Rosfest 2018 Bands- Where Do I Begin?

[Camelogue]

Very good sound on Sunday.

Yeah I am not a fan of the modern light "show" either. But I am not a fan of playing loud music at sporting events either.

One funny note, the guy next to me was asleep for most of the bands, my friend sent me a picture from Rosfest two years ago, and it was the same guy who slept through three days of shows!

[Kavus Torabi]

Best damn sleep that dude gets all year.

[SteveSly]

Very good sound on Sunday.

Yeah I am not a fan of the modern light "show" either. But I am not a fan of playing loud music at sporting events either.

One funny note, the guy next to me was asleep for most of the bands, my friend sent me a picture from Rosfest two years ago, and it was the same guy who slept through three days of shows!

Curious what you guys mean by "modern" light show? I mean, way back in the 70's and 80's bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, Rush, etc. used to have incredible light shows. Heck, Pink Floyd used to have that huge mirror ball thing the opened up and just about blinded the audience for the show finale. If I remember correctly Genesis was the first band to use the modern vari-light (sp?) too and that was back in the 80's. I have always dug this stuff, and none of it seems particularly new to me.

[SteveSly]

Best damn sleep that dude gets all year.

Rock N Roll ain't what it used to be........

[moecurlythanu]

Best damn sleep that dude gets all year.

Maybe he has a prescription.

Rx: Attend RoSFest.

[markwoll]

Curious what you guys mean by "modern" light show? I mean, way back in the 70's and 80's bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, Rush, etc. used to have incredible light shows. Heck, Pink Floyd used to have that huge mirror ball thing the opened up and just about blinded the audience for the show finale. If I remember correctly Genesis was the first band to use the modern vari-light (sp?) too and that was back in the 80's. I have always dug this stuff, and none of it seems particularly new to me.

The steerable computer controlled LED cluster lighting. Modern as it gets. I suppose that it has revolutionized some of the stage technology.
The newer ones are better. A few years back a 'white' led lighting instrument would leave an image on my retina for way long after the light moved away.
The newer generation are not as bright/focused. The earlier ones probably used the brightest led's possible in the tightest cluster to deliver the equivalent light of the old standard incandescent instruments.
It seems at times that the lighting displays are being used as countermeasures to video recording.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good light show, they can make a good show much better. Steven Wilsons production is fussy, but very cool.
Just illuminate the stage and let the audience see the performance without the constant afterimages of the leds.

[TheLongshot]

One funny note, the guy next to me was asleep for most of the bands, my friend sent me a picture from Rosfest two years ago, and it was the same guy who slept through three days of shows!

Admittedly, I have a tough time staying awake for the first few bands. Nothing to do with them. It is something about the lights going down that tells my body to go to sleep. Maybe I don't get enough sleep as well.

[kenschwartz]

Just illuminate the stage and let the audience see the performance without the constant afterimages of the leds.

Oh My God, yes!

[Gruno]

Yeh the modern lighting sucks. Lighting used to be about conveying a unique atmosphere for the band. Including multimedia. And the big screen behind the stage showed some pretty cool band specific video and art. Unfortunately the bright stage lights when not focused on the band, destroy the contrast of that screen at times.

I'm more disturbed by the bland blank screen behind performers that feature a solid color, then transitioning to a different color. Seems a lot of prog fests/shows use this method. It's boring and very generic looking.

[Steve F.]

Just illuminate the stage and let the audience see the performance without the constant afterimages of the leds.

Yes. Agree 10000%. Hate being subjected to this, feel assaulted and blinded by it. Just really, really bad news, as far as my enjoyment of an event goes. Ruins anything it touches.

[NogbadTheBad]

I'm more disturbed by the bland blank screen behind performers that feature a solid color, then transitioning to a different color. Seems a lot of prog fests/shows use this method. It's boring and very generic looking.

Saw King Crimson and it was superb, I wanted to focus on the band members not the 'show'.

[DocProgger]

Curious what you guys mean by "modern" light show? I mean, way back in the 70's and 80's bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, Rush, etc. used to have incredible light shows. Heck, Pink Floyd used to have that huge mirror ball thing the opened up and just about blinded the audience for the show finale. If I remember correctly Genesis was the first band to use the modern vari-light (sp?) too and that was back in the 80's. I have always dug this stuff, and none of it seems particularly new to me.

I appreciate a good light show too, and those Genesis and Floyd ones were always spectacular, but those Genesis vari-lites were used to illuminate the stage primarily and I don't recall them shining out into the audience as much (save for a few laser displays maybe). Revolving lights or LED displays which constantly shine out into the audience causing flashing blindness is the problem.

[SteveSly]

Saw King Crimson and it was superb, I wanted to focus on the band members not the 'show'.

I am still not sure how I feel about the lack of lighting at the King Crimson show. The show itself was fantastic, but at the one point in the show that the lights were used, I thought it really worked. The rest of the show went back to no lights which I guess I did not love or hate.

[SteveSly]

I appreciate a good light show too, and those Genesis and Floyd ones were always spectacular, but those Genesis vari-lites were used to illuminate the stage primarily and I don't recall them shining out into the audience as much (save for a few laser displays maybe). Revolving lights or LED displays which constantly shine out into the audience causing flashing blindness is the problem.

I guess it just does not bother me. Having seen recent shows by bands like Trans Siberian Orchestra (talk about lights in your face overload!), and Umphry's McGee (who shine lights in the audience a lot during the show) among others it does not matter to me. To each their own I guess.......

[gryphs also]

OK... my review:

First, attendance was down, but it was sad the number of regulars missing. I missed many as socializing is a big part of the festival for me.

D 97: My 4th time seeing them and the first time disappointed. The new material came across as Leslie Hope and her band. I enjoyed the band aspect more than a supporting role.

Brand X: At the end of the first song, I realized they had taken my brain, took It for a trip around the theater, and gently deposited it back at the end of the song. This was repeated for the whole set.

Cell 15: Straight ahead prog rock. It woke me up. They were more keyboard based last time I saw them, but the leader had to pull drum duties which affected the overall tone of the songs.

I went back to the motel for a nap for Perfect Beings....blame Buster and Tom per usual.

Barrock Project: A masterclass in the organic use of dynamics and tempo in song. Second favourite band of the festival.

Threshold: They rocked and were talented, but I found the sound muddy. It was OK, but a little too samey for me.

Valdez: They were OK, but put that in the context that I loved Tinyfish so that was my comparison point and that might have been unfair.

Lines In The Sky: Very talented and unique in their playing, but the songs did nothing for me. There is something there though and with more time fleshing out the songs, they could be monsters.

Flor de Loto: My favourite band of the weekend. They rocked and I love the woodwind instrumentation which was a break from the usual.. Talented and creative. Loved it.

Special Providence: High and miss for me. They were extremely talented and some parts didn't make sense to me and then other parts blew my mind (sometimes both within one song). Overall I enjoyed it because itvwas risky music that when rewarded is fantastic.

PFM: A nostalgic trip for me. I appreciated the opportunity I thought I'd never have. Many of the oldernsongs brought me back to the high school basements and university apartment of friends. For some of their ages, they moved well. A great show to end the festival.

[progeezer]

blame Buster and Tom per usual...... (said gryphs also)

I have long thought (ever since Mr. Harvey, Mr. Persil and Mr. (Norm) Nied woke the late Kay & I up at 3:30am in Moss, Norway a few years ago) that Buster + Tom= a f*****g headache in the morning, Anthony.

[SteveSly]

blame Buster and Tom per usual...... (said gryphs also)

I have long thought (ever since Mr. Harvey, Mr. Persil and Mr. (Norm) Nied woke the late Kay & I up at 3:30am in Moss, Norway a few years ago) that Buster + Tom= a f*****g headache in the morning, Anthony.

It was definitely odd not having Uncle Norm there this weekend. In fact pretty much the entire Midwest / Chicago area gang was missing.

[markwoll]

PFM played Chicago yesterday, Brand X has been through, District 97 is there. Maybe there was less need to travel.

[SteveSly]

PFM played Chicago yesterday, Brand X has been through, District 97 is there. Maybe there was less need to travel.

Norm has been ill, but for the others that might have been a contributing factor. In fact I think some of them were involved in promoting the PFM gig.

[DocProgger]

Re Da Midwest Gang, I saw Dale at the Steven Wilson Vic show and he said Uncle Norm has been in the hospital for a bit. I don't know if that was mentioned here before or not.

Edit--and while I was posting that, Steve just did....

[NogbadTheBad]

Magog was at ROSfest wasn't he?

[gryphs also]

I didn't see Magog and would be upset if he was there and I missed him.

[gryphs also]

You think I would learn, Steve, after the number of times got into double digits, that no matter how much fun it is, the punishment is greater. But I'm the Black Knight and am invincible.

[SteveSly]

I didn't see Magog and would be upset if he was there and I missed him.

Not 100% sure who Magog is since no one uses their real names here, but if he is who I think he is, he was not at ROSfest. I saw him (I think...) at the Steven Wilson show in Chicago, but he was not going to ROSfest.

[DocProgger]

Magog is Matt.