ROSfest, Day 2

On Saturday morning, Mark and I have a tradition of playing a couple hours of tennis at some local college courts. Luckily the weather cooperated and we had a nice sunny morning and it wasn't too warm. We always joke that we are probably the only festival attendees to actually exercise during the weekend. This was the perfect way to start the day.

After showering at the hotel, we headed to the venue to catch the 2nd band of the day (we skipped the first). Galahad (from UK) played a fantastic set and the festival was rocking now. The sound was good and our 6th row seats were perfect. I was really looking forward to the 3rd band, Carptree (Sweden), since I really like one of their albums. Unfortunately, the drummer bashed his cymbals (three monster 24" crash/ride cymbals) into oblivion making all the other instruments impossible to hear. This was the worst performance of the weekend (that we saw) and I was quite disappointed.

The last band of the night was reason enough to make the trip from Chicago. One of my favorite bands, Pendragon, was playing in the States for the first time in 12 years. There were some initial problems with the sound (could not hear guitar well enough) but they straightened these out after Mark shouted out loud between songs to "TURN UP THE GUITAR". Many people had the same sentiment and the problem was corrected. From then on, this became one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

Every Saturday night of the festival, there is a party for Gold Ticket holders back at the hotel. Band members mingle with the fans and they even get up and play a bit for fun. Last year we got to meet the lead singer/guitarist/writer of Pendragon, Mr. Nick Barrett, when he played a few songs with Neo. At the after-party, we had another chance to chat with Nick and thank him profusely for coming. Nick was fantastic to talk to; very mellow and approachable, and he really enjoyed this chance to talk to his fans who have loved his music for so many years.

Mark, Nick and I after the Concert

(Note: Clive Nolan is right behind Mark!)

This is a great time and we are now getting to know quite a few of the regulars that attend this festival every year. Will, in photo below, is one of our prog buddies. It was great to see him and hear what music he's been listening to lately.