Did anyone go to Prog Power?

[MS_39455]

If so, how was it? Good crowd, good performances, etc?

[Greg]

Paging Wrekage-Paul to thread #1573... Paging Wrekage-Paul to thread #1573, over.

[WREKage-Paul]

Shaddup, Greg!

If so, how was it? Good crowd, good performances, etc?

Crowd was excellent as usual. There were about 5 tickets remaining unsold.

A hi-def DVD was recorded during the entire festival (also including the pre-party bands on Thursday night) and will include 3 songs from all the bands who elect to participate in it. There were at least 7 cameras in use including a boom camera floating over the audience. I was watching the camera shots through the doorway of the video editing suite downstairs -- best place to watch the show from! -- and it should be a great show.

The big surprise band (the "Therion Award" based on last year's show) was Freak Kitchen....everyone expected them to be musically amazing, and they were, especially Mattias "IA" Eklund on guitar/dildo/etc....but they had the audience spellbound, and eating out of their hands.

As expected, Mercenary slayed. Probably the most powerful set this year. Made me proud, as their sponsor.

Epica's performance included a lot more growly death vocals than I was expecting, which was really cool. They're in second place right now in the 'best set" voting on the PPUSA Forum.

Evergrey performed for 2 hours and 15 minutes and ended at around 2:30 am. (!) The set also included two marriage proposals (one by a female fan to her beau, and the other by Henrik, from the band).
A 4-piece local string quartet was brought out for 4 songs, and during the break beforehand, the crowd chanted "String quartet! String quartet!" --Easily the strangest audience chant you'll ever hear at a metal show.

[kamal]

during the break beforehand, the crowd chanted "String quartet! String quartet!" --Easily the strangest audience chant you'll ever hear at a metal show.

Are you sure it wasn't just a few classical nerds who started it and then the rest of the drunk metal crowd chimed in, thinking they were chanting "Show Your Tits"?

[ratanda]

I was there. Had a good time.
Evergrey kicked ass. What I saw of Zero Hour kicked ass.

[Metalfreak]

I was there. Had a good time.
Evergrey kicked ass. What I saw of Zero Hour kicked ass.

Dude, NO! They need an atomic bomb dropped on them!

[WREKage-Paul]

Nahhhh, but they really need to work on their flow. Too much time between songs..... Epica and Vision Divine (what I saw of 'em) really ruled that second night.

[ratanda]

I was there. Had a good time.
Evergrey kicked ass. What I saw of Zero Hour kicked ass.

Dude, NO! They need an atomic bomb dropped on them!

I don't know which band you're referring to, but I stand by what I said. We just have differences of opinion here.

[NeuroNomicon]

T.S. Englund has the pipes of a fucking God. Evergrey have some serious chops, mayn.

[Metalfreak]

I was there. Had a good time.
Evergrey kicked ass. What I saw of Zero Hour kicked ass.

Dude, NO! They need an atomic bomb dropped on them!

I don't know which band you're referring to, but I stand by what I said. We just have differences of opinion here.

Zero Hour...it's the band you mentioned

[ratanda]

I was there. Had a good time.
Evergrey kicked ass. What I saw of Zero Hour kicked ass.

Dude, NO! They need an atomic bomb dropped on them!

I don't know which band you're referring to, but I stand by what I said. We just have differences of opinion here.

Zero Hour...it's the band you mentioned

Yeah I mentioned 2, so I didn't know which one you meant.

[WREKage-Paul]

I thought Zero Hour had the weakest of the sets I saw, due partly to the new material (damnit, no "Strategem") and partly to some longish pauses between songs, plus some of the new singer's really high-register vox were annoying.

Still, they're hella talented and Troy and Jasun are almost impossibly nice in person. I know some, like Linda, disagree for personal reasons, and that's fine....but that's not really music-related either.

I'm still kicking myself for not seeing more of Freak Kitchen from front-and-center.....seeing that show from the VIP balcony on stage-left made me miss a lot. That audience was eating out of their hands.