Cheers and Jeers

Cheers:

- Damnation Angels, Circus Maximus, Armored Saint, Myrath, Heavens Cry and Sabaton. All put on great shows.
- No smoking in the venue. LOVE that policy.
- The roster(s) for next year. Incredible.
- Glenn and Jen for putting on this great event.

Jeers:

- The mix during Sabaton. With ear plugs in it sounded like ass. Without them in there was entirely too much high end. Great performance regardless.
- Soilwork. I saw them several times in the 2000-2003 era and thought they were great. I caught myself nodding off 4 times during their set here. Yikes.
- John Bush's comment about the crew during the technical difficulties.
 
Cheers:

- Glenn, for another great year.
- Crew, for making this possible.
- Nathan, good job on Thursday. Looking forward to next year.
- Pain of Salvation's Remedy Lane set next year. Can't believe we pulled that off and it's official.
- Next year's lineup as a whole. I haven't been this excited about it for years. It has something for everyone. Those who don't like it are nuts.
- My friends (both old and new) that make this event special. Some of you guys and I go back a decade. It's always such a pleasure to hang out with you all. You mean more to me than you can imagine, and every single one of you know who you are.
- In The Silence and Damnation Angels. It's a pleasure working with you guys.
- A special one to Zod and Keehn. You know why.
- Per Frederick (PelleK). You know why.
- Myrath, Soilwork and Circus Maximus for the awesome shows.
- Heaven's Cry for the song dedication (even if I walked in 30 seconds after you did it).
- All of you who came up to me and showed appreciation for my work with Intromental.
- All members of the bands who I work with for being there.
- Pizza at venue. (Also see Jeers)
- The Evergrey photo guys (Yonfon, Arabianhazard, Zedowns and their bud not on the forum). Keep up the fun guys. Nice to see people do that without having to be attention whores. :) I will keep a taser under my pillow next time. You've been warned. :lol:


Jeers:

- Sound at quite a few sets wasn't good. Very loud, more than ever.
- Pizza guy at venue - how can the same slice of pizza cost 3 different amounts (increasingly) when you try to sell it to me, but when the lady tries to sell me, the price is still the same?
- The behavior of certain people at the courtyard after party.
- Patrick (nailz) not being able to attend this year. You were missed.
- Getting awakened halfway through my sleep last night by a mob. While I admit it was funny as hell, I had a hard time going back afterwards. Also, while I knew most of you, to have random people taking pictures of it was not cool. Just a thought for the sake of common respect. ;)
- Knowing 2014 could be our last year. :'(
 
Cheers:
Everything. Ran very smooth. Myrath, Circus Maximus, Ashes of Ares were beyond awesome.
Next years lineup is amazing. (See also Jeers)
The kick butt prices of beer at the venue, $4 and $5 for a beer!!! Awesome.

Jeers:
Hardly any. With next years lineup being so good, hardly any time to go and take a break. Next year better be a sell out!!!
I did miss the good chicken sandwiches at Vinyls.
That's it.
 
This should sum it up in as few words as possible:

BEST. PROGPOWER USA. EVER. PERIOD. :OMG:

Now that I've said that....

Cheers:

Glenn and Jen - Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. What you two do for this fest is beyond words.

The crew - The heroes of this fest. We all know it couldn't go on without your help!

Pre-show - Thank you Nathan! The VIP program for the pre-show is awesopme. Meeting and having dinner Luca Turilli backstage was great. And seeing his version of Rhapsody was just icing on the cake. And after we saw next year's lineup - just shut up and take my money for next year - NOW!!!!

All the bands. And I do mean ALL the bands - They are such great and talented musicians. And they are great people as well. It's been said before and I will say it again - we are one big happy family. Bands and fans both. I have never seen any other festival like that ever!

Sponsorship - Thanks again Glenn for allowing Steve and I to sponsor a band. This year it was Xandria and they did not dissapoint. I got to meet with Manuela and Gerit and they were great people to hang out with. We are so looking forward to sponsoring next year already!

Heavy Metal Cupcakes - Thank you Jodene. They were delicious! I will be ordering from you again next year.

Local Restaurants - Vespucci's and Sausalito are two locally owned restaurants that I look forward to each year. They did not dissapoint.

Friends - Way too many to mention here. As I said above - we are one big happy family. Between the forum here on Ultimate Metal, Facebook and Twitter, we try to keep in touch as much as we can throughout the year. But when we meet in person, we all tend to mesh together as one great group and have great fun. I think this is the biggest reason why I keep coming back. The music is great, but the friendship is even better. Each year I meet new friends!

Steve - Thanks again Steve for introducing me to progressive and power metal and of course this festival back in 2005 with ProgPower USA VI. I don't know what would have happened had I never found out about the music and this fest.


Jeers:

I really can't think of a jeer this yer at all, except it had to all end way too soon and we have to go home and back to our boring lives with our boring 9 to 5 jobs. I will lament until next year's ProgPower USA. :lol:

Thank you all for such a wonderful time and I will be back next year!
 
What an epic year! I couldn't have asked for a better return to ProgPower after missing the last two.

Cheers:
-As always, Glenn and Jenn for kicking ass and going above and beyond to deliver this awesome festival
-The amazing crew of PPUSA who keep things running smoothly \m/
-Mindcage finally being a part of ProgPower! It's about time! ;-)
-The great MINDCRIME show on Wednesday night (and had a blast singing with them)
-Nathan Block for hookin' a sista up. The soundchecks alone were worth their weight in hilarity alone, haha!
-Whitney Newman for being kind enough to hold out CDs behind the bar and then finding us afterward at Artmore to return them because we forgot to get them back *derp*
-The band announcements for next year! Holy SHIT. I really hope I can finally sponsor a band, and who else but the mighty Pain Of Salvation!
-Getting to see all of my dear friends and extended family from ProgPowers of yore. Eight years of attended fests under my belt, and some of you people never change, haha!
-The Geoff Tate blow-up doll making the rounds at the Courtyard Saturday night. I died.
-The ProgPower HardCore workout group! Why didn't we think of this sooner?
-SHADOW F'IN GALLERY. Highlight of my weekend.
-4am Artmore jam with members of In The Silence and a handful of other ProgPowerers.
-The Artmore bar for conveniently forgetting to charge me for my wine on Friday night. w00t.
-Falling in love. <3

Jeers (none of which are a direct reflection on the fest itself per se):
-The dude who kept farting during Wolverine's Friday night set. I don't know who you are, man... but that's just wrong. Have the decency to go outside or go to the bathroom or something. You were blowing everyone away within a ten-foot radius. Bad form, sir.
-Taxi drivers who (intentionally, methinks) didn't carry change. Me having a $20 bill and you charging me $12 to go a mile up the road and not offer change does not mean you get an $8 tip.
-The n00b who kept hogging the second guitar at the aforementioned 4am Artmore jam. Talking and playing your own randomly made-up riffs on someone else's instrument is annoying and rude, especially when other people are trying to sing/play. Fail.
-The mysteriously fluctuating pizza prices.
-The equally mysterious stains on the seats at Center Stage. Every year, those seats gather the collective butt-juices of countless thousands of concert-goers, and it seems like the venue is trying to preserve them. Would it kill them to maybe steam-clean at some point?

All in all, another great year of ProgPower. I am really excited for next year, and I sure hope it's not the last. :kickass:
 
Most things are cheers, but the things I wanted to point out:

* Myrath rising above adversity to put on a kick-ass show.
* Circus Maximus for loaning a guitar to Myrath.
* Shadow Gallery, by giving us what we've been asking for for years.
* Sabaton, by doing something slightly different in giving us more involvement.
* The Wolverine guy during the Wolverine set
* The guy before the Sabaton set who wouldn't let people off the floor without shaking his hand.
* Century Media's dollar sale and Zane's $5 sale.

Jeers:
* John Bush's shot at the tech crew.
* Bartenders, or lack thereof. Why did it seem really thin this year behind the bar? I used to go to the auxiliary bar to get my beer, but it was only open half the time and the main bar was pretty crowded. For some reason, Center Stage didn't seem prepared.
 
Cheers:
*While it wasn't my favorite Progpower lineup, it was definitely the most enjoyable. I'll be honest in that in the past I was pretty antisocial, but it was good to chat and hang out with folks this year.
*Sound was top notch
*No real delays at all
*No bad performances
*Being the Wolf-fanatic I am, I'm beyond happy that I got to see one of my top bucket list bands live. Thank you to all the sponsors and Glenn for getting them.
*Actually being in a hotel in walking distance
*This is probably a pro and con, but the vendors!!! Good God I've never gotten that many cds at one time; in particular CM Distro which completely raped my funds.
*Next year's lineup, both the fest and kickoff

Jeers:
*This is something that bothers me about other concerts too, but bands that have incredibly long intros (I'm looking at you Shadow Gallery and Sabaton)
*As others have said, the possibility of last year being the last
*Some unnamed drunkards. Seriously, get it together.
*Don't know if my eye sight is going or what, but coming inside the auditorium is a bit too dark at times when bands are playing. Seriously thought I was going to tumble down the stairs during Heaven's Cry.
 
nomisofsiman said:
*Don't know if my eye sight is going or what, but coming inside the auditorium is a bit too dark at times when bands are playing. Seriously thought I was going to tumble down the stairs during Heaven's Cry.
Click to expand...
I had a hard time trying to even see seats ,I had to hang on the stairs near the top(which I almost fell down as well due to not being able to see)for a few minutes for my eyes to get used to the dark...
 
Cheers

- To Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, Myrath, Circus Maximus, and Sabaton for stellar performances
- To most of the other bands for great performances
- To Glenn, Jen, and the crew for yet another well-run weekend
- To the stage techs for keeping the music rolling when the equipment didn't cooperate
- To the friendly people I got to talk to over the weekend
- To lots of good deals in the vendor area
- To a great lineup for next year

Jeers

- To DaVinci's for their colossal disaster of order management and food service from the venue (although it was tasty when we finally did get it); having the Vinyl run the food in house the last couple of years worked much better
 
Cheers:

&#8226; The show was a class act as always, thanks Glenn and Jen
&#8226; The line-up., I did not think there was one bad performance on the bill. Sure there were some bands that I did not get into as much, but that was personal preference, not bad performance. I could appreciate every band this year.
&#8226; The bands I expected to be great were great (Shadow Gallery, Sabaton, Circus Maximus, Soilwork)
&#8226; A couple bands I expected to be good, were also great (Myrath and Armored Saint)
&#8226; While I don&#8217;t do a lot of the social stuff (after parties etc), it is just amazing that 95% of the time you just strike up a conversation with the person next to you and they turn out to be super cool. I met quite a few great people on the floor. This included a 18 year old at his first PP. He was from California and the fest was his graduation gift. It was great just talking to him and seeing how excited he was the whole time.
&#8226; The thought of hearing 3 of my all time favorite prog-metal albums of all time next year.
&#8226; Being able to meet a couple of the bands who seem gracious and as excited to be there as the fans.

Jeers:
&#8226; The certain belly dancer during Myrath. She totally went well behind the barrier several times, even though security kept asking this person not to. On the other hand, security did not help since they would just giggle and smile. I am guessing if it had been me who went behind the barrier several times, I would have been escorted out (deservedly so).
&#8226; While this show is much better than most of metal shows, drunk people suck. From the woman that basically started touching random people and then dropped to the floor (refusing to get up when security asked) and had to be carried off by security, to the drunk meatheads during Sabaton.
&#8226; Like last year, trying to buy something from the merch table is a complete crap shoot. Sometimes you would ask and you would get great help and accurate info, other times the person just seem to make things up. Asked about a Circus Maximus shirt was told only larges left, went back 10 minutes later, someone else said, they only had 2X&#8217;s left.
 
Cheers:

* Glenn, Crew, and all involved in putting on this amazing festival. Thanks for another great year and great memories
* Seeing all my friends that I only get to see at PP. Was awesome to hang with everyone again.
* Making some new friends. Always a great perk of PP
* The bands. All that I watched were great. Sabaton killed for me, best band of the weekend. Myrath was my surprise band. Completely slayed... only reason I say Sabaton over them is strictly for their energy... it's just so infectious.
* To the big security guard (I don't know his name unfortunately), who's twin brother passed a few years ago, for coming out and saying hi to everyone. Seeing a 250lb ripped biker cry with my wife was enough to make anyone choke up.
* The Vortex. Enough said.
* For next years lineup. Wow. Can't wait.


Jeers:

* The endless possibility that the next one will be the last. I hope it never ends but I know it will someday. Hopefully someone else will take it over and it won't completely go away.
* Merch. Still can't believe that CM only brought 3 XL's for their PP shirt. By the time I got money from the ATM and came back they were gone.
* The extremely shitty mattresses at the condo we rented. I've had better beds at a motel 6. I could jeer quite a few things about this place, but this was by far the worst.
* The few douchebags in the pit for Soilwork that felt the need to run into the people that are trying to enjoy the show. Most of them were extremely respective of it, but there were a few... always are.
 
Cheers:

- Just about every band I watched was great. Even some of the bands I wasn't extremely familiar with (like Wolverine or In the Silence) had me from the get go with well done performances.
My top bands are Myrath, Ashes of Ares, Soilwork, Wolf, Armored Saint, Circus Maximus, and SABATON.

- Co-Sponsoring Sabaton. What a treat. I didn't take advantage of my VIP "perks" until the last night...but watching them from in front of the barricade was amazing. I'm sure y'all noticed me rocking out!

- Seeing so many of my friends and family. I think this is the year I felt most like I "belonged" to the family. It's only gotten better and this year was the best for keeping the hugs going, the party going, the beers flowing, and the laughter loud. You are all such great people.

- Vendor room. I think I dropped more money on music than usual - top spots were Ned's and Century Media. Amazing selections all around.

- Moshing at ProgPower. It happened so naturally during Ashes of Ares that I joined in. The mosh pit became a jeer (see below) during Soilwork.

- Myrath for showing an obviously inexperienced Damnation Angels how to fucking rock from the beginning of their set. Don't get me wrong, DA were good (and their recorded material is top-notch), but they did look a little nervous and uncertain through the first half of their set. Myrath, on the other hand, came out like a bunch of excited kids (especially their vocalist), yet performed on an extremely high level that had everybody going. Cheers to that!

- Anyone kind enough to share a shot of liquor or a beer at the Artmore. I was able to bring a little from my own room, but the sharing-is-caring mantra of some definitely kept the party going. (note: I didn't get too trashed, there was still a festival to attend).

- Vortex. A yearly tradition.

- Set times were amazingly on schedule...well done crew!

- Everybody rocking out on the rail. You guys know what's up! That's how to get into the music!!!


Jeers (far fewer of these):

- John Bush's quick jab at the crew. D'oh! Loved the band - hated that comment.

- Moshing during Soilwork. The pit got too big. The ground was wet. This was not a safe mosh pit. It was courteous, but I saw at least one big injury and that was unfortunate.

- Crowd surfing in ANY WAY at ProgPower. This is just dumb. It happens at bigger shows and I still don't really like it...but the security at PPUSA just wasn't in a position to handle these guys. Having a dude land hard on the back of my neck really sucked for a bit. Glad it didn't cause any major damage...but come on, what the fuck.

- I don't know if this is an appropriate jeer, but god damn that Myrath signing line was long! I didn't go through it because I didn't want to miss any music. I left so I could watch Circus Maximus and I got there just in time. It's a great problem for the band to have (to have gotten such a big response), but it sucks I didn't get to meet them and get their albums signed.



God I'm so bummed it's over, but I had an amazing time. Probably one of the best ever. Can't wait till next YEAR!!!!
 
Yippee38 said:
To the most polite mosh-pit I've ever seen. It was awesome when one guy fell and everybody helped him up. As soon as he got up, he put his hand on his eye (I assume he lost a contact) and within a second or two, every other person in the pit had their phone lights on the floor to help the guy look.
As always, the ProgPower USA community.
.
Click to expand...

That i would have loved to see! Hahaha, how awesome.
 
longshot9 said:
* To the big security guard (I don't know his name unfortunately), who's twin brother passed a few years ago, for coming out and saying hi to everyone. Seeing a 250lb ripped biker cry with my wife was enough to make anyone choke up.
Click to expand...


Glenn and Renegade - Terminator's twin brother. <3

DSC03309.jpg




~Jen
 
This was one of the progpowers I've enjoyed the most. Being a sponsor, not taking the festival for granted, a great line up/performances, and having experience on how to pace myself during the weekend all played a part.
Cheers:
1) Rhapsody
2) Wolf
3) Myrath
4) Wolf
5) Sabaton
6) Wolf
7) Circle to Circle
8) Wolf

Jeers:
Crowd surfing and mosh pits.
 
What was the John Bush jab?

I went for pizza during their set, so I missed it. One of the crew should have shanked him.

My one jeer (and I know not much can be done about it) The distance of the photo/VIP pit. Even if you're on the rails of the "normal ticket holder" you are still a few "rows" away from the band. The section gets packed, I know, with VIPs and photoguys, but when it clears out, theres like 2 people there, its a little weird. That being said, it makes being a dedicated and hardcore fan (having to get there early, getting sunburned on just one side of your face, hold your pee and farts for 7-9 hours), just a little less great.

In b4 somrbody says you can be dedicated by paying more money and sponsoring bands, then you get the treatment.
 
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