Will the Pre-Party be on the main stage again next year?

[Cheiron]

Only reason that Preparty had better sound, imo, was the sound level. The pre-party seemed to have people at lower volumes. Friday/Saturday shows... well it was just louder, and the bass was drowning some things out. But yeah.. that can easily be the bands fault. But then again, all they know about how they are sounding comes from the monitors. If there's a disconnect between what we are hearing, and what they are, that can cause issues too. <shrug>

Either way the sound was pretty damn good all festival long. But I do agree Circus Maximus and Circle II Circle had awesome sound.

 

[Harvester]

The louder a band turns it up on stage, the more difficult it is for the front of house to adjust & compensate, especially on the fly.

 

[nightwish58]

Option B with Vision Divine!!!!

 

[Jax]

And people need to stop bitching about lack of time for socializing. I hosted a kick ass lunch this year at Front Page News on Friday afternoon that was a great pre-party and time to socialize for the 25-30 that showed up. Maybe more of you should show up next year.

Maybe some of us had to work then..

 

[TheWhisper]

I don't see anyone 'bitching'. I thought we were having a civil conversation till this post. Just because a person doesn't agree with your stance, doesn't make it bitching. Like I have said already, the 'show' was vastly improved. I do not think anyone will deny this. I did arrive Wednesday, knowing that my usual routine would be interrupted come pre-party time.

Ah, quit yer bitchin'.

 

[Michael TEOF]

Michael,

I hate to burst your bubble, but we use essentially the same sound crew for the pre-party and the main festival. There are *multiple* factors going on in a festival situation that determine the sound that are beyond our control at times (such as the way a guitarist dials in on stage). I bring in Ernst Seider from Germany to run sound. He does sound for Helloween, Gamma Ray, Edguy, and every major tour/festival in Europe. He is absolutely revered by all of the bands. He makes my crew's job easier because he is *that damn good* and the bands shut up and listen to him because they respect him.

The difference in sound between CIIC and Vision Divine is that Vision Divine brought their own soundman and didn't use Ernie. That happens more often that you realize and those guys just aren't as good as Ernie in a festival situation where you have to adapt on the fly instead of soundchecking for three hours in the afternoon and leaving the knobs alone afterwards.

No bubble was blown to begin with Glennmeister... I'm just stating things as they are perceived by an audience member... and one that has an ear for music and likes to take in details and pitch. That said, you are welcome to burst my imaginary bubbles anytime baby...

And I think we had this same discussion last year with you saying the exact same thing. Maybe these bands just need to stop bringing their own soundmen. Especially at a prog show, quality sound is essential. If your guy is that good, then maybe the bands you bring in should just shut the F up and let this man do his job

Circle II Circle had the best sound out of any band I have ever seen in the history of live music. I just wish all the bands had that quality kind of sound for their performances? Is that too much to hope for?

The Motha F'N Michael

 

[Bear]

Not even a choice. B B B B B B B B

 

[Formerly known as Chris F5]

The louder a band turns it up on stage, the more difficult it is for the front of house to adjust & compensate, especially on the fly.

And I know that from experience(with abnormally loud keyboardists in every band I played live shows with)

 

[Bear]

Option B... for GOD DAMN sheezy Glenn.



The only thing we should do next year to make things better is find a place that serves alcohol until 4am in Atlanta Saturday night/Sunday morning -- in other words, some kind of post-party on Saturday night after the last band ends. This would seriously stem some of the depression that sets in on the walk home... hoping to find some kind of party to prolong that feeling of greatness.



The Michael

Well not sure what you did, but my bar stayed open until 6 Am at 333 m/, thats when the booze ran out and we went down to the porch LOL

Bear

 

[Pellaz]

Option B.

--And even though it's becoming a de facto third night of ProgPower, calling it the 'pre-party' instead of part of PPUSA itself means that Shane can be a bit more experimental with the bands he gets.

 

[Rider of Theli]

Sesame Street is brought to you today by the letter

B

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

From this point on, I don't think there is any way you're going to get the calibur of bands like Circle II Circle, Circus Maximus, and Leatherwolf playing on that ridiculously small stage upstairs. What a disservice it would be to the bands. If you were any of the bands above, would you rather play in the corner of a small dark smoke-filled room with low ceiling , or would you rather play in front of 800+ people on a full stage with full light show, full sound system, and recording and video capabilities to boot? Center Stage was filled for most of the pre-party, and for the last couple of acts, the venue looked as full as it is for most Friday and Saturday acts.

If you were the promoter, would you rather limit yourself to selling 300 tickets (instead of 800) just so people have more time to talk when the bands are playing? If you're a promoter, can you spend more on booking national/international bands by selling 300 tickets or 800 tickets?

For everyone who wants the pre party to be even better next year, it's not going to get any better if it gets put back upstairs just to give patrons a smaller, pre-party feel of years past. The cat is out of the box. If you want to put the cat back in the box, then be prepared for lesser known regional acts that most people have never heard of - just for the sake of being able to chit-chat/socialize while watching a band at the same time. Frankly, I don't know how anyone can chat with a band playing, regardless of venue (and especially in a small club like the Vinyl or Loft).

The doors open an hour before the show, the vendor room is open all day, the hallways and bars at Center Stage are open for mingling and signings during all 3 nights, and the Vinyl is open after the show ends. How much more time do people need to socialize?

Amen, Fiddler!!! Very well spoken!The main stage is the shit now. Keep moving forward, not backward.

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

I'll ask a single, hypothetical question and I don't want an explanation from anyone. Just choose an option:

A. We return to the Loft with the similar calibur bands from the progpower prepartys of III-V. There will be no returning main stage bands from previous years. You get to socialize and the gold badge room returns (keeping in mind that gold badge holders are the minority that night). Shanes makes a very minimal amount for his work, barely making it worth his time.

B. We return to Center Stage and you get to watch someone like Vision Divine or Freak Kitchen perform a longer set along with at least one other big name. You come in a night earlier and socialize at the karoke party on Wed night. Shane is rewarded justly for his work.

I can't yell out "B" quick enough!

 

[YtseJammer]

B

 

[General Zod]

B.

Zod

 

[Cheiron]

Option B.

--And even though it's becoming a de facto third night of ProgPower, calling it the 'pre-party' instead of part of PPUSA itself means that Shane can be a bit more experimental with the bands he gets.

Truth.

I think its neat if the pre-party is not just prog and power. I.E. things like how DC Cooper runs his set..., Orphaned Land acoustic set, and Leatherwolf.

 

[Cheiron]

Option B.

--And even though it's becoming a de facto third night of ProgPower, calling it the 'pre-party' instead of part of PPUSA itself means that Shane can be a bit more experimental with the bands he gets.

Truth. I like how it has had sets like DC Cooper., Orphaned Land acoustic, and Leatherwolf.

 

[Tuflus]

B.

 

[bwrightson]

Optoin B all the way, and here's another vote for a Vision Divine return!

 

[SeanMShields]

I don't know if I'd call Enertia, Stride, Katagory V, Prototype, Halcyon's Way and Outworld "crappy," but I suppose that's why there's chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

~C

Thanks, I would say we are better now, than we were then, and we weren't as good as the other bands, but we weren't crappy.

God I was so nervous that night playing in front of the ProgPower family that my throat felt like it was going to close up. Then as soon as I got off the stage I was fine. You have to remember as performers of this music, ProgPower can be the hardest audience to please. Because it has a high concentration of fans, record buyers and experts on this type of music. So for me it was like singing for "myself", which is my worst critic, and that's tough no matter how you slice it. But you either get over it and do your best or you don't. And I learned a lesson that day, so if I "ever" get another chance to play for you all again, I am bringing it. Period. Hence why I came to karaoke.

In my humble and newbie opinion I think the quality of performance and bands is going to be better on the big stage. There is always plenty of time to socialize.
Because let's face it, not everyone likes every band, and so people run out and grab a drink and talk. No big deal.