Powerfest overall review

Velheru · May 7th, 2008, 09:43 PM

I just got back from 3 days of music in Mokena, IL. I will be writing a review for each night and band later. But for now I am going to review the event as a whole.

Paganfest is a seperate entity than the Powerfest and did a good job lining up bands with complementary styles and for the most part, scheduling the lineup in a way that it flowed well. Powerfest on the other hand, while having many good bands, also threw in some real trash and styles that didnt mesh with the headlining style. Still was a great program over all though...

Now to the venue...The Pearl Room... This is a great place for small concerts. Wonderful setup with lots of room on the floor for a pit, as well as overhead walkways that are great to stay out of the crowd, offer great views, and are good for pictures. Other than that, the place sucked. Thurs. and Fri, they had ONE fucking bathroom per gender open for SOLD OUT crowds...The lines were horrible, finally Sat. They opened a SECOND bathroom when the crowd was complaining about hour long lines to take a piss. There was food and drinks, but at a crazy price. We know you are trying to make money, but balance it out...$3 for a $.50 bottle of water...come on. You could sell more if you lowered it a little, lots of ppl went without or with minimal because of the prices.

All of this wasnt bad in comparison to the security. These guys were ridiculous. If ppl started moshing, the guards would stand around and try to contain it by shoving and throwing ppl that got close to what the security felt should be the edge of the pit. In many cases, the security guards were rougher on ppl than the pit itself was. Then there were the body surfers. Someone would get lifed up (maybe not by choice) and start their journey across the crowd. As soon as one of the gorrila's they call security would see it, they would shove and run towards the person, knocking down anyone and everyone on the densly packed floor that stood between them and the surfer. Upon reaching the crowd surfer the security would reach up and yank them down to the floor, usually holding onto a foot and allowing the surfers head to smack against the concrete...Yes there is a "no crowd surfing" rule, but this is for safety since crowd surfing can result in injury, but the only injuries cause by it at this show were the ones the security caused in trying to stop it.

At the end of the show, some ppl would hang around at the back of the venue where the bands would come out. You naturally have to walk past it in order to get to parking anyway. Each night fans would stand back there and hang out with some of the bands and talk, show their appreciation, and get autographs. Not all bands came out, but a few did, and those that did enjoyed spending time with their fans (Thanks Ion Vein) Eventually, the security that works WITH THE BANDS would come out and say something along the lines of "we dont know when xxxx (headliner band) will be out, but you guys are more than welcome to wait out here for them, they would like to meet their fans" then shortly after, the security that caused all the problems on the floor would come around and tell everyone they had to leave. Saturday night, they went as far as calling the cops to clear out the fans who wanted nothing more than to show their appreciation AND had already been told they were more than welcome to stay out there and wait for the bands...

Overall, I loved the show, I just hope that next time they find a better venue. THE PEARL ROOM SUCKS...not only that but, the place has a legal capacity of 1400 and fri. and sat. nights it was double that and more....

In the last few days since returning home from Powerfest, I have been in contact with several of the bands (from all 3 nights of shows) and quite a few of them have expressed their displeasure of the Pearl Room security and the fact that they didnt get to meet fans after the show. If this continues, it wont just be lack of fans, but lack of bands willing to play there that will make it hard for Powerfest to be as great as it has the potential to be.

My reviews of the bands will come later...

Velheru · May 7th, 2008, 09:51 PM

If I wasnt so lazy, I would have the nightly reviews done..but I have finals this week, so I have been a little busy...I dont want anyone to think I am down on the Powerfest. I loved it. It was a great show and I plan to go again next year. This is meant as constructive criticism so that the experience can be made better (and more profitable) for the future.

Vegetaman · May 7th, 2008, 09:55 PM

Interesting review. I look forward to seeing your individual breakdown.

Some of the security guys were pretty cool (especially the two in front of me on Thursday - and one of them was also there again on Friday and Saturday. They were both pretty nice and talkative.), but some of them kind of had an attitude. I didn't have any personal encounters with any though, so I can't really comment on that.

I haven't seen anything on the official numbers of people there each night, so I can't comment on that either (though I heard or saw 3,500 over three days; which if divided out evenly would still be under the legal limit). I was quite glad for Chris, Rob, and John that the fest was definitely packed on Friday and Saturday. And the crowds turned out very early this year - the place was already packed when Ion Vein and Twelfth Gate took the stage each night.

I hear you on the finals, too. I've got a big nasty Statistics w/ Calculus final coming up tomorrow. Not looking forward to it.

The Wicked One · May 7th, 2008, 09:59 PM

dude we already had topic to post reviews.

my only thing id like to add.
concerning legal capacity..>SSHHHH. It kicked ass! that amount of ppl was epic and factor to the success of the show

Velheru · May 7th, 2008, 10:01 PM

I do know that the majority of ppl were on the two Powerfest nights. I like variety too Vegetaman, but some styles just dont work well with others, and metalcore/mathcore/hardcore just doesnt work well with powermetal and other similar styles. Still was a good show though. Those bands gave me time to visit vendors or wait in line for the washroom lol.

Det Som Engang Var · May 7th, 2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Wicked One

dude we already had topic to post reviews.

my only thing id like to add.
concerning legal capacity..>SSHHHH. It kicked ass! that amount of ppl was epic and factor to the success of the show

This

Velheru · May 7th, 2008, 10:05 PM

Wicked One, sorry if this is a repeat thread...I saw Diabolik's review but not a thread that was "post your review here" so I figured it was up to us to post our own individual review. I almost just posted on Diabolik's but I've found in many forums that is considered "thread-jacking" and didnt want to offend anyone.

As for the "secret" that is great, but it just shows that if its going to continue to grow, it needs to be moved to a larger venue. It has reached the point that it is outgrowing its current host. Which is a great thing for its continued success!

skyrefuge · May 8th, 2008, 09:32 AM

First off, great first post. I'm sure (or I hope!) the guys value "fest" reviews like this, and I look forward to reading your performance reviews too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velheru

Thurs. and Fri, they had ONE fucking bathroom per gender open for SOLD OUT crowds...The lines were horrible, finally Sat. They opened a SECOND bathroom when the crowd was complaining about hour long lines to take a piss.

Yeah, that was bad. Out of curiosity, where is the second bathroom? I heard rumors of such a thing, but if it opens up and no one knows where it is, it still doesn't help!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velheru

There was food and drinks, but at a crazy price. We know you are trying to make money, but balance it out...$3 for a $.50 bottle of water...come on.

I didn't buy anything while I was there, and generally don't while I'm at concerts so I'm probably not the best judge, but my impression is that $3 for water doesn't sound terribly out of line compared to any other concert venue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velheru

If ppl started moshing, the guards would stand around and try to contain it by shoving and throwing ppl that got close to what the security felt should be the edge of the pit.

I actually thought this was great. Most of the time when a pit forms, a giant space opens as all the small folk run for cover. The moshing only stays at that widespread level for a short time, but people are still afraid to move back in for fear of a future break-out, so this enormous empty space containing just one wandering drunk guy stays there for the whole concert. With the security guys helping to define the edges, the floor space occupied by the circle was much more reasonable. And I didn't feel like they ever kept the space TOO small for the number of moshers, they just kept it from becoming unreasonably large (though I didn't really see the pits during Iced Earth and Testament, so maybe that was different?) Certainly I thought their "active" participation in the pits was a bit over the line, but I never saw anyone thrown down by them come up looking offended, so I figured that everyone involved was cool with that. And even that was rare. The vast majority of the time, they just stood there passively, or, held out an arm for protection, no different than the rest of us standing at the edge of the pit.

Quote:

Then there were the body surfers. Someone would get lifed up (maybe not by choice) and start their journey across the crowd. As soon as one of the gorrila's they call security would see it, they would shove and run towards the person, knocking down anyone and everyone on the densly packed floor that stood between them and the surfer. Upon reaching the crowd surfer the security would reach up and yank them down to the floor, usually holding onto a foot and allowing the surfers head to smack against the concrete...

I also liked this. At least the message was clear and consistent: moshing is allowed, crowd surfing isn't. Again, they were probably more aggressive than they had to be, but their aggressiveness also works as a deterrent, and from what I saw, crowd-surfing attempts were at an absolute minimum. And I'm pretty sure that no one gets lifted on top of a crowd against their will.

Quote:

Saturday night, they went as far as calling the cops to clear out the fans who wanted nothing more than to show their appreciation AND had already been told they were more than welcome to stay out there and wait for the bands...

That's too bad that they wouldn't let you stay there, but just because one guest on someone's property (band security) says they don't mind if another guest (you) stays there, that doesn't mean that the property owner (the Pearl Room) is obligated to listen to the first guest. Their reasons for booting you might not have had anything to do with "protecting" the bands, I bet they would have shooed you away if you were loitering out in front of the venue too.

Quote:

not only that but, the place has a legal capacity of 1400 and fri. and sat. nights it was double that and more....

I come from a long line of crowd-size estimators, and I have to say that you're way off. I did a pretty careful estimate of the main floor (the rectangular area that's the width of the stage, going all the way back to the sound booth), and at a solid-but-not-ridiculous density, about 500 people can fit there. It's hard to imagine that 2300 other people were stuffed in the sides, around the bars, and in the balcony.

It would be great to see the real totals from CRJ though.

Quote:

In the last few days since returning home from Powerfest, I have been in contact with several of the bands (from all 3 nights of shows) and quite a few of them have expressed their displeasure of the Pearl Room security and the fact that they didnt get to meet fans after the show. If this continues, it wont just be lack of fans, but lack of bands willing to play there that will make it hard for Powerfest to be as great as it has the potential to be.

Well, that's bands telling a fan what he wants to hear. Of course they're going to tell you that they didn't like not being able to meet you. But in the whole scheme of things, I can't imagine that's a very big factor most bands use when deciding whether or not to play there.

Neil

CaptainMetal80 · May 8th, 2008, 10:14 AM

almost any club you go to now...water is about 2 to 3 dollars. If I am thirsty....I will pay.

The kicking people out of the back is probably the clubs rule. Most dont want you hanging out around the club in case anything happens...they dont want to be help accountable for it. is meeting the bands that important?

I was glad to see the bouncers in the pit. Not everyone wants to get run into while watching a show.

GateXII · May 8th, 2008, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velheru

Overall, I loved the show, I just hope that next time they find a better venue. THE PEARL ROOM SUCKS...not only that but, the place has a legal capacity of 1400 and fri. and sat. nights it was double that and more....

In the last few days since returning home from Powerfest, I have been in contact with several of the bands (from all 3 nights of shows) and quite a few of them have expressed their displeasure of the Pearl Room security and the fact that they didnt get to meet fans after the show. If this continues, it wont just be lack of fans, but lack of bands willing to play there that will make it hard for Powerfest to be as great as it has the potential to be.

Sorry, but I call BULLSHIT on this!!! First of all...the venue has a capacity of 2400 (1400 on 1st level only)...and although selling it out would've been killer, we were right around the 1400 mark...slightly lower on Fri & slightly higher on Sat!!

Second...I don't believe you for a second that you contacted bands & they came back with that feedback!! You are lying!! EVERY band who played...EVERY BAND...made an EFFORT (meaning actually went out of their way) to tell us after they played how KICK FUCKING ASS everything was!! From the venue to the fans to the accomodations...simply everything!! Even the bands that did NOT get a positive response!! That's how much they loved it!! And also that they could NOT FUCKING WAIT to play here again!! So don't give us that BULLSHIT!!!!!

If bands did not come out to meet fans, that was either by choice, or they were busy socializing with others back stage & when they finally came out, ppl were gone. I know this to be a fact with Iced Earth...we actually walked around the corner behind the venue looking for the fans the security guy said were there. Apparently it was too late & the ppl left.

You know...something tells me that you are not new to this board, but someone pretending to be...just to be a dick!!

If you want to bash the fest, please go to some other forum....and bitch away!! I just don't understand this...I wouldn't go to your house & shit on your floor....why do you do that to us?

You have been warned!! We're just so fucking sick of ppl bitching!! If you only had a glimpse to what goes into it...maybe then you & everyone like you would appreciate it more. Nah...I doubt it. Once a cunt, always a cunt! And it's time to clean house. We'll shut this fucker down before we tolerate any more of this consistent bashing & "suggestion" giving. If you want to offer a suggestion, feel free to email or PM us...but to post it publically, like you're trying to point out how fucking stupid we are...FAH-Q!!

Think of Powerfest as CRJ's baby, & anyone who bashes the fest is bashing our baby...and will not be tolerated.

And before you say something like..."wow, you just lost a fan/attendee" or whatever the fuck like that...I'll save you the trouble...if you don't like what we have to offer, stay the fuck HOME!!!!

And in the slight chance you are indeed new here, and just wanted to share your negative feedback not knowing that we've had other ppl always offering their "great advice", then sorry you had to feel the wrath...but after what we've been through this weekend...and the last 6 months+ of planning this fucking thing, our fuses are extremely short with people who think they know better and think that we haven't addressed every fucking single point you & everyone else has made (months ago!!)...therefore, resulting in what comes across as not appreciating our efforts. Some things you just can't change & other things are still part of taking chances & testing shit out to eventually have the "perfect" fest. You think this shit is easy?! That anyone can do this?! Then take your best shot...good luck!!

Sorry for the rant & coming across as a dick...but we're (CRJ) all very passionate about this & have reached our boiling point with un-appreciation!!

May 7th, 2008, 09:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
Velheru Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 16	Powerfest overall review I just got back from 3 days of music in Mokena, IL. I will be writing a review for each night and band later. But for now I am going to review the event as a whole. Paganfest is a seperate entity than the Powerfest and did a good job lining up bands with complementary styles and for the most part, scheduling the lineup in a way that it flowed well. Powerfest on the other hand, while having many good bands, also threw in some real trash and styles that didnt mesh with the headlining style. Still was a great program over all though... Now to the venue...The Pearl Room... This is a great place for small concerts. Wonderful setup with lots of room on the floor for a pit, as well as overhead walkways that are great to stay out of the crowd, offer great views, and are good for pictures. Other than that, the place sucked. Thurs. and Fri, they had ONE fucking bathroom per gender open for SOLD OUT crowds...The lines were horrible, finally Sat. They opened a SECOND bathroom when the crowd was complaining about hour long lines to take a piss. There was food and drinks, but at a crazy price. We know you are trying to make money, but balance it out...$3 for a $.50 bottle of water...come on. You could sell more if you lowered it a little, lots of ppl went without or with minimal because of the prices. All of this wasnt bad in comparison to the security. These guys were ridiculous. If ppl started moshing, the guards would stand around and try to contain it by shoving and throwing ppl that got close to what the security felt should be the edge of the pit. In many cases, the security guards were rougher on ppl than the pit itself was. Then there were the body surfers. Someone would get lifed up (maybe not by choice) and start their journey across the crowd. As soon as one of the gorrila's they call security would see it, they would shove and run towards the person, knocking down anyone and everyone on the densly packed floor that stood between them and the surfer. Upon reaching the crowd surfer the security would reach up and yank them down to the floor, usually holding onto a foot and allowing the surfers head to smack against the concrete...Yes there is a "no crowd surfing" rule, but this is for safety since crowd surfing can result in injury, but the only injuries cause by it at this show were the ones the security caused in trying to stop it. At the end of the show, some ppl would hang around at the back of the venue where the bands would come out. You naturally have to walk past it in order to get to parking anyway. Each night fans would stand back there and hang out with some of the bands and talk, show their appreciation, and get autographs. Not all bands came out, but a few did, and those that did enjoyed spending time with their fans (Thanks Ion Vein) Eventually, the security that works WITH THE BANDS would come out and say something along the lines of "we dont know when xxxx (headliner band) will be out, but you guys are more than welcome to wait out here for them, they would like to meet their fans" then shortly after, the security that caused all the problems on the floor would come around and tell everyone they had to leave. Saturday night, they went as far as calling the cops to clear out the fans who wanted nothing more than to show their appreciation AND had already been told they were more than welcome to stay out there and wait for the bands... Overall, I loved the show, I just hope that next time they find a better venue. THE PEARL ROOM SUCKS...not only that but, the place has a legal capacity of 1400 and fri. and sat. nights it was double that and more.... In the last few days since returning home from Powerfest, I have been in contact with several of the bands (from all 3 nights of shows) and quite a few of them have expressed their displeasure of the Pearl Room security and the fact that they didnt get to meet fans after the show. If this continues, it wont just be lack of fans, but lack of bands willing to play there that will make it hard for Powerfest to be as great as it has the potential to be. My reviews of the bands will come later...

May 7th, 2008, 09:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
Vegetaman Jagdpanzer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Illinois (Bradley University) Posts: 1,097	Interesting review. I look forward to seeing your individual breakdown. Some of the security guys were pretty cool (especially the two in front of me on Thursday - and one of them was also there again on Friday and Saturday. They were both pretty nice and talkative.), but some of them kind of had an attitude. I didn't have any personal encounters with any though, so I can't really comment on that. I haven't seen anything on the official numbers of people there each night, so I can't comment on that either (though I heard or saw 3,500 over three days; which if divided out evenly would still be under the legal limit). I was quite glad for Chris, Rob, and John that the fest was definitely packed on Friday and Saturday. And the crowds turned out very early this year - the place was already packed when Ion Vein and Twelfth Gate took the stage each night. I hear you on the finals, too. I've got a big nasty Statistics w/ Calculus final coming up tomorrow. Not looking forward to it. __________________ www.myspace.com/wrathofragnarok http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=59970 Last edited by Vegetaman : May 7th, 2008 at 09:59 PM.

May 7th, 2008, 09:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
The Wicked One A loyal KIPS Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Howell, Michigan. (boonies) Posts: 463	dude we already had topic to post reviews. my only thing id like to add. concerning legal capacity..>SSHHHH. It kicked ass! that amount of ppl was epic and factor to the success of the show __________________

May 7th, 2008, 09:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
Velheru Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 16	If I wasnt so lazy, I would have the nightly reviews done..but I have finals this week, so I have been a little busy...I dont want anyone to think I am down on the Powerfest. I loved it. It was a great show and I plan to go again next year. This is meant as constructive criticism so that the experience can be made better (and more profitable) for the future.

May 7th, 2008, 10:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
Velheru Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 16	I do know that the majority of ppl were on the two Powerfest nights. I like variety too Vegetaman, but some styles just dont work well with others, and metalcore/mathcore/hardcore just doesnt work well with powermetal and other similar styles. Still was a good show though. Those bands gave me time to visit vendors or wait in line for the washroom lol.

May 7th, 2008, 10:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
Velheru Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 16	Wicked One, sorry if this is a repeat thread...I saw Diabolik's review but not a thread that was "post your review here" so I figured it was up to us to post our own individual review. I almost just posted on Diabolik's but I've found in many forums that is considered "thread-jacking" and didnt want to offend anyone. As for the "secret" that is great, but it just shows that if its going to continue to grow, it needs to be moved to a larger venue. It has reached the point that it is outgrowing its current host. Which is a great thing for its continued success!

May 8th, 2008, 10:14 AM	#9 (permalink)
CaptainMetal80 Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 15	almost any club you go to now...water is about 2 to 3 dollars. If I am thirsty....I will pay. The kicking people out of the back is probably the clubs rule. Most dont want you hanging out around the club in case anything happens...they dont want to be help accountable for it. is meeting the bands that important? I was glad to see the bouncers in the pit. Not everyone wants to get run into while watching a show.