Progstock!?

[infandous]

This wasn't a lineup that interested me much, except for Echolyn and Tangekanik (who I'm seeing next week). I AM glad that it went well and bands and fans seem quite happy with it. I'm also in the situation where this time of year is just not good for me and my wife. Financially, it's just not great for us right now also (and she is not interested in attending any prog festival, even though she does like a fair amount of it). I was single in the Nearfest days, so it was much easier for me to make it to most of those.

Again though, I'm glad to see another prong fest have some degree of success and I won't rule out attending in the future if it's feasible for me and the lineup has some appeal.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk

[erik_1099]

I’ll second what Dave is saying. It was a wonderful experience (from the viewpoint of someone working for an artist). I enjoyed hearing some (new to me) artists and seeing some in person I’d only heard about. I thought the format of one stage with gaps was perfect, so folks didn’t gave to choose one band over another. The production team did a fine job accommodating the wide variety of band configurations. The town and theatre were excellent, the after party venue close by and very fun. As a video guy I enjoyed filming Dave’s sets in this setting, it was gorgeous. I ended up being at the hotel 5 days and it was a great place to stay.

Hats off to Tom, Rob, Sven, Marty and everyone else involved!!

I think Prog music events really do need better support from fans of Prog music than some of the negativity I've seen going on in discussion here. I don't know if it's competition, jealousy, ego battles, personal agendas or what but I can only say that it's a shame to see that. These guys put on a fantastic festival and the energy for the two days I was there with my band was phenomenal! The turn out didn't seem too bad to me. More than 200 I would think but the theater can hold over 1,000 so it may look worse than it was in a random audience shot. I might have taken one or two from the stage that I can share.

Anyway, I thought I'd relay my experience as an artist who participated in this event. First, we worked our asses off to entertain and I packed it in with special guests and additional material as good as I could to fill in spots that had last minute cancellations. The audience seemed happy with the results and so did reviewers like these guys: https://proglodytes.com/2017/10/16/p...ck-2017-day-3/

I must say that dealing with ALL the people involved in the festival was an absolute joy. They were so cool and accommodating. That venue was great too and the restaurant across the street for the meet & greet and then eat was superb! Even the restaurant people were accommodating and allowed us to rehearse in their basement (because my group had committed to playing over 3 hours of music, much of it tunes we've never played live before). The hotel rooms were some of the best accommodations I've seen for a festival.

While I obviously can't reveal much on the business end, I can at least say that they have integrity and I am fully satisfied as an artist as is the rest of my band, Francis Dunnery, Peter Jones and as far as I could tell pretty much everyone who took part in it. I sincerely hope they DO have more of them again because they're good people doing something I would hope all of us want to see more of... a focus on Progrock in live events! I support ALL of them! We did ProgDay which was a blast. We're doing Progtoberfest in Chicago next week which I look forward to. I've done some oversees that are amazing like Prog Dreams and Night of the Prog.

Personally I think us Prog fans are darn lucky when anyone is willing to take the risk on a "sub genre" format for a live show. That's not to say that any festival, band or fan is immune to criticism. Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinion and some people will react differently depending on what's being said and if any ulterior motives are detected etc. But, in my opinion, I personally think being supportive of all events like this is a good thing for everyone who loves this style of music and wants it to thrive (or at least survive).

Anyway... there's my 2 cents. Big props and thanks to Progstock! I have no complaints whatsoever. We even reached our merch sales goal that was in our budget for the tour. I'd play this festival again in a heartbeat. It reminded me a bit of ROSfest which is also a very well run festival. Obviously they've been around longer and have a larger crowd. But, having played both, I saw a lot of the same people in the audience and felt similar good vibes from both the audience and the people running it.

[Gruno]

Just wanted to add one last thing on the ProgStock "band treatment". Beyond the bands being paid well, not having to share any merch sales, fed and put in nice suite-style rooms in a brand new hotel just one mile away, a multi-track recording and a multi camera hi-def video (live directed) is being given to each band. That would cost a band at least a grand to do...not to mention still photos will also be available I believe. So being on the ProgStock roster really turns out to be a windfall for all the bands invited.

That's a nice perk not to be overlooked!

[JKL2000]

I’m of the mind that I love VARIETY at any given fest and want a good cross section of many of the sub genres, not just a few. Besides ProgDay (which my faith has never wavered in) there haven’t been any fests with that wide of a scope so I haven’t been interested in going.

It's as if those fests were created for people that don't enjoy too much variety. I saw it happen at NF a number of times. Neo/Symph fans in rapture when their fave bands were on stage, and then, along comes an avant group next and they look like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Same thing when some avant fans sat through something melodic and symph. Like having an agreeable meal and then having the next course be totally out of their palette's comfort zone. Like, say, a hamburger followed by some eel. A part of me thinks "just eat it all and expand your palette by doing so". But I know most are not that adventurous. I loved that cold shower sort of lineup/sub genre changes, but I know some didn't and in the wake that a lot of niche sub genre fests arose.

Nothing against those that love those, I’m glad to see they still occur. I can’t support just any prog fest though (by attending). It being prog alone isn’t enough to inspire me to go. I want 31 flavors (well, 5 to 10 would do in a pinch), not just pistachio and strawberry. I’m like that with music in general though….

I'll never forget being in the men's room at ProgFest right after Landberk's show and hearing some guy say it was the worst band so far, as I was thinking it was the best. But I enjoy that kind of variety too, and usually find something of interest in all the bands.

[Squids]

I'm glad you had a good time at Progstock Dave and I'm glad it was a professionally run event.
However I have some bones to pick with your comments.

Oh do you now? Haha. Ok I'll answer your questions with my opinion:

Why should people have to support a festival whose sub-genre focused lineup they may dislike?

I never said "have to support" (no one HAS to) but in my opinion prog fans **should** either support events like this or, if they don't like the style of how it's done or the particular line up they can at least not try to rain on the parade for others who might enjoy it. Plus, if one is truly a Prog fan and wants to see the genre thrive, then being supportive (or at least not hoping or helping them to fail) of all the events that happen is good for everyone who loves Prog and wants more concerts of that (otherwise it's Justin Bieber or Katy Perry!!!) ... and even if one may only want to support it if they like the line up, how does one know if they'll have artists they like more the next time around? To me, it's really simple. Unless there's some ulterior motive to want it to fail, I see no reason why someone can't either be into it if they like it and ignore it if they don't.

Why should people not feel insulted when a representative from the new festival publicly insults people?

I agree. But, it also goes both ways. We're all human (most of us! A few aliens amongst us! haha) and one person might be more sensitive than the next or perhaps use words that aren't as tactful, respectful or articulate (or full of emotion in the moment). For example, I wasn't following this fully but I gather that someone said you or your festival is "irrelevant" because it's not around anymore. If so then that's rude and IMO it's wrong. BUT maybe their feathers were ruffled and had a bad moment responding. It's just one person in the heat of the moment (nothing to do with Asia btw). I don't think your opinion or festival is irrelevant at all. I have a lot of respect and I'm sorry it's not around anymore. If it was I'd support it! But, remember, one thing said by one person in one moment does not mean everyone at that festival feels that way. In fact, I know most of them and I know they DON'T feel that way! They're quite supportive of all the festivals and simply want to offer one too. Plus, it was great! People loved it. If it's not your cup of tea, so be it but those who were there had a damn good time and I know a lot of people who would have really enjoyed it. Maybe more will go next year as it's only just started.


Why is raising a legitimate concern (that ended up proving fully justified) that the attendance would be limited because the band lineup is limited in scope "not supportive" when it was meant in the spirit of helpful suggestion from someone who has been there and fought the festival fight?

Well, first of all, I think you're assuming my comments were targeted at you. I was speaking in general. But, I will say that if you were offering your opinion, especially in a positive constructive way, I think that's nice and it's something to be respected and appreciated. I know I would. As long as I didn't think it was meant to make me look bad like some people do sadly. It all depends on the vibe of where someone's coming from. If it's friendly then cool! If it's antagonistic or smells of sour grapes then... each of us have a different way of dealing with that sort of opposition. But, like I said, nothing I was talking about was referring to you specifically.

Blaming prog fans for failing to use their limited funds and limited time to support a lineup they dislike is ridiculous.

Well, yeah, I agree THAT is ridiculous. I certainly wouldn't blame fans for failing to spend time or money talking about shows they're not interested in. Obviously? I mean who would expect THAT? But, if they spend their limited time trying to put DOWN an event then IMO that's not a very cool thing to do. I can't even imagine why anyone would want to waste so much time putting others down or making fun of them or being sarcastic and negative. If you prefer the line up of another event then why not just go there and talk about what you like instead of mulling around throwing mud in the face of a show that other people DO like? Again, why rain on their parade? It's obnoxious. But, I'm not saying that you were specifically. Do you feel you were? I haven't read everything you've said and I wasn't intending to single anyone out. Just speaking in general.

[NogbadTheBad]

This is a prog chat site, you're going to hear both sides on most things, it's not like those fans sites where they ban people who say anything non-complimentary about the band. We've got a broad range of tastes and people will tell it how they see it. There's only a few trolls and most posts are honest responses. I don't think you can ask any more than that.

If people are interested, can afford it, and can make the logistics work then they'll go. Someone saying something against the festival isn't going to convince anyone not to go who wants to, we're all grown ups here.

This whole "support the scene" thing is pretty ridiculous as most people on here are dedicated fans, collectors and concert goers. We wouldn't post on here every day if we weren't enthusiastic and looking for the next purchase or gig to go to.

[Squids]

The staff were excellent. The fans were terrific as always. There was just a very cool vibe about this festival and if you missed it I hope you'll consider attending next year. An uphill battle and a truly heroic effort by the promoters. I know things got off to a shaky start but I'm really glad we stuck with these folks. A big thank you to Thomas, Rob, Marty and all the rest (there were many).
:::steve babb::::

Well said Steve and it was great seeing you there! I think it may be hard for others who weren't there to imagine but really everyone had a fantastic time, the bands, the audience and all. The vibe was great. I was brought into this festival late in the game because of last minute cancellations so I'm not privy to the rough start but I get the general idea and can imagine that any new event is going to have its share of kinks to work out. But, having said that, it was quite impressive for it being the first one. I hope they do more too. I know they all have a passion for melodic emotive progressive rock and I agree you have to appreciate those who are willing to take risks for a more esoteric genre than just what's popular these days on the radio or whatever. I hope these kinds of festivals continue to grow and thrive. They certainly have our support!

[Squids]

This is a prog chat site, you're going to hear both sides on most things, it's not like those fans sites where they ban people who say anything non-complimentary about the band. We've got a broad range of tastes and people will tell it how they see it. There's only a few trolls and most posts are honest responses. I don't think you can ask any more than that.

If people are interested, can afford it, and can make the logistics work then they'll go. Someone saying something against the festival isn't going to convince anyone not to go who wants to, we're all grown ups here.

This whole "support the scene" thing is pretty ridiculous as most people on here are dedicated fans, collectors and concert goers. We wouldn't post on here every day if we weren't enthusiastic and looking for the next purchase or gig to go to.

The whole "support the scene" thing is ridiculous to you? It's an underdog genre in the live music scene in most parts of the world. It's certainly not ridiculous to me and probably not to most prog artists and fans who want the scene to grow and thrive.

[edit: ohhh I think you're saying that being criticized for not being supportive of the scene is ridiculous... okay, well it depends if someone is actively trying to bring a particular Prog event down or they're just simply not interested... no one should be expected to be interested in something they don't like just to "support the scene". But they also don't have to rain on other people's parades either which can potentially hurt the popularity of the genre in all sorts of ways. Meanwhile, it IS very important for those who ARE fans of the music of an event to try and come out to support... otherwise it'll fade away because it's a niche genre that needs the support to continue to exist... ]

You don't think people talking negatively about an event can potentially hurt ticket sales for that event? In marketing all word of mouth potentially does have an effect on the outcome. IMHO people should take accountability for the word they're spreading and it's potential effect.

Regarding "there's a broad range of tastes and people tell it like they see it", a forum is great when there's a variety of tastes and opinions BUT not so pleasant when there's such a broad range that it includes potentially malicious intent or low level mudslinging. My 2 cents on that.

[nearfest]

telling people that they should keep their likes and dislikes to themselves on a music board is patently ridiculous.

[nearfest]

NEARfest had plenty of people ragging the various bookings as they were announced. A festival organizer has to shrug at that and make the best business decisions for the festival.

[Squids]

telling people that they should keep their likes and dislikes to themselves on a music board is patently ridiculous.

Once again I agree with THAT. But, that's quite a general point and no one is even saying that. Now, if you made a counter point to something more specific that was actually said it would be a more productive discussion in my opinion.

So, for example, if you think that people being courteous to one another is ridiculous then please say so. If you think that it's cool to rain on the parade of other festivals as an extension of "dislike" then I'd be more interested in hearing about that, especially coming from someone who used to run a festival themselves. That's at least a direct response to what I was saying instead of responding to something I didn't say. Obviously we're all going to express ourselves about what we like and dislike on a music board but how we do it and what motives could be behind it are something for others to consider. Anyway, I'm just one more person with their own opinion too. It's not my forum. I just know what I like to see in a community of common interests and what I think is a shame when people deliberately try to ruin something for others. Again, I'm not saying that's you. Only you or people who read everything you write know that.

[nearfest]

no one was deliberately raining on a parade. people, including myself, raised legitimate concerns that the festival would suffer low attendance because it was so narrowly focused on one subgenre of prog. this proved absolutely correct. While Progstock was clearly an artistic success (props!), blaming "bad vibes" or "people badmouthing the event" for low attendance, is miscast and disingenuous. the low attendance was caused by narrow band bookings. period.

[Squids]

NEARfest had plenty of people ragging the various bookings as they were announced. A festival organizer has to shrug at that and make the best business decisions for the festival.

Now that in my opinion is good constructive and seasoned advice from someone who has a lot of experience. If I were running a festival I would appreciate that. Someone (actually Francis Dunnery who was at this event and was absolutely amazing I don't care what anyone says) once told me that an artist shouldn't let their reviews get to them - whether they are good or bad. Of course when they're good you want to jump around but when they're bad you want to slit your wrists (haha... well... theoretically). So, his seasoned advice is "it doesn't mean anything just carry on doing what you're doing". Similar to what you're saying.

But... when it looks like people are deliberately wanting an event to fail that's where it gets ugly, especially if it involves competitors or people with some ulterior motive. How best to handle that as a festival or artist I don't know. Probably just to carry on and do it anyway even in the face of the opposition. Although it can be tempting to pull the curtain off the wizard of oz to see what's really going on. That said, it's usually quite transparent what people's biases are going by what they say. I know mine are and I don't even hide it. I'm an artist so obviously I'm for ALL prog festivals because I want more audiences for this genre that we can play to. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. Someone PLEASE do one down here in South Florida. All we get are massively expensive classic rock shows (occasionally) and tribute shows.

[nearfest]

But... when it looks like people are deliberately wanting an event to fail

No. Not at all. Constructive criticism was offered in the spirit of a healthy event moving into the future. A festival rep had serious trouble perceiving that and hearing it and instead got all defensive in the early pages of this thread, which is not a good look. The prog scene is NOT helped by poorly attended festivals that may be on shaky business grounds.

[3RDegree_Robert]

The whole "support the scene" thing is ridiculous to you? It's an underdog genre in the live music scene in most parts of the world. It's certainly not ridiculous to me and probably not to most prog artists and fans who want the scene to grow and thrive.

[edit: ohhh I think you're saying that being criticized for not being supportive of the scene is ridiculous... okay, well it depends if someone is actively trying to bring a particular Prog event down or they're just simply not interested... no one should be expected to be interested in something they don't like just to "support the scene". But they also don't have to rain on other people's parades either which can potentially hurt the popularity of the genre in all sorts of ways. Meanwhile, it IS very important for those who ARE fans of the music of an event to try and come out to support... otherwise it'll fade away because it's a niche genre that needs the support to continue to exist... ]

You don't think people talking negatively about an event can potentially hurt ticket sales for that event? In marketing all word of mouth potentially does have an effect on the outcome. IMHO people should take accountability for the word they're spreading and it's potential effect.

Regarding "there's a broad range of tastes and people tell it like they see it", a forum is great when there's a variety of tastes and opinions BUT not so pleasant when there's such a broad range that it includes potentially malicious intent or low level mudslinging. My 2 cents on that.

I think what Ian meant is expecting blind support for a festival you're not interested in. So I think you're both not too far from agreeing with each other.

What I say is if you can make it (time off from work/duties), like the bands, have the funds and nothing is standing in your way then it really does help your favorite artists and the subgenre as a whole to actually attend the festival in question. It is a pretty enclosed economy this "prog community" of which we all support in varying degrees. What happens when you don't attend a festival? If enough also don't go-there is no festival-and eventually all bands just won't play live when there are no places to play or places worth playing (where there's actually someone listening). Or at best, they play a crappy dive with awful sound in a bad part of town. So now we have bands with nowhere to play. At that point, your favorite band exists on Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp and/or their own website as well as maybe progarchives, Prog radio stations and review sites and magazines (DPRP, Proglodytes, Background Magazine, Progression, Prog, etc.). Now the band is making money only from recorded music sales most likely not even pressing CDs. They have to record at a good fidelity because prog fans appreciate really well recorded music. Hopefully they don't have to pay many studios to get it to that calibre. This $10 download is the only positive income stream at this point and if your fan is on Spotify....well you can see where this is all leading.

So, yes, support the scene the best you can be that seeing that one band you really like when they play alone or with other bands at a festival when they play on that nicer stage with better sound and lights.

Side note: Festival organizers and labels do wield a certain power-they are "tastemakers". All of us can go on the internet searching for "progressive rock band" and get lost in the rabbit hole of mediocrity with some diamonds in the rough OR we can assume the best bands will be "found" for us by labels and festivals. Fewer labels exist as bands go the DIY route and with less festivals we get down to word of mouth and websites for musical suggestions.

[Squids]

blaming "bad vibes" or "people badmouthing the event" for low attendance, is miscast and disingenuous. the low attendance was caused by narrow band bookings. period.

I would love to sit and argue with you all night at a bar and see who the last one standing is! You are the KING of generalizations!!!! That's your thing. Don't know if you even realize that. You make your points based on stuff no one has said!!!! Haha. Dude... anyway... that makes it an endless debate too so i have to sleep or do other things but I will... I guess... at least say that of course no one thinks that low attendance was SOLELY caused by "people bad mouthing the event" and for you to say definitely that it was because of narrow band bookings (and even PERIOD! as if you're sure of it... come on) is just like your opinion man. [Edit: Upon thinking about it, I make generalizations too so I'm a hyrocrite. In fact, we're all hypocrites ]

Seriously, none of us know definitely why most events, especially a new one, have high or low attendances. The best we can do is speculate. But, probably ALL of the things we can think of that affect people's awareness and opinions of an event have some kind of effect on the outcome.

By the way, it wasn't just on here but I saw some overtly obnoxious posts on Facebook about it as well, even from people who are "friends" on my Facebook page, and it just looked sad, immature and rude to me. I was sorry I saw people acting like that but that's society for you. Could be worse. Relatively speaking all of us Progheads are alright just for the fact that we love creative artistic music. So, anyway, look, I admit I am a little critical of you (or at least I can't help but point out your habit of generalizing to make a point) and you're critical of me too (you have a few bones to pick) and that's fine. I'd still buy you a beer. You can still buy my album. Right? No? You don't like it? WTF?!!!! haha. It's important to have a sense of humor. Now, please stop putting words in my mouth to make your point. That's all I ask! jk

[Squids]

no one was deliberately raining on a parade. people, including myself, raised legitimate concerns that the festival would suffer low attendance because it was so narrowly focused on one subgenre of prog.

Regarding people's preferences of diversity in a festival vs. a focusing on a subgenre of prog or bands that are stylistically compatible with each other... I find that part interesting. Personally I would rather go to a festival where the music is stylistically similar or at least i have to like 3 or more bands to bother to go vs. just seeing the one band I want to see on their own. Sort of like that festival that had Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac... lots of similarities between them and I would have loved to have gone to that. Same for the one that had McCartney, The Who, Stones, Waters... I would much rather go to a festival like that than one that has so much diversity that I'm bored waiting for bands I like. But, that's just me and my opinion. Since opinions range on that, which I think is really interesting (especially having played in both types of festivals myself... such as ProgDay which is known for diversity and ProgStock which had similar styles that related between artists) I think the ultimate answer is that there should simply be more of both!!!!! Why not? In any case, the demand over time will determine the viability. I hope this was successful enough for them to continue and I do also hope that the naysayers can prog and let prog. What's it to them? Anyway... time to sleep.

[wilcox660]

Perhaps I'm in the minority on this thread, but I don't see Chad as speaking in generalities. I see him speaking from an experiential point of view. I also keep in mind that those arguing with him were also paid to perform at the event in question. Kick me if I'm wrong, but I don't see Squids & Robert weighing in passionately on threads for events they did not perform at.

[wilcox660]

Did I say Chad? I meant Rob! How about Rob/Chad. There ya go!

Perhaps I'm in the minority on this thread, but I don't see Chad as speaking in generalities. I see him speaking from an experiential point of view. I also keep in mind that those arguing with him were also paid to perform at the event in question. Kick me if I'm wrong, but I don't see Squids & Robert weighing in passionately on threads for events they did not perform at.

[boilk]

Regarding people's preferences of diversity in a festival vs. a focusing on a subgenre of prog or bands that are stylistically compatible with each other... I find that part interesting. Personally I would rather go to a festival where the music is stylistically similar or at least i have to like 3 or more bands to bother to go vs. just seeing the one band I want to see on their own. Sort of like that festival that had Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac... lots of similarities between them and I would have loved to have gone to that. Same for the one that had McCartney, The Who, Stones, Waters... I would much rather go to a festival like that than one that has so much diversity that I'm bored waiting for bands I like. But, that's just me and my opinion. Since opinions range on that, which I think is really interesting (especially having played in both types of festivals myself... such as ProgDay which is known for diversity and ProgStock which had similar styles that related between artists) I think the ultimate answer is that there should simply be more of both!!!!! Why not? In any case, the demand over time will determine the viability. I hope this was successful enough for them to continue and I do also hope that the naysayers can prog and let prog. What's it to them? Anyway... time to sleep.

I would rather go to a festival with a good diversity of progressive music, like a NEARfest or a Progday. Having said that, if you really like a certain sub-genre, then a festival like Rosfest or RIO is very cool, as well. It doesn't have to be one, or the other.

neil

[Squids]

I would rather go to a festival with a good diversity of progressive music, like a NEARfest or a Progday. Having said that, if you really like a certain sub-genre, then a festival like Rosfest or RIO is very cool, as well. It doesn't have to be one, or the other.

neil

Yeah. I agree. I generally like the certain sub-genre approach. BUT I have to admit that participating in ProgDay this year opened my mind a bit to the idea of a diverse festival working. I quite enjoyed the other bands even though they were drastically different from what we were doing (way more instrumental for example). In fact, I was even a bit concerned that we were too "cross-over" for that crowd and while I'm sure we were for some, there were a lot of people who told me that it was needed for balance and they really appreciated that we were there. I guess it also depends on if one's tastes are diverse. Mine are. I enjoy instrumental prog and jazz and all sorts of music as well as alt rock, power pop and all sorts of styles or combinations of styles. I think ProgDay does it well. I never went to a Nearfest but I do remember being bummed hearing that it was no more... again, mostly because I'm supportive of all Prog festivals. I think it's great and we need more of them.

[3RDegree_Robert]

Perhaps I'm in the minority on this thread, but I don't see Chad as speaking in generalities. I see him speaking from an experiential point of view. I also keep in mind that those arguing with him were also paid to perform at the event in question. Kick me if I'm wrong, but I don't see Squids & Robert weighing in passionately on threads for events they did not perform at.

I'm assisting with "relations" here and at Progarchives. I have thoughts/feelings about other festivals both positive and not so positive, but in my capacity as band leader I know well that no bands can afford to make enemies so I'll lurk and enjoy the commentary but not burn any bridges or stir things up. Generally while from time to time I may personally feel passionate about some things in this realm, I don't pretend to know about things with total certainty.

Also, I will be assisting with next year's festival (video promos mostly) and will not be paid for anything.

[Gruno]

Perhaps I'm in the minority on this thread, but I don't see Chad as speaking in generalities. I see him speaking from an experiential point of view.

Agreed. I'm in your minority!

[Gruno]

I'm assisting with "relations" here and at Progarchives. I have thoughts/feelings about other festivals both positive and not so positive, but in my capacity as band leader I know well that no bands can afford to make enemies so I'll lurk and enjoy the commentary but not burn any bridges or stir things up. Generally while from time to time I may personally feel passionate about some things in this realm, I don't pretend to know about things with total certainty.

Also, I will be assisting with next year's festival (video promos mostly) and will not be paid for anything.

Very commendable. I've enjoyed your approach throughout this entire thread. It would benfit the festival if you were the main PR voice.

[3RDegree_Robert]

I would rather go to a festival with a good diversity of progressive music, like a NEARfest or a Progday. Having said that, if you really like a certain sub-genre, then a festival like Rosfest or RIO is very cool, as well. It doesn't have to be one, or the other.

neil

Having been to at least 3 NEARfests manning a merch table during breaks between bands and taking breaks or eating (sometimes watching) during bands, let's not all pretend everyone who went to NEARfest sat in the venue from 11am to 11pm every day. Like any of these festivals, there was a hell of a lot of schmoozing and at the 1st one I went to, I couldn't believe how many people were half a mile away eating during performances or just BS-ing in the hallway or outside. The variety may have sold tickets but its not like everyone who went to hear Zeuhl followed by Neo. In most cases the Zeuhl guys ate lunch during the Neo and vice versa.