Originally Posted by
SteveSly
Well.......since no one else has started one it might as well be me. I was only in attendance on Saturday, but hope to see some of you guys and gals give your take on Sunday as well. Anyway, here is my review:
Unfortunately I was only able to attend Saturday’s portion of the fest so this review is only for day 1.
I will be honest……………………although I am a veteran of many concerts and festivals, going into this whole thing, the thought of spending 12 straight hours in a rock n roll club like Reggie’s was a bit daunting for this aging rocker. In the end though, it turned out fine and I had a great time. The fact that the weather was nice so the front patio and rooftop deck were open was a big plus giving the opportunity for some refuge in between all the music. I like standing at concerts so that was cool with me, but being an old man with bad knees doing it for 12 straight hours was not going to work, so it was nice to be able to sit down in between sets on the patio, rooftop or at tables in the music joint.
We got there right at 3PM, so decided to go straight into the rock club for Thank You Scientists whom I have seen twice before and really like. I did not catch any of Riddle House, but heard they were good. Thank You Scientists did not disappoint and put on a great set of their quirky brand of prog / jam / madness that they do. I thought they had a good size crowd for 3PM in the afternoon and people seemed to dig it. As I have said before here, TYS is a band that I really think could have a shot of mainstream success if they got some exposure and the right breaks.
After TYS set ended up I went out to the front patio area hanging with some folks I had not seen in a long time so did not catch any of Zip Tang.
When local Chicago band Mano started playing in the music joint it sounded really good so went in to check them out and ended up staying for the whole set. They proved to be the surprise of the festival for me. I had never heard of them before, but they really blew me away. Great set from a very talented band. Their final song was a Black Sabbath cover. Sabbath being done on cello, violin, flute, guitar and drums was very interesting and very cool.
When Mano’s set ended it was back over to the rock club where Presto Ballet was already on stage. They were really really loud for the size venue, and the crowd was kind of thin. I only have 1 PB album, so was not all that familiar with their stuff. They were definitely one of the heavier acts of the day. We stayed for part of the set, but since I had not eaten anything all day and was on beer #3 we decided to go up to the rooftop deck and get something to eat before the set was over. We could still hear the band up on the roof and as mentioned it was so loud that the floor was vibrating beneath us.
We hung out on the roof for a while eating and chatting with fellow proggers. It seemed like every time I turned around I was running into someone I knew. I wanted to catch Dream The Electric Sleep so headed back downstairs to the rock club when their set started.
I have seen Dream The Electric Sleep once before and also have both of their albums, so I knew I was going to like them which I did. They did a nice mix of material from both of their albums and I thought they did a great job with it.
When DTES was done I went back over to the music joint where some friends had secured a table for Jolly. They are another band who I had seen before and own all of their stuff, so I knew I was going to like them going in. The band put on a good set, but a mini disaster struck about a third of the way into it. Over on the side of the stage there was a couple that was dancing around to the music. The guy appeared to be really hammered (I saw him down 3 16 oz. cans of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale in the course of about 45 minutes), the girl maybe not as much. Anyway……..they were dancing around on the side of the stage and fell over…..on to the stage. When they landed it was right on top of the keyboard player’s laptop computer which was on the floor next to his keyboard. It knocked the laptop out of commission and the band was without keyboards for several songs. They eventually got the problem fixed, but it threw a bit of a wrench into the rhythm of the show. Eventually the band recovered and put on a good set, but it is too bad for the mishap.
Next it was back to the rock joint for Big Elf who had already started their set. I have two Big Elf albums and really like them, although I had never seen them live before. Mike Portnoy was not with them. Not sure what the story was on that, but since I missed the beginning of the set it may have been addressed and I just did not hear it. Fox’s announced the drummer as his son, and the guy did a very nice job. Like Jolly, the set was good, but they were obviously having some equipment issues and things did not flow all that well to my ears. Damon Fox was having problems with the Hammond organ all through the set, and he also twice appeared to get electric shocks from the microphone. All the problems seemed to impact the set and it was not quite as good as I had thought it would be. Still it was enjoyable, and I have a feeling these guys are capable of putting on a great show when everything is working properly. I would certainly go see them again.
After Big Elf’s set we found a table out on the patio right in front of the music joint (the garage doors were open to the outside), so we sat and had a beer while listening to Cheer Accident’s set. Cheer Accident are another band that I have seen and have some albums. They are a very talented band. Some of their stuff I like and some is not really my cup of tea, but they are always entertaining and were an enjoyable listen from our vantage point.
Next up in the rock joint was Spock’s Beard who were supposed to go on at 11PM, but by almost midnight they were still getting set up. The crowd was starting to get a bit restless, (especially since many had been there for 10 hours or so by this time), but when the band finally hit the stage all was forgiven. I am a big Spock’s fan, but this was my first time seeing the current lineup so I was not sure what to expect. All I can say is they still have it. Ted Leonard is a great front man and fits the band like a glove. The other guys are all solid as ever and tear it up like they always have. The set list was a mix of material from the most recent album (which I think is really good), and Neil Morse era stuff. They did not do anything from the Nick era albums. The medley of tunes from “Snow” was a nice surprise (Jimmy Keagan even came out and did lead vocals on “Carrie”), and the set closer “The Healing Colors Of Sound” was killer. The newer stuff really came across well live too.
By the time it was all over, it was 2AM in the morning. I was tired, but it had been one hell of a musical day. We walked back to the host hotel had another beer and some tequila (bad idea) and finally hit the sack going on 4AM.
Overall it was a great day of music. Hats off to Kevin and all the organizers for a fantastic time. Everything seemed to flow well and was relavely on schedule all night. Reggie's had a great beer selection (of which I sampled many), and the food was good too. It was nice to be able to go to a prog festival that was actually within a few hours driving distance of where I live (Kalamazoo MI) instead of having to fly half way across the country. Along with the usual aging prog audience I was glad to see quite a few younger people at this fest. Maybe there is hope for the future yet. Wish I could have been there Sunday, but look forward to reading some reviews.[/B]
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