Storybook Farm
Chatham County (Chapel Hill), NC
Saturday, August 30, 2008
General Admission
Patron Pass: $140
Welcome to my review of ProgDay, otherwise known as the 12th edition of Rhea versus the heat. I wrote up my general thoughts on ProgDay here last year and why it's so special among all the various progressive rock festivals.
Roy and I flew into Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon. We met another ProgDay person just as we were checking into the hotel. Mike was from the band Kinetic Element and was playing at the preshow that night. We chatted for a bit and he hoped we would go to the Local 506 for the preshow. We hadn't decided yet, but on the whole, I don't like going to preshows. It can make for a late night, and I like being refreshed for the festival itself. Plus, I like this area and there are better things to do than hang out in a smoky club. We ended up going to downtown Chapel Hill for dinner and looking around at the shops. Ironically, we walked right past the Local 506, but we were back at the hotel by the time the bands started.
On Saturday morning, we had breakfast and headed off to Storybook Farm. This is the first time in years that I didn't volunteer for any shifts. I like doing the early morning gate duty, talking to everyone as they arrive. Everyone's always so excited. I wanted to see the opening bands each day this time, so I took the year off. We did buy Patron passes to help out the fest. I always buy my ProgDay tickets right when they go on sale. Having low numbers on my tickets doesn't really mean anything. But Debbie needed to check off what tickets we were and it was fun to yell out that we were #1 and 2.
Roy and I set up our chairs in our usual spot, about ten feet from the stage. It was overcast, so it didn't feel too hot. Von Frickle were the first band. They are an instrumental band, with two guitarists, bassist, and drummer. What was far more exotic was how the looked. All four of them were dressed in white jumpsuits, with white head coverings and white masks. Roy called them "The White Man Group". Some people I talked to afterwards commented that the costumes pushed them to focus more on the music, since they couldn't watch the performer's facial expressions. I was the opposite; I watched for any bit of individuality like small hand gestures. The band had a good mix of sounds, some of the heavier bits were broken up by some more melodic stuff. I swear I heard a little of King Crimson's Vrooom being quoted. I enjoyed their set, but I had had enough after the first hour. Their set lasted about 90 minutes, and I was ready for them to be over.
I spent some time at ProgDay seeing how everyone else experiences the festival. Since Roy and I fly there, we can't bring along a tent and cooler. I wonder what it would be like to spend the whole festival sitting further back, always in the shade and comfortable, but with more distractions. Is the music more of a background to the whole festival atmosphere? I prefer to sit closer and really focus on the bands when I want to, and then escape to the shade when I need a break. Even getting our chairs was kind of ridiculous for us this year - it was actually cheaper to buy new collapsible lawn chairs at Kroger than to bring our own. The new ones were 2 for $10 and we would have had to check ours in for $15 each way on our flight. It seems like a waste to buy new ones when we have perfectly good lawn chairs at home.
I talked to a few friends during the next break. Richard and I talked about Yes, and then a little bit later, Cherry, Fred and I talked about the same thing. I'm writing this so far after the fact that the rumor has been confirmed. But at the time, it was just a rumor that they were going to tour without Jon Anderson, and that they were getting a singer from a tribute band. I have mixed feelings about this. I love the album Drama that they did without Jon, but it was much easier for me to accept an album that came out years before I had become a fan. This is happening now. So much energy at a Yes concert is focused on Jon. I wonder what the vibe would be like without him. I hoped they'd get someone who can really hit his notes, even if the singer doesn't have the same vocal qualities as Jon. I don't blame them at all for wanting to continue. But I won't be going to five shows and paying scalper's prices for tickets like I had planned to for the canceled summer tour.
The next band is one that Roy and I were both looking forward to. Holding Pattern was one of the first bands Roy got into in the early 90s, when he first got on-line and discovered a lot of lesser known or new prog bands. I had only heard their MP3s on the ProgDay website, but I liked it. Holding Pattern was a guitar/bass/drum trio led by the well-regarded guitarist Tony Spada.
Roy and I went back to our chairs to watch this set. It was a getting sunny out, and I didn't feel like dealing with the heat. The roof of the stage provides some shade to the people right in front. There was a "front row" of lawn chairs taking advantage of it. I sat on the grass behind them. The ground was cool, and I was protected by the shade so it was still pleasant sitting outside.
Pleasant is about all I can say for Holding Pattern. Their music sounded nice, but the performance didn't have a lot of energy. Lots of guitar soloing without a lot of structure. When Roy came over and told me he was ready for lunch, I joined him. That's the beauty of ProgDay - we can walk to the covered pavilion and eat and still be able to hear the music.
Next up was Abigail's Ghost, the only band with vocals the whole day. They weren't really proggy; to me they sounded more like modern alternative rock with some keyboards. I've heard them being compared to Porcupine Tree, but they only sounded like Porky's less proggy material. Anyway, it was a good change of pace to hear real songs. I've served on the band committee at ProgDay in the past and I know how hard it is to put a lineup together of bands that people will like and who also will want to play the festival. Still, it seems like traditional symphonic prog and song-based arty rock music haven't gotten enough representation. And, I haven't always enjoyed all their choices in these styles. But Abigail's Ghost was good music, performed with a lot of enthusiasm.
While I was getting lunch, some people moved their chairs to the spot where I had been sitting. I didn't put anything down to hold it. I moved my chair to an open spot in the shade, but further to the side near the speakers. About halfway through Abigail's Ghost's set, I was ready for a break. Storybook Farm has a big line of trees on its western perimeter. As the day goes on, they provide some shade on the lawn near the edge of the field. I went over there, spread my sweatshirt out like a blanket, and lay down on the grass to read and listen to music. And to duck from frisbees.
I was really looking forward to the last band of the day, Ain Soph. Like the rest of the bands that day, I wasn't familiar with their material, but I knew their reputation and Roy thought I'd like them a lot. Descriptions like "Camel-esque" and "Canterbury". I've been struggling with what to say here, part of the reason my blogging is so far behind. I don't want to sound like I didn't enjoy them. I liked Ain Soph's music, but the performance was so laid back. I didn't really connect with them. Roy and I thought maybe our expectations were too high.
Anyway, during Ain Soph's performance, it started to rain. I brought my raincoat with me, but it was in the car. I just threw my sweatshirt around my shoulders and put the hood on. (I had an umbrella, but I used it to keep my stuff dry. Lots of places don't let you open umbrellas because they block the view of the people behind you.) Ain Soph announced their last song. Roy ended up going to the pavilion for shelter from the rain. I didn't really notice how heavy it got until after the performance was over. He brought the car up to the pavilion and we loaded our chairs and other stuff in.
I was thinking at first that Ain Soph had managed to finish their set. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. They had a lengthy encore planned. This was their first show ever in the United States, and I think they had played Baja Prog, so their second in North America. It's too bad they couldn't play a complete set. Honestly, it was just as well for me.
We didn't have plans for dinner with anyone. This is really unusual for ProgDay, but our usual group of friends either didn't come this year or had other plans. Roy and I went to the Japanese Steak Huose by the hotel. We talked to some other people in the lobby whom we recognized from the festival, but we didn't sit at the table with anyone we knew. Still, it was a fun dinner.
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