PROGSTOCK 2019 Rahway, NJ's Union County PAC October 11-13 2019

[Dan Roth]

it was certainly great to see SAGA last night

Ian was loud as fuck lol

Saga was the only band all weekend where I had to put in earplugs. Thought it was unnecessarily loud. Great performance though.

Robert Berry's performance was a lot of fun. It was sort of a "This is your life" show for him, with him playing through a lot of his history. It was a good way for the audiences to really get acquainted with him and his history. As others have mentioned on the Berry thread, I was hoping for a bit more music from the new 3.2 album, but maybe that will happen on his next tour. It was cool to hear first-hand accounts of his dealings with Emerson, Howe, Kalodner, etc. Seems like a super genuine guy too. And whoever would've thought they would hear "Talkin' Bout" performed live again? That was a lot of fun.

Jane Getter Premonition - I have seen this band 4 or 5 times already over the years and knew what to expect. Glad they were so warmly received. Excellent band and one of my faves.

I saw both Discipline and Nektar at NEARFests, and these Progstock performances were just as amazing - really top notch and enjoyable from the first note to the last.

It was great to see Rocket Scientists for the first (and apparently last) time. Norlander was amazing on keys, of course. The whole band was really top notch. I'm a fan of them and have several group and solo Erik albums, but they get kinda samey for me after awhile. I thought the same with this performance, but it still held my attention and enjoyed the heck out of it.

Brand X sounded great - my first time seeing them since their recent reformation. They played some of my favorite tunes and killed it.

Stratospheerius - another long-time favorite of mine. Been seeing them for a dozen years or so now in various formations, and even interviewed Joe Deninzon for Progression a few years back. They are one of my favorite bands and always kill it live. Joe, of course, is the centerpiece of the band, and is an amazing performer on his 7-string Viper. Cool to hear a brand new song as well. I felt the vocals were a bit muddled at times, but the band sounded great. Alex Skolnick was their original guitarist and I asked him if he would be able to guest with them as he has done from time to time, but he was flying out shortly after the Jane Getter gig for the MegaCruise 2019 with Testament.

Saga - For all of their history, I really only knew the hits. After an hour or so in to their extra-loud set, I realized that I'm good with just their hits. They put on a good show and Sadler is the consumate front man and a great vocalist, they just weren't my favorite.

Randy McStine - I've seen him over the years play with both Jane Getter and Stratospheerius, but this was my first time seeing him do a solo set. Super-talented dude and that was a nice break in the day. I gotta check out more of his stuff.

Rachel Flowers - What a wonderfully talented young lady, she is. My first time seeing her live. Very nice sets with Berry, Sadler and Christopher Clark. Her improvised set with Clark was my favorite - wish that was longer.

Bob Moog's daughter - I remember her appearances at NEARFests to talk about her dad and the foundation. This was more of the same.

Paul Whitehead - very cool to have him there painting. That was pretty cool to see him at work.

[mochester]

Thanks for all your support at Progfest, It was great to see all of the Nektarines in the audience. We REALLY enjoyed playing for you all

Mo

[arturs]

Couldn't make it out to Progstock but I was able to catch 3.2 and Brand X at Sellersville Theater last night. 3.2 was only able to play for 45 minutes, but what they did play was a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed Desda de Vida and Talkin' Bout.

Brand X were brain meltingly good. I was sort of a newbie with them. I bought Masques a long long time time ago, on cassette, and remember liking that but had not further explored. The interplay last night was telepathic and the the interaction of the drummer and percussionist couldn't be any tighter. I also never knew what a ham Goodsall is, playing everything up for the (sadly small) crowd. So as of today I'm a card-carrying (or at least Blu-ray owning) fan.

[3RDegree_Robert]

SO happy to hear the great responses above. Keep them coming! No postmortem has taken place as we're recuperating but personally I'd generally say we had less negative occurrences take place than previous years. It felt like a similar turnout to last year methinks. That's about all I can muster opinion-wise as I was doing the rear video projection so for most acts my perception was a bit strange at side stage. I was moved to the soundboard for Saga however and that was really cool as I've amassed all of the albums over the last year. Their set list was prog-skewed IMHO.

Missed Rachel Flowers and Robert Berry duet as I left for Wet Ticket brewery. The less said the better about the beer selection at the venue.

Yeah. You and me both. I'm not sure why we couldn't get Wet Ticket beer (at least one) in the house like we did year one but I guess it got more complex to make that happen or something has changed. Not sure. But most didn't mind stopping over there between shows which was really easy to do.

[Avenger]

Took my Built/Future bandmates with me this year...my third straight! They LOVED it. So many great people. Everyone so nice, so engaging. As usual.

Phideaux is a personal favorite of mine so that was my pure top highlight. I think his music is incredible. And he had a great set.
Other great moments for me included NeKtar(great song choices) and 3.2(I agree the stories were value added, and really honest), Saga was the heavy hitter, Ian's guitar was very loud, but the songs were so good. And Sadler is king of the stage.
Kenny(our vocalist) really was moved by Cyberium, And Dave(our guitarist) really dug Brand X.

I cannot wait till next year! Book it. I am already packing.

BONUS: food and COFFEE were great this year. The new Coffee Box was incredible(leaving a YELP for them)...and Peruvian, Pizza, and Cuban food was great. What a great little town.

SO much fun. So nice to see everyone! Met so many more great great people. Gave away some music. Made friends with a MOOG!

great work guys. Peace to all of you. Til Next year!

[kenschwartz]

just to add my 2 cents here:

i missed the first year, but comparing this year to last year: major improvement. and i'm not talking about the bands at all. i want to give the organized a big 'thank you' for the improvements made to the process. bands generally started when expected (and when things were running behind, we were told what to expect). and whoever had the idea of setting up music at the small park across the street - that was absolutely brilliant.

my biggest 2 complaints - please consider them constructive criticism (in fact, i think the second is not actually something they have any control over):
1. can you try to implement a 'no cell phones during the show' policy? i don't really like having my view obstructed by the cell phone the guy in front of me is holding up because he's live streaming the concert. and even the distraction of people texting and stuff...please, can't that wait?
2. the seats in that theater - especially those in the first 6-8 rows - are in such bad shape. hard to enjoy a show if spring from the seat is giving me a colonoscopy. like i said - beyond the control of tom, etc.

looking forward to next year!

[Rajaz]

Had another wonderful and very pleasant experience at my second Progstock.
I'm not going to do a day by day and band breakdown but as highlihghts:

-Nektar was a true and pleasant surprise, never thought they would kick off the show with Recycled (my favorite album). Yes vocals were a little low but the keyboards made up for it, just don't understand why have 2 bass players but it was great to see them for my first time.
-Saga maybe was too loud but all the songs worked well, missed Jim Critchon but the band was even more powerful than last April when seeing them in Quebec. Bravo Canada!
-Brand X for me, seemed kind of out of place although their jazz is quite prog, Morrocan roll and Behavior were played with skill and precision bass by Percy Jones and mates.
-Phideaux were a great choice to start the festival, they had the Esperanto feeling and did not disappoint
-Rocket Scientists were the band with best sound no doubt, sadly this was their last performance but they sure went out with a loud bang!
-Robert Berry 3.2 gave us exactly what we wanted to hear, his own material, from 3 and 3.2 plus all the tribute songs that sound excellent and sharp, nice duet with Rachel :-)
-The Cyberiam and Joe Deninzon Stratospheerius were the balance of prog metal and gave us their dynamic performances uplifting the audience.

"Last Call" should have been organized in a different way (IMHO) but I understand, there simply was not enogh open time slots..I would rather gone to an early bird event at 7 AM than stay overnight ending at 5 AM!! But there's always video, looks like the crowd (of 50 people) pleaser was Midas man. So beautiful to see the fan brotherhood harmonize impeccably!

About the cellular disruptions, I would assign an specific area where fans can take pictures. There was lots of spare room on the sides for all the performances. BTW, who were those guys with the massive Pro zoom lens cameras walking around taking pictures and where (site) will they be presented to the public or are they private?

I only did two meet & greets, it was really cool! All the Nektar Ladies & guys were awesome and so were the Saga gang, very cheerful and nice specially after introducing myself as a fellow Canadian, loved it! Oh Canada!.jpg

Until we meet again for Progstock 2020, meanwhile keep the prog flame alive and glowing brighter!!

[Top Cat]

Someone posted this link on FB, so thought I'd share it here for those interested.

https://progreport.com/progstock-2019-review/

[NogbadTheBad]

So how was the attendance?

[Dan Roth]

So how was the attendance?

That was hard to tell. The center section of the theater was pretty full. The sides were about 75% empty for the most part. I couldn't tell about the balcony.

This was just before Berry and Flowers went on, and pretty representative of this side of the theater all weekend.IMG_3562.jpg But as I said, the center section was full. Hope it continues - there were a lot of good musical performances there.

[nearfest]

Diversifying the lineup with some interesting avant garde and fusion and foreign symphonic rock bands will boost attendance 50-100 people, which can make a HUGE difference in the bottom line of an event like this.

[3RDegree_Robert]

Did Brand X have their Fusion Card revoked when I wasn’t looking and were Nektar granted American citizenship when I stepped out?


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[nearfest]

yes you are right about Brand X. but my point about avant prog and foreign language symphonic still stands.

[nearfest]

look. I'm trying to encourage breadth in order to expand the fanbase and thus financial health of the event. I'm not being a dick here.

[3RDegree_Robert]

Ah the key word missing there was “language”. Italians played last year but alas they did not open their mouths to sing!

Also, one of the dark horse favorites of the weekend was also a fusion-y act: Jane Getter Premonition featuring Miles Davis’ and Steven Wilson’s keyboardist.

I’d generally say the current festivals curate a bit “automatically” which is to say headliners are usually operating at a given time due to an album being out and/or a tour being planned, etc. And some acts are unobtainable usually through their own success and disinterest in playing any festival. So once they’re gone and you look at who’s still big and...alive/still together, the list seems short IMHO.

That said, it seems we had a few reunions/possible final gigs take place this year where we made something happen that otherwise wouldn’t have like Rocket Scientist’s final show, Saga coming to the US for the first time in well over a decade, Salem Hill’s probable last gig and first in a while, a Nektar reunion and we were an instrumental factor in 3.2 playing any shows at all after their album release. The rest were tried and true festival acts like Phideaux and Discipline rounded out by lesser known choices like The Cyberiam and Stratospheerius.


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[Poisoned Youth]

Diversifying the lineup with some interesting avant garde and fusion and foreign symphonic rock bands will boost attendance 50-100 people, which can make a HUGE difference in the bottom line of an event like this.

I tend to agree. But I think there are factors and challenges that weren't as present 15 years ago. I mentioned several of these earlier in the thread, so no need to repeat. But, in short, most of the traditional "draw" acts have either played the festival circuit to death, are asking too much money, and/or have retired/scaled back their performances.

Part of the charm of NF (beyond diversity of acts, good location, good friends, and good timing) was that there were several "once in a lifetime" performances that brought people out of the woodwork. Even if some of those acts ultimately ended up playing the circuit, that doesn't change that the feeling was - in many cases - that we'd never see that act again.

Now 10-20 years later, the scene is very stale. That's not to say that there aren't great bands out there today, but virtually all of them do not draw an audience. The ones that do (that aren't out of budget) tend to pop up over and over again. When that happens, unless you're a huge fan of that group, the magic of seeing them is gone.

And with each event, you have a different vision from the organizers. Progday, for example, seems content to stick to their formula. The cruises have their formula. ProgStock seems to be settling in to their formula. RoSFest never really changed their formula (except location) despite many requests from potential attendees to diversify their lineup. It never happened.

[Poisoned Youth]

look. I'm trying to encourage breadth in order to expand the fanbase and thus financial health of the event. I'm not being a dick here.

Incidentally, I had similar discussions with the owners of the company I work for. They have dabbled in concerts/events, and we just finished a 5 city tour of an international artist with some draw. There are many similarities with progressive rock in so far that it's a niche audience that doesn't really grow much in size nor attract much that inside of outside that circle.

We completely organized and promoted the tour. We were fortunate that we came out ahead. The shows in DC, NYC, and Dallas were barely profitable, but the LA and SF shows were both over 1,000 in attendance.

As such, the owners are encouraged to do more tours, to which I've attempted to reality check them. The scene is similar in the sense that only a few artists will bring enough draw to make putting on such an effort worthwhile. After you get through those, you're pretty much destined to lose money (unless you have an underwriter or grant).

So there's been talk now of trying to connect two artists with different audiences - but with crossover appeal together. Even then, I think there are very few paths to a profitable victory in that market.

[Steve F.]

And with each event, you have a different vision from the organizers. Progday, for example, seems content to stick to their formula. The cruises have their formula. ProgStock seems to be settling in to their formula. RoSFest never really changed their formula (except location) despite many requests from potential attendees to diversify their lineup. It never happened.

I was going to post that it's not a great idea for a festival to diversify if the folks who run the festival don't want to for whatever reason.

Doing something half-heartedly and with things you aren't enthusiastic about is seldom a good idea.

The Progstock band selections aren't for me, but it's very obvious that the folks running the show are genuinely excited and happy about them, and I dunno how well they would do if they decided they wanted to add things they aren't really happy about.

[Poisoned Youth]

The Progstock band selections aren't for me, but it's very obvious that the folks running the show are genuinely excited and happy about them, and I dunno how well they would do if they decided they wanted to add things they aren't really happy about.

Agreed. I also think the debate is moot if you're budgeting for 400 people (for example) or 150 like ProgDay, and that's what shows up. But typically what sparks the discussion (and I think it's clearly fans more than the organizers) is when people wonder why more don't show up at these concerts and festivals to "support the scene".

[Steve F.]

But typically what sparks the discussion (and I think it's clearly fans more than the organizers) is when people wonder why more don't show up at these concerts and festivals to "support the scene".

The people who are asking this question, don't generally support 'the' scene. They want everyone to support 'their' scene.

IMO.

[Gruno]

The people who are asking this question, don't generally support 'the' scene. They want everyone to support 'their' scene.

IMO.

It may be your opinion, but I find a lot of truth in what you stated. I've witnessed a lot of it first-hand.

[Steve F.]

It may be your opinion, but I find a lot of truth in what you stated. I've witnessed a lot of it first-hand.

Me too. The IMO was for politeness sake because I don't want to point fingers at any one or any scene. It is a general observation that I too have witnessed first-hand.

[doh]

I would really enjoy Progstock as I have loved the lineups. Attending is part of my dream life, but not my real life. I would personally love to support almost all the scenes, but I run into issues of finance, work, and family conflicts. I have to pick and choose. I know there are many that frequent all festivals, but they are in a different phase of life than I am. I know there are others in the same boat as me. So, who do you envision filling the seats?

My current capability in supporting the scene is to buy CDs from prog vendors like Steve, Greg, and Ken, to attend local concerts when available, and to travel to probably one festival a year. Honest question - any suggestions on how I can better support the scene in your opinion?

[Steve F.]

I know there are others in the same boat as me. So, who do you envision filling the seats?

That's a really good and a really hard question. Luckily I am not a festival promoter and don't have to envision the answer....!!

[Nearfest2]

I tend to agree. But I think there are factors and challenges that weren't as present 15 years ago. I mentioned several of these earlier in the thread, so no need to repeat. But, in short, most of the traditional "draw" acts have either played the festival circuit to death, are asking too much money, and/or have retired/scaled back their performances.

Part of the charm of NF (beyond diversity of acts, good location, good friends, and good timing) was that there were several "once in a lifetime" performances that brought people out of the woodwork. Even if some of those acts ultimately ended up playing the circuit, that doesn't change that the feeling was - in many cases - that we'd never see that act again.

Now 10-20 years later, the scene is very stale. That's not to say that there aren't great bands out there today, but virtually all of them do not draw an audience. The ones that do (that aren't out of budget) tend to pop up over and over again. When that happens, unless you're a huge fan of that group, the magic of seeing them is gone.

All part of the writing on the wall that we saw back in 2012 and why we decided to end NEARfest.