Far, far less excited about this year's line-up. Disappointed, in fact. Underwhelmed.
If I lived near Atlanta I would continue to attend just to support the festival and to learn about new bands, but since I travel from Washington State I'm afraid I'll have to sit this one out. With young children I simply can't justify the expense ($1500+) to travel across the country for a line-up that does nothing for me. Every year in the past there have been several bands I realy wanted to see along with a couple can't-miss bands (Edguy, Nightwish, Stratovarious, Angra, Jorn, Threshold, Jorn, Pink Cream 69, etc) along with the unknowns, several of whom I usually end up loving (Primal Fear to name the latest). Several of the bands this year have potential, unfortunately the one I've been getting into recently and was beginning to look forward to seeing was Astral Doors. Volbeat was also growing on me. I'm just not getting the rest. I saw Savatage many times back in the day so JoP isn't a big draw for me. I was never a fan of Iced Earth until Ripper joined the band, something about Barlow's voice just grates on me (I know I'm practically alone with this opinion). Amorphis? Yuck. This just isn't my year, I guess. I was honestly expecting a huge headliner that would seal the deal for me, like Helloween, Pretty Maids, Within Temptation, Nocturnal Rites, etc. I was also going to wait for the pre-party announcement before making a decision but, from what I hear, that isn't going to happen before I have to pay for or surrender my gold badge. Hopefully the lineup for PPX will draw me back.
Thanks for all the great memories Glenn, I hope the festival continues to be a success for you for years to come.
