Kick off

[ApolloFC]

Vanden Plas + Evergrey = me slayed... with Powerglove being a sweet warmup.

You guys might have noticed a short dude on the left side of the seats in the front standing up the entire time with fists in the air almost constantly. That was -me-. My arms felt like they were going to fall off but it was worth it..at one point i almost fell backwards cause I was head banging to hard/fast in that tiny space. and to think I was ready to pass out in between sets.

On powerglove, i thought it was funny sound wise. In raleigh i thought their guitarist on stage right was too loud and I couldn't hear the guy on stage left. Here i thought it was the opposite.

Very minor complaints - a) -core music in between sets? ? b) and whats with the huge amount of chatter in the venue during the sets. I could understand at the evergrey acoustic show where there was a bar but I don't get it if you're in the pit and just talking and being quite loud when toms talking over the mic

Nice to meet you Justin G. & Matt, tribunal i think was said correct?


Still need to meet up with others - grab my attention if i don't notice you

[RuleroftheMind]

If anyone has the setlist from either this or the acoustic set on Wednesday night, I'd love to see it!

[Mardoch]

Yeah. I'm not sure what could top the kick-off. Holy shit...Evergrey. Just wow. Also I got a shirt! Now I'm hoping for a PP shirt.

[nomisofsiman]

Never have been able to see either band and was floored. Actually I was in the seats for vp and figured I would the rest of the night but said "fuck it" for Evergrey. So glad I made that decision.

[miel]

They played Blinded, too. Their whole set was unbelievably AMAZING. G and I watched the entire set from the board. G turned to me at one point and said, "THIS. This is why I do it".


~Jen

[jem777az]

Amazing show! Both Vanden Plas and Evergrey took the house down!

@apollofc - were you the dude wearing the knit shirt? If so, I was directly behind you. And yes you were headbanging the entire time. Cool! \m/

And for those wondering Evergrey played Blinded between Broken Wings and a Touch Of Blessing. Someone in the audience asked for it and because they said please, Tom obliged and threw it in there even though it wasn't on the setlist. Awesome!!

[miel]

Vanden Plas Setlist

Intro
Postcard to God
Rush of Silence
Holes in the Sky
Scar of an Angel
Far off Grace
Quicksilver
Cold Wind
Frequency
Silently

Christ O
Rainmaker


~Jen

[jem777az]

Originally Posted by miel

Vanden Plas Setlist

Intro
Postcard to God
Rush of Silence
Holes in the Sky
Scar of an Angel
Far off Grace
Quicksilver
Cold Wind
Frequency
Silently

Christ O
Rainmaker

~Jen

Thanks Jen! I was hoping someone had this to post.

[No Username]

To quote from "Contact":
They should have sent a poet.
Words cannot adequately convey how last night went. The overwhelming experience watching ISOT will stay with me forever.
I wanted to point out one special sight. On the floor was a man with a young girl, probably 13, and they both looked incredibly "normal." No tour shirts, tattoos, piercings, crazy hair. She was tired and yawned a few times. But when EVERGREY came on, she sang along. She knew the material. She is the vanguard of a whole new generation of fans who will help keep fighting the good fight long after us old guys stop supporting the live shows. Kudos to her dad for bringing her. Kudos to Glenn and Shayne and Tom and the boys for providing her (and US!) with a once in a lifetime experience.
To be cherished.

[OrbWeaver]

I have a Vanden Plas setlist (Thanks Dubby-kins!) but it seems Jen beat me to the punch!

What an amazing show. Andy Kuntz is quite the frontman!

[ApolloFC]

Originally Posted by jem777az

@apollofc - were you the dude wearing the knit shirt? If so, I was directly behind you. And yes you were headbanging the entire time. Cool! m/

Yeah that was me I would of been in the pit doing the same thing but at 5`9 i'm in the seats for the headliners. I plan to take it down a notch tonight/tomorrow, but i thought the same for Vanden Plas... boy was i wrong. I'll take Vanden plas over dream theater in a heart beat at this point.

[GoRillaBoy76]

for those wondering Powerglove was a lot of fun, great stage setup (these guys are on their way to being the powermetal Gwar and I love that), their drummer was incredible.

[ApolloFC]

Originally Posted by No Username

To quote from "Contact":
They should have sent a poet.
Words cannot adequately convey how last night went. The overwhelming experience watching ISOT will stay with me forever.
I wanted to point out one special sight. On the floor was a man with a young girl, probably 13, and they both looked incredibly "normal." No tour shirts, tattoos, piercings, crazy hair. She was tired and yawned a few times. But when EVERGREY came on, she sang along. She knew the material. She is the vanguard of a whole new generation of fans who will help keep fighting the good fight long after us old guys stop supporting the live shows. Kudos to her dad for bringing her. Kudos to Glenn and Shayne and Tom and the boys for providing her (and US!) with a once in a lifetime experience.
To be cherished.

Are you talking about the italian (guessing) looking ones? Guy with a simple black t-shirt; girl with glasses? Saw them multiple times in between sets

[miel]

posted Sep 16 2011 at 1:17 PM by Progressivity_In_All.

For the long-running USA metal festival, ProgPower USA, metalheads typically have no problems driving or flying from all across the country. Where else can you see sixteen mostly international bands, all of whom are pushing their own abilities and the boundaries of metal, over a two-day period? Now in its twelfth year, ProgPower takes place in Atlanta, Georgia at the Center Stage venue. Run by Glenn Harveston, who is first and foremost a fan, the festival spans the days of Friday and Saturday, September 16th and 17th, but officially kicked off on Thursday. The Swedish band Evergrey also performed an all-acoustic show at The Loft on Wednesday.

The show lineup, as announced on ProgPowerUSA.com, is as follows:

Thursday - Powerglove, Vanden Plas, Evergrey
Friday - Creation's End, Darkwater, Voyager, Eldritch, Mob Rules, Ihsahn, Sanctuary
Saturday - Haken, While Heaven Wept, Red Circuit, Labyrinth, Forbidden, Therion

On Thursday morning, I had packed and left Nashville, TN, driving four hours to get down to Atlanta, which was further away than I thought. Upon reaching the venue, I was instantly impressed. Center Stage has air conditioning, several bar areas, a spacious interior, and seats as well as a pit area. By metal’s standards, this was the music venue equivalent of a Four Seasons hotel. I met with Swedish melodic metal kings Evergrey for a very entertaining interview before the show. Immediately after, I also met with the well-spoken and well-trained video-game metal iconoclasts, Powerglove.

During sound check, the speakers in the lobby were playing what was coming off of the sound board, which meant that guests checking in or buying tickets were treated to Evergrey and Vanden Plas warming up. The Evergrey sneak preview was definitely notable, because the band was warming up material from their album, “In Search of Truth,” which they were to play through from start to finish in their first set. This was the first time they had done such a set, and as I learned in the interview, not expected to be done again in the near future.

At about 5:45 pm, ProgPower guests with gold passes were allowed in ahead of the regulars. Shortly after, at 6 pm, Evergrey came out for a signing session in the lobby. A limited number of commemorative t-shirts were printed about Evergrey’s world-exclusive “In Search of Truth” set, and they were selling well. As everyone made their way in to the venue, there was a very serene and giddy feeling going around. Fans of progressive metal are generally seen as nerdy, and nerds like each other. When we see so many of each other in one place, we tend to get talkative and excited.

Powerglove was the first band up. They came on stage and announced, “ProgPower USA! We are here to fuck up your childhood!” They blasted into their renditions of the musical themes of Batman, Pokemon, Mortal Kombat, Mario, and Final Fantasy, dressed as characters themselves. Drummer Bassil Silver was a real highlight, with “Powerglove” banners hoisted on flags strapped to his back while beating the shit out of his drum kit. The whole experience was pretty entertaining and involved blow-up power swords and candy being tossed out into the audience.

German-based Vanden Plas was up next after a set change, which pushed the band fifteen minutes behind schedule. The crowd was hungry for this band’s ProgPower debut and showed it throughout the set. Unfamiliar as I am with the band’s discography, I can’t identify what songs were played, but it definitely made me want to investigate them. The vocalist employed a bunch of energetic stage tricks (even a karate kick at one point,) and the interplay between the band’s soloists was good. During the band’s set, filming for the ProgPower DVD was rolling, with cameras dropping in over the crowd, just above their heads. The band played until 9:30, but was cheered on for a 15-minute encore.

The high point of the night was not to come until Evergrey. Right away, the band launched into the beginning of their seminal progressive metal album, “In Search of Truth,” by opening up with the tape recorder intro to “The Masterplan.” You’d be hard-pressed to find a negative review of this album anywhere, and it certainly did the trick this night for this crowd. Coming back for a second set, the band played through noteworthy songs such as “Blinded,” “Wrong,” “Broken Wings,” “Frozen,” “A Touch of Blessing,” and “Recreation Day.” The band announced, “we will be drinking our asses off with you guys for the next couple days.”

At ProgPower, the bands are fans too.



Frank Serafine is an avid writer, music producer, and musician, with five albums to his name. While completely enamored with metal, he appreciates a wide range of music. He also works in the field of Music Licensing for the American-based company SESAC.

[miel]

EVERGREY - ProgPower 2011 For The Second Time

Posted on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 08:37:45 EST


Images and words by Mark Gromen

Sweden's EVERGREY returned "home" to ProgPower USA, a venue and promoter who have nurtured the band's profile domestically. Frontman/founder/guitarist Tom Englund is so at home that he teases, "If you could pick one song, what would it be?" Only to answer, "Blinded?' Sorry, wrong guitar," before switching axes to appease the masses. Looking a little scruffy facially, but dapperly attired, Englund 's re-vamped group performed for the second night in a row, following up an all acoustic Wednesday show. Thursday was an exclusive run through of In Search Of Truth, followed by a short set of "greatest hits.' Initially, there was very little interaction from Englund, but this was a love-fest, everyone knowing what came next!




Following the CD play-through, Englund, in full leather regalia (jacket with dual red stripes on the left sleeve) came alive, ad libbing, "We've got a few more songs before you go to bed." As they ran through the the extras, he added, "This is the gold selling single ('Wrong')'. Prior to 'Recreation Day', he offered, "We're gonna be here a few days, getting drunk off our asses." Anyone that thinks Evergrey can't rock out, needs to hear 'Frozen'. If this is how "prog" is going to sound, sign me up, as it was one of the set's true headbanging moments! Prior to 'Touch Of Blessing', Tom joked with the crowd, giving thumbs up, or down, to new guitarist, Marcus Jindell as well as the choice of beer/whiskey. No telling who was more popular at that juncture. As the encore approached, Englund announced, "This should be the last song, we want to drink beer with you guys!"




Evergrey is ontour throughout October, with SABATON, check 'em out when they hit your town!

ProgPower USA XII is being held at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia until September 17th.

[No Username]

Originally Posted by ApolloFC

Are you talking about the italian (guessing) looking ones? Guy with a simple black t-shirt; girl with glasses? Saw them multiple times in between sets

Yeah that was them. She was probably the youngest person in the audience. It is great to see the next gen of progggers getting started.