Back Stage Pass

NOVEMBER '08

Harder Beat Magazine Online

ProgPower
Various bands

By Andy Laudano

Gamma Ray’s Kai Hansen (l) and Henjo Richter (r) with HB’s Andy Laudano

I had a great time at ProgPower USA. There’s no other festival like it. Here’s a sampling: Circle II Circle spent plenty of time meeting fans before and after the show (in an upstairs club appropriately named The Loft). At the same time, the downstairs club, The Vinyl, had “metal karaoke.” Since many of the bands arrive early for the festival, you never know who might show up and hang out.

Gamma Ray’s Kai Hansen and Henjo Richter, Helloween’s Sascha Gerstner, Saint Deamon’s Jan Thore Grefstad and Nobby Noberg all took time to sign autographs and pose for pictures. What nobody realized — until Hansen mentioned it the next night in their show —Richter had had eye surgery a few days earlier. That never stopped him from taking numerous photos with fans. Hansen got a surprise when a fan brought her dog, also named Kai, into the bar to meet him. He happily took a photo with his namesake, before security told her the dog couldn’t stay.

This was Saint Deamon’s first time in the U.S., and they were thrilled to hang out and meet their fans. Meanwhile, since Gerstner is into photography, he enjoyed talking to some photographers. After their show the next night, members of Helloween and Gamma Ray signed for fans as well.

Throughout the weekend, all bands were very accessible. You couldn’t walk in the hallway without bumping into someone from a band. Plus, they were all scheduled to sign autographs during set changes.

Unfortunately, Iced Earth missed their session because of a miscommunication. They didn’t even know about it. Jon Schaffer and Matt Barlow made up for it though, signing by the bus after their show. Schaffer even hung out with a bunch of fans, partying on the hotel porch, until it was time to get on the bus and head to the next town.