Question regarding the prog's popularity increase

[AngraRULES]

So I was thinking about this earlier today, and wanted to ask you guys (and Glenn) this...

A few years back, I remember Glenn mentioning that he needed the power metal headliners to sell tickets (or something to that effect, correct me if I'm wrong). Fair enough, I could understand why he'd want to book headliners such as Edguy and Sonata Arctica (just a couple examples).

It seems to me now that progressive metal is becoming more popular. The growth in popularity (esp. here in the USA) of bands such as Symphony X, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Porcupine Tree, Kamelot (which is not really power metal anymore) shows me. Sure, these are not bands that are truly progressive metal (they seem to have ties into other styles), but it's progressive nonetheless. The fact that Dream Theater was #6 on the Billboard charts recently with Black Clouds and Silver Linings also shows that. Any progressive nation-type of tour would sell more than the next Blind Guardian tour, it seems. And Blind Guardian is a pretty big bands too. So, therefore, my question.

Do you guys think that nowadays, prog metal bands can help sell more tickets than the power metal bands? Could we possibly say that prog metal is becoming more popular than power metal? What do you guys think?

 

[General Zod]

It's actually an odd problem if you think about it. Of the bands you mentioned, none would be ideal headliners for Glenn, because they tour too much in the states. Can you think of a Prog band, who hasn't played the festival, who could realistically headline?

Zod

 

[Finditguy]

Not off the top of my head

 

[Troy the nomad]

Last year, Fates (and maybe Enchant) would of made the list. Now... Ayreon (who have their own unique set of booking difficulties ), Shadow Gallery (see Ayreon), and Nevereveragainmore are all that spring to mind. Damn G, I think you're tapped out!

 

[Matt Crooks]

Prog headliners will never sell. Power sells the tickets, always has and always will. This forum leans heavily towards the prog side, but is very unrepresentative of the other 80% of the festival attendees.

IMHO, of course.

 

[GoRillaBoy76]

POWER!FAST!HEAVY!CATCHY!YAY!!!! but prog is nice

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

Prog headliners will never sell. Power sells the tickets, always has and always will. This forum leans heavily towards the prog side, but is very unrepresentative of the other 80% of the festival attendees.

IMHO, of course.

Power metal is more immediate with the speed and sing-along choruses that are epic and anthemic that appeal to newer listeners and veterans alike. IMHO, of course.

 

[adaher]

It does seem that the prog bands that are making it are making it so big that they are too big for the festival. The only power bands that might have gotten too big are Nightwish and Dragonforce, and they aren't in Opeth or Coheed and cambria or Dream Theater's class in terms of sales.

On the other hand, Fates Warning is a legitimate PP headliner and they are more prog than power.

And Symphony X and Evergrey are still headliner caliber. Heck, Symphony X was once thought of as a PP mainstay but hasn't made an appearance in six years. Might be time to bring them back.

 

[Harvester]

Prog headliners will never sell. Power sells the tickets, always has and always will. This forum leans heavily towards the prog side, but is very unrepresentative of the other 80% of the festival attendees.

IMHO, of course.

Agreed 100%. My opinion for outside this forum is that power metal fans will endure prog metal bands to see their bands. Prog metal fans will not endure power metal bands to see their bands. They will stay home and wait on Dream Theater & the bands Zod spoke of to come around once per year. That's why one of the biggest prog metal forums on the web (Portnoy) may have only 10 people attend max. It reinforces the prog snob stereotype completely in my eyes.

 

[Denis]

Agreed 100%. My opinion for outside this forum is that power metal fans will endure prog metal bands to see their bands. Prog metal fans will not endure power metal bands to see their bands. They will stay home and wait on Dream Theater & the bands Zod spoke of to come around once per year. That's why one of the biggest prog metal forums on the web (Portnoy) may have only 10 people attend max. It reinforces the prog snob stereotype completely in my eyes.

HEY! last line... ouch man, very ouch! hahahaha

I R not a snob

 

[Cheiron]

This forum leans heavily towards the prog side, but is very unrepresentative of the other 80% of the festival attendees.

IMHO, of course.

The current poll indicates that this forum leans towards power metal that includes prog which is probably representative of the festival attendees.

Actually, even in terms of what I see as people posting about bands, prog seems to be underrepresented.

There's also far fewer decent prog bands than decent power metal bands.

 

[Wyvern]

Can you think of a Prog band, who hasn't played the festival, who could realistically headline?

Zod

The Flower Kings (top of line prog rock band, no matter what people can say, they just rule!)
The Tangent

and also some band that may not be headliners but worth to have:

Edensong
Scale The Summit
LoNero
Twinspirits
Darkwater
Sevent Wonder

 

[dtfanatic]

Agreed 100%. My opinion for outside this forum is that power metal fans will endure prog metal bands to see their bands. Prog metal fans will not endure power metal bands to see their bands. They will stay home and wait on Dream Theater & the bands Zod spoke of to come around once per year. That's why one of the biggest prog metal forums on the web (Portnoy) may have only 10 people attend max. It reinforces the prog snob stereotype completely in my eyes.

There's truth here but every year I endure the power metal bands (which is a genre that I loathe) to see the prog and oddball bands so that part is entirely untrue (for me anyways). But then again I'm not outside the forum.

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Prog headliners will never sell. Power sells the tickets, always has and always will. This forum leans heavily towards the prog side, but is very unrepresentative of the other 80% of the festival attendees.

IMHO, of course.

No. It's got nothing to do with the genre, but rather the noteriety of the bands. Alot of these Prog/Power fusion bands that take elements from both genres like Cirucs Maximus and Angra will never bring huge audiences simply because they don't really tour over here, where the music market today is pretty much dependent on touring. However, bands like Edguy and Blind Guardian somehow had big names in the US by the time they came here. I suspect that comes from a combination of sales and immense buzz, since both of these bands are enormous in Europe.

However, as a whole, it seems like the trends have sort of shifted and the industry now expects some sort of progressiveness in the bands it signs/releases/represents. This is why alot of the hot, hip new bands like The Faceless (and pretty much every band on Sumerian's roster) has progressive elements. They're not "prog bands," but they use prog trademarks in the music. Bands like The Mars Volta, Mastodon, Dream Theater, Opeth, Mew, Coheed And Cambria, Between The Buried and Me, Porcupine Tree, Muse, and the like are pretty much leading the metal/rock scene right now, and they are all progressive in their own right. So yeah, at this point, it's fair to say that progressive bands are hip and power metal bands aren't. Even in Europe, there is a decrease in buzz with power metal bands nowadays.

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

It does seem that the prog bands that are making it are making it so big that they are too big for the festival. The only power bands that might have gotten too big are Nightwish and Dragonforce, and they aren't in Opeth or Coheed and cambria or Dream Theater's class in terms of sales.

On the other hand, Fates Warning is a legitimate PP headliner and they are more prog than power.

And Symphony X and Evergrey are still headliner caliber. Heck, Symphony X was once thought of as a PP mainstay but hasn't made an appearance in six years. Might be time to bring them back.

Why SYMPHONY X? In the U.S. they did THREE legs for the Paradise Lost tour. What advantage could Progpower gain by having them back again when they are readily available touring?

 

[General Zod]

The Flower Kings (top of line prog rock band, no matter what people can say, they just rule!)
The Tangent

Your love for these bands aside, my question was... Can you think of a Prog band, who hasn't played the festival, who could realistically headline? Neither of these bands is a realistic headliner for ProgPower. Glenn isn't going to book a Prog Rock headliner.

Zod

 

[Wyvern]

Your love for these bands aside, my question was... Can you think of a Prog band, who hasn't played the festival, who could realistically headline? Neither of these bands is a realistic headliner for ProgPower. Glenn isn't going to book a Prog Rock headliner.

Zod

I think we have this kind of discussion before on another board. I'm more interested in the whole spectrum of bands than a single headliner. This year I'm going for Sabaton, Primal Fear and Matos. Yes Matos was the headliner for Friday but that wasn't important for me.

Now since it seems a headliner have to be a band of certain status, the premise was a band that have never toured before, and people were talking about prog in here (rock or metal is the same to me), I still insist The Flower Kings have that status.

 

[Matt Crooks]

The current poll indicates that this forum leans towards power metal that includes prog which is probably representative of the festival attendees.

Actually, even in terms of what I see as people posting about bands, prog seems to be underrepresented.

There's also far fewer decent prog bands than decent power metal bands.

Agreed, that's what the poll shows... and I still say this forum is more prog oriented than the general public. Prog is underrepresented because it is not popular.

No. It's got nothing to do with the genre, but rather the noteriety of the bands.

I would agree with half of this statement. It absolutely has to do with the notoriety of the bands, and the reason that there are so many more popular power metal bands is that the genre as a whole is more popular than the prog metal genre.

 

[Magius]

Your love for these bands aside, my question was... Can you think of a Prog band, who hasn't played the festival, who could realistically headline? Neither of these bands is a realistic headliner for ProgPower. Glenn isn't going to book a Prog Rock headliner.

Zod

I think Vanden Plas would be an acceptable headliner for regular attendees. However, I don't think they'd do much to draw in new business. Glenn would need to have a bigger Power band at the top of the second night for that.

 

[dagny_t]

I really enjoy listening to prog, but power metal concerts are far more fun. If I'm going to a show, I want that exciting, overwhelming experience - headbanging, singing along, and being swept away along with everyone else there. Prog music is great, but the concerts, at least the ones that I've been to, don't offer that kind of experience.