It was another exquisite ProgDay this year. The weather was great and the people were friendly as always. The performances were on schedule and excellent. The highlights for me were Mahogany Frog and Scale the Summit. These two bands play very different music, but are young, full of energy, and deliver great performances. The show by Mars Hollow was also exceptional. Half Past Four and Shadow Circus got things off to a high-energy start on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Barry Cleveland’s Hologramatron provided spacey and intelligent improvisation during the height of the Saturday heat. Classic prog band, Flash, provided a crowd pleasing wrap-up to things on Saturday, and the mostly wild ‘n’ crazy The Muffins closed the weekend on a humorous and upbeat note. Overall, ProgDay 2010 was an extraordinary musical and social experience.

The fact that ProgDay included no overseas bands was noted by all. This was, IMHO, just fine. The organizers of the event were able to put together an excellent weekend of music by recruiting only US and Canadian bands. The fact they made budget-conscious choices in no way meant that they sacrificed line-up quality. I don’t imagine I’ll have as good a time or hear so much great music until next Labor Day weekend. Even if ProgDay 2011 is only half as good ProgDay 2010, it will be a not-to-be-missed event. I can’t wait.

I was not familiar with the music of any of the ProgDay 2010 bands until they were announced. As each band was added to the line-up, I bought their CDs and got to know their music just a little bit before the Labor Day weekend. (The only performers on the bill that I had even heard of were The Muffins, and that was because they played ProgDay twice in the past and I saw them listed on old rosters.) Thus, I had given the CDs of Scale the Summit a couple of listens prior to the show. I liked them instantly and they certainly provided a stand-out ProgDay performance. I agree that the band selection committee made a fine decision by including them in this year’s line-up.