and as Dave already said, how it came full circle that we actually got to sponsor Stratovarius. I had a picture of myself with Timo K. and Laura Porra from that night at Jaxx. I showed it to Laura backstage after their set and he wanted to "recreate" it! As long as time and money allow me to and as along as Glenn (and perhaps somebody that can continue it after he decides to hang it up) continues to put these things on, I will be there, with check for sponsorship in hand! It has gotten to the point that I come as much as to see my friends as much as seeing the bands and music, thus I will most likely come regardless of what the lineup may be.