The aforementioned singers will be joining the previously announced group of vocalists: Wade Black (Crimson Glory/Leatherwolf), Zak Stevens (Savatage/Circle II Circle), Lance King (Pyramaze/Balance of Power), Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind), Chris Salinas (Zero Hour/Power of Omens), Ronny Monroe (Metal Church), Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm/Symphorce/Ivanhoe), Sean Peck (Cage), Danilo Herbert (Mindflow), Joakim Brodén (Sabaton), Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus) and David Vanlanding (Crimson Glory/Michael Schenker Group).

Crimson Glory lead guitarist, Jon Drenning, commented on the new lineup, stating, “With the addition of these four extraordinarily talented singers, along with original bassist/founding member, Jeff Lords, this show promises to be nothing short of spectacular; it will go down in history as one of the greatest and most unique power/progressive metal performances of all time. One for the Progpower Festival history books”

We’re happy to announce that individual day tickets have been made available for purchase. Please us the links below if you wish to only purchase tickets for either Friday or Saturday.

FRIDAY ONLY tickets please click here.

SATURDAY ONLY tickets please click here.

And remember, 2 day tickets can still be purchased using this link.

Crimson Glory is pleased to announce that they have confirmed the following special guest vocalists to perform with them during their headlining set at ProgPower USA X:

Wade Black (Crimson Glory/Leatherwolf)
Zak Stevens (Savatage/Circle II Circle)
Lance King (Pyramaze/Balance of Power)
Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind)
Chris Salinas (Zero Hour/Power of Omens)
Ronny Monroe (Metal Church)
Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm/Symphorce/Ivanhoe)
Sean Peck (Cage)
Danilo Herbert (Mindflow)
Joakim Brodén (Sabaton)
Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus)
David Vanlanding (Crimson Glory/Michael Schenker Group)

Additional guest singers will be announced as they are confirmed.

Also performing alongside the band will be guitarist Matt LaPorte (Jon Oliva’s Pain/Circle II Circle/Midnight) and keyboardist John Zahner (Crimson Glory/Savatage/Circle II Circle/Jon Oliva’s Pain), as well as bassist Nolen Strong and vocalist Danaë Saree.

The response of singers wanting to be a part of this has been nothing short of overwhelming, and we are very pleased with the lineup thus far. Indeed, we are both excited and honored to be sharing the stage with such incredibly talented people; each have made a name for themselves with their individual vocal stylings and we look forward to having them alongside us as we showcase Midnight’s extraordinary career with Crimson Glory.

As this is our only US show date scheduled for 2009, this promises to be a truly memorable show for long-time fans as well as the “new blood” with something for everybody, and we feel that Midnight would be very pleasantly surprised to know that so many gifted singers have stepped up to lend their unique voices to his tribute.

We realize that many ProgPower USA attendees were coming to this year’s fest to see specific bands, the absence of whom have allowed us this great opportunity to perform. It is our sincere hope that the varied lineup of guest performers we have selected will ensure that all who attend this year get something truly personal and special from our show.

Crimson Glory wishes to again extend their sincere thanks and gratitude to founder/promotor Glenn Harveston for offering this great opportunity to celebrate Midnight’s legendary legacy with our band, as well as for working so hard to keep this incredible festival going for ten years strong. We are proud to be a part of ProgPower USA, and we aim to help make this the most memorable and truly special ProgPower event since its inception.

Lastly, to all of our fans both diehard and new, we thank you for your amazing support: it is YOU who make Crimson Glory’s music truly eternal.
We’re looking forward to meeting those of you coming to the fest; we’ll see you in September!

–Jon Drenning, Ben Jackson, Dana Burnell and Wade Black

After nine shows, I think I have earned everyone’s trust and the right to speak brutally honest. In fact, I think this is what most fans want to hear: the truth. Nobody wants to hear another lame two sentence explanation about “visa problems.” I will not hide behind anything.

I have been doing my own visa applications since ProgPower USA IV for 75% of the roster. Hiring a professional company to do the visas for a single performance is prohibitive due to costs. Imagine paying $36,000 just for visas up front before any other expense is incurred. The process has become so convoluted and intricate that it pushes me to insanity’s edge at times. However, I have had no choice but to suck it up and deal with it in order to maintain the festival. I have never had a problem prior to this year with obtaining visas for bands that I have applied for myself. Think of how many bands that is over the last six years. This is the same model used by other successful festivals such as NEARfest. However, this year has left me questioning whether or not to continue with the festival after 2010.

We started the visa application process back in early May. It takes three weeks to obtain approval from AFM (American Federation of Musicians). Once that approval is obtained, you send it in along with your 40+ pages of paperwork for governmental processing. There is a 90 day window for this decision process. I received approval for the majority of the bands in early June. The process was moving regularly. I then received a request for “further information” on the remaining four bands in mid-June. That has happened once before about four years ago and I resolved it quickly. I scrambled and sent in an additional 25 pages of documentation including peer letters, reviews, etc. for each band in order to prove the designation request that I have always used.

I just received notification on Monday that the visa applications for Andre Matos, Vanden Plas, Tomorrow’s Eve, and Power Quest were denied.

Each individual case is reviewed by one person at the visa processing center. Evidently, if you get the right person, you have no problems. You get the wrong person and you get rejected. It’s as simple as that. There is no possible way to speak to any officer directly involved with your case to clarify, ask questions, etc. There is absolutely no method to the madness. How else can you explain how the remaining bands were approved with the standard documentation compared to the other bands that with more that failed? How else can you explain that I have never had a problem in the past using the exact same process and documentation? I have even had a situation in the past with half of a band approved (different nationality/consul) and the other half rejected initially based on the exact SAME documentation. Yes, you read that correctly. That proves that no two screeners follow the same reviewing standards.

Recently, there have been numerous articles on this same problem that all promoters are experiencing. I invite you to read the following article that describes this nightmare process:

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/63473-Immigrant-song/?page=2

I could appeal the cases. That costs an additional $700 per case and has a 30-60 day time frame for a decision. That would probably be money wasted as it is too close to the festival date with absolute no guarantees. In the case of Matos & Vanden Plas, I did seek out a professional consultation and was willing to pay the additional costs to get the processing completed within 30 days. They would seek out the a different designation that is used in all touring situations. I was going to do whatever it took to get them here. However, I just heard back from them and they do not believe it would be a quick and easy case based on the previous denial of the designation that I have been using for the past six years! The visa consultants told me I have been “lucky.” Evidently, I have been lucky for six years straight? If someone would have failed me previously, I would have done things a different way this year. I had no reason to believe otherwise. Even if the band was approved, there is no guarantee the visas would be received until mid-August. That would leave the bands only 2-3 weeks to complete their interview processes in their own country. In most countries, you must have the approval in hand before you even schedule your interviews. Once again, there would be no guarantees even if I spent an additional $5,000 per band on every possible last ditch attempt.

These bands did nothing wrong. I attempted to play by the rules and the government’s process failed me. A quick google search will find that I am not alone. I cannot wait until the last minute to fix this and risk further cancellations; nor will I do anything illegal to get a band in the country. That is not fair to the bands or to the fans. Each of these bands will be brought back in the future using a different process and designation. That is the only fair thing to do. I do not see this as a problem for the bands in the future. We are simply out of time for this year.

I take pride in my work. I take pride in doing things the right way. I take pride in this festival. I take pride in being honest with the fans who are family to me. This situation has hit me hard and caused me many sleepless nights. I sincerely apologize to everyone. All I can say is that I promise to do my best in the future to prevent this from happening again. I will make a decision on continuing the festival in 2011 based on how smoothly 2010 goes. I simply cannot have this happen again.

That said, the show must go on…

Crimson Glory has been selected as the new headliner for Friday night. This will be the band’s tribute show to honor and commemorate the musical legacy left behind by their recently departed brethren, Midnight. Wade Black, along with several guest vocalists, will join the band on stage to perform classics from the band’s entire career. The band promises to make this a once in a lifetime show.

Brazil’s MindFlow (with approved visas!) will take over the second slot on the first night of the show. The critically acclaimed progressive metal band will be debuting material from their upcoming release at the show.

American power metallers, Cage, will bring their crushing style of metal to the opening slot of the festival. Their most recent album, “Science of Annhilation,” continues to draw rave reviews from media all over the world.

Please note, the site will be updated over the next couple days to reflect the new lineup.

The acoustic Pagan’s Maximus show has been changed as a result. Circus Maximus will now play a full electric set consisting of cover tunes and Circus Maximus songs that they will NOT be performing on the main stage for Saturday.

Both Pagan’s Mind and ProgPower USA apologize for the change in plans.

While other shows have seemingly been announced in addition to the ProgPower USA appearance…

…we would like to confirm that the ProgPower USA show will be Fates Warning’s only 2009 USA show, an exclusive!

Purchase ProgPower USA tickets now while there are still some left!

Don’t miss out on your chance to see Primal Fear, Vanden Plas, Suspyre and Future’s End on Thursday night, leading into the Friday/Saturday main event!

Order your tickets today!

Purchase ProgPower USA showcase tickets.

In what is believed to be a metal scene first, the promoter of ProgPower USA is officially inviting the general public to follow the festival’s unique mode of operations. Readers will learn what goes on behind the scenes before, during, and after the festival. Updates will include advance practical preparation such as gear, stage logistics, travel notes, and current negotiations/hints for the 2010 roster. Expect live updates from soundchecks, crew updates from the stage during the show, band reactions as they step off stage, backstage gossip, and a post show commentary. To sign up, please visit: http://twitter.com/ProgPowerUSA

ProgPower USA is a 4 day progressive and power metal festival scheduled for Sept 9th-12th in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s 10th anniversary show features the following acts

Fates Warning, Andre Matos (U.S. exclusive), Brainstorm (U.S. exclusive), Royal Hunt (U.S. exclusive), Sabaton (U.S. exclusive), Pagan’s Mind, Orphaned Land (U.S. exclusive), Circus Maximus (U.S. exclusive), Diablo Swing Orchestra (U.S. exclusive), Tomorrow’s Eve (U.S. exclusive), and Power Quest (U.S. exclusive).

The annual Thursday night Showcase presents Primal Fear, Vanden Plas (U.S. exclusive), Suspyre, and Future’s End.

The Mid-Week Mayhem on Wednesday features a unique acoustic performance from Pagan Maximus (featuring the combined members of Pagan’s Mind & Circus Maximus), the Queensryche tribute band Mindcrime (with Chris Salinas from Zero Hour on vocals) performing Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety. Also announced is a short set from Krucible with live Queensrcyhe karaoke to follow.

Tickets for all shows are still available. Please click here to purchase your ProgPower USA X tickets.

You can purchase your tickets for a low $20 via Ticket Alternative by clicking this link.

Limited to 500 tickets so order now!

We’re pleased to announce that tickets for ProgPower USA X are now available!

You may purchase your tickets by clicking here (please use our link as it helps to support our show, thanks!)

We look forward to seeing you all in September!